Sanity Savers- Find a Truck Edition: Egg Carton Dump Truck

By: Amelia Schrader
Senior Manger of Learning and Education 

Sponsored by: Dunn Tire

Printable directions are downloadable here!

Supplies ideas:

Egg Carton, wooden dowels or straws, cardboard, scissors, paint, paint brush, newspaper or scrap paper

Sanity Savers- Find a Truck Edition: Egg Carton Dump Truck

Length:

10 minute build time 30-45 minute dry time  

Academic Subjects:

Art
This lesson supports the following standards:
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems- Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints).

Directions for Eggcellent Trucks:

There are unlimited possibilities when creating a truck out of an egg carton. For my project I chose to build a construction vehicle that can transform into a school bus.        

1.) Start by creating a truck bed. Cut along the dotted lines seen in the picture. Remove half of the top lid of the egg carton. This can be flipped over and be placed onto the egg carton to create a truck bed.   
2.) Next, make a small hole for the wheels and axels. Make the hole big enough for the straw or wooden dowel to slide through.     
3.) Create the wheel for your truck. Using a round object, trace a circle, and cut the circles out. Then paint your wheels!   
4.) Decide on a paint color for your truck, roll up your sleeves, and get painting!
5.) Once your wheels and truck dry, place your wheels on the axels.     
6.) Decorate your truck however you wish!   

 Vocabulary 

Engine: Makes trucks, cars, and buses move! Engines change one type of energy such as gasoline, solar energy, and electricity and changes it into movement.
Windshield: A clear piece of glass on a car that protects the passengers from wind, rain, snow, and other types of weather! 
Bumper: A large bar that covers the front and back of a vehicle to lessen shock or damage from a collusion.  

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here! 

Storytime – Find a Truck Edition: Leanne from Rusiniak’s Service Reads Sunnys Tow Truck Saves the Day

Sponsored by Savarino Companies

Leanne from Rusiniak’s Service Reads Sunnys Tow Truck Saves the Day by Anne Marie Pace

When a family car gets a flat on the way to a picnic, help is needed and time is ticking! Cranes are lifting, and pavers are paving. Diggers are digging, and workers are waving. But where is Sunny and her trusty tow truck?

For more Storytime stories click here!

At-Home Activity: Touch a Truck Edition: Painting with Trucks

By: Valerie Drapeau     
Education Coordinator

Materials:

Paper
Washable paint in a variety of colors
Toy trucks with differing wheel sizesPaper plate
Foam paint brush (Or you can just dip the wheels!)
Paper towels

Sanity Savers- Find a Truck Edition: Painting with Trucks

Length:

Set up: 5 minutes
Activity:20 minutes of painting

Academic Subject(s):

Art

Have you ever noticed how different the wheels of certain trucks are?  Some are large, some are small, and some even have rotating tracks for grip to drive over bumpy ground and mud.  Wouldn’t it be cool to see what kind of patterns these wheels can make?  That’s what today’s Sanity Saver is all about.  Let your child experiment with different toy trucks that they have and see a one-of kind-painting being created!

Directions:

Step 1: Squirt a few globs of different colored paint onto the paper plate.  Have some paper towels on standby for the next step!

Step 2: Have your child find some hand-held toy trucks (bigger ones will work too!) that you already have in the house.  Have them dip the wheels in the washable paint or brush some of the paint on the wheels with a foam paint brush.  Here comes the fun part!  They then can “drive” the trucks over the paper in various directions to create different tracks.  Try mixing colors and wheel types from different kinds of trucks to create neat patterns!  For example, a front-end loader is a kind of truck with very large wheels.  If you “drive” on your painting with one of these, you may see large tracks with interesting smaller marks to show where the tires grip the road (your paper).  Or you could use an excavator that has rolling tracks on the chassis that will create thinner, more uniform painting imprints.  There are so many possibilities!  Place your painted trucks when they are not in use on a paper towel or separate paper plate.

Step 3: Drop your trucks in soapy water to clean off the paint.  Giving your trucks a bath is part of the fun!  Have your child present their masterpiece after it has dried.This activity is a great opportunity to discuss different kinds of trucks.  See how many your child can name!  While they are painting, see if they can describe what kind of truck they are using, how it works, what size of wheels it has, etc.  Look for trucks when out driving with kids too!

Vocabulary Words:

Front End Loader -A machine with a scoop or bucket on an articulated arm at the front for digging and loading earth.
Excavator – A large machine for removing soil from the ground, especially on a building site.
Chassis – The base frame of a motor vehicle or other wheeled conveyance.

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here! 

Storytime – Find a Truck edition: Friends at Geico read Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site

Sponsored by: Savarino Companies

Storytime – Find a Truck edition: Friends at Geico read Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker. As the sun sets behind the big construction site, all the hardworking trucks get ready to say goodnight. One by one, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Excavator finish their work and lie down to rest—so they’ll be ready for another day of rough and tough construction play

For more Storytime stories click here!

Field trips are back! Please be aware that it will be busier than usual.