This may be my favourite “make” from the book – as I explain in the video, I love that you can take scrap materials and make a “pull back” car, like the ones you can buy from a shop, and see exactly how it works. I’ve seen young children make these and witnessed their joy when they get theirs working – the same as mine when I first made one and, in fact, every time I’ve made one since, because it’s just so satisfying.

EXTRAS: If you liked making this car, you could try powering it using a balloon instead of a rubber band, as shown in this video I made for the Royal Institution.

MORE GOOD STUFF: Click here for more activities. I’ll be publishing more videos of activities from my book over the coming weeks. Check back here, follow me on Twitter or subscribe to my YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss them.