Breakfast of Champions

January marks the official Cub Scout calendar month for the Pinewood Derby.  Our Pack held the event relatively early in the month, so it came up pretty quick after the holidays.  This was the first year for Spencer to participate and the last for Brevin, which meant one thing--our household would be responsible for creating two cars.

As is customary at our home, the boys began with talks of plans to create fast cars, envisioning the grand moment when theirs would cross the finish line before all the rest.  And just as in times past, their hopes to be the fastest were soon replaced (with much encouragement from Mom and Dad) with the giddy excitement about having the most creative design .

What caused them to change their minds? you might ask.  I'll tell you.  It was an old, reliable internet search on Google.  We looked for images of pinewood derby cars and spotted one made to look like two sunny-side up eggs.  I joked that it would be funny to have a piece of bacon to go alongside it.  At that moment, Jason and I both felt we had a glimmer of creative inspiration.  We refined our internet search and even found an example of a slice of bacon pinewood derby car.  Wouldn't it be fun to have the boys do something themed together?  They loved the idea, so we moved ahead with it.  

Let the car building commence!

First, they each sketched the design on the block of wood:

Second, they assisted Dad as he cut the wood by blowing sawdust away from the blade:

 

Next, they each got a turn to use the power sander:

 

They had to continue sanding by hand:

 

Finally, weights, wheels, paint, and accessories were added:

With a touch of graphite, the cars were ready to roll.  They even looked good enough to eat:

 

 Well, they looked fantastic.  We only needed to see how they'd race.

It turns out that pigs can fly.  The bacon design car was really fast, won several races, and even made it to the final four where it competed in the winners round.  The eggs fared well enough, too.  They won some races, and by my figuring placed somewhere in the middle of the pack.  No matter how well the cars finished, they were triumphantly cheered on by an excited younger brother and his company.

Grandpa Park came to watch the boys race.  At one point, he and Jason convinced Spencer to set his car on the track backwards with the weight in the front to test a theory of weight placement and see how much it really affected the outcome of the race.  It turns out that the weight placement was significant, and Spencer's car lost in that heat...badly.  I was able to capture his expression as he looked over and seemed to ask his Dad and Grandpa, Why the heck did you tell me to do that!

As final race results were being calculated, the track was opened for free race time.  We put all cars that our children had made in past years on the track to see how they would compete with each other.  The bacon won.

Awards were presented and Brevin was honored with the title of "Most Delicious"  and Spencer was awarded "Most Protein." Their cars now sit on shelves in their rooms as reminders of the fun experience we had as a family. Who knew making bacon and eggs could be so fun!

This post authored by Amber

All Aboard! (Pinewood Derby 2012)

As soon as the last cars crossed the finish line at the 2011 Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, Brevin was already excited to make plans for his next year's car.  The Wii remote was quite a hit, and we knew it would be a hard act to follow.  Brevin was determined that night, though, that his next car would be of the sleek, aerodynamic variety.  He was set on building a fast car that would win.  I figured he'd have a full year to change his mind.  And he did.

When we began discussing design plans, Jason and I encouraged Brevin to go for creative aesthetics over speed.  It's easier to control the variables of the outcome.  Plus I figured the reigning champ, Carson, and his dad would likely produce another winner.  (I heard his father elaborate on all the techniques he applied to his winning car.  It was a very methodical approach, and he had it down to a science.)  They would be hard to beat.

Brevin seemed to agree and began to give suggestions that related to his current obsession, Harry Potter.  He imagined his car as a broomstick or lightening bolt.  I threw out the idea of the Hogwarts Express, and it was the idea that stuck.  At first, Jason was skeptical about the idea.  He thought it would be too difficult.  Once I showed him a picture of the Lego version of the train, he realized that it was actually a very simple train design and quite doable.

After a trip to Hobby Lobby for detail pieces, it was time to begin construction on the train.  The garage was converted into a wood shop where cutting, sanding, drilling, and painting took place.  As it turned out, the the most difficult task was getting the train to make weight.  The cylinder of the engine and back compartment had to be completely hollowed out with the drill. It was a little tricky, but it worked. 

The entire family worked on the project over the course of a month, and by the end, Brevin had a derby car worthy of display...but could it race?  Well, we would see.

 

On the night of the Pinewood Derby, Brevin was really excited to show off his creation.  He had also been adequately prepared beforehand to be a gracious loser.  Jason and I made him aware that his was not built for speed.  It was built for looks.  It looked pretty slick.  We just hoped that it would make it across the finish line and not derail.

His car actually did better than expected.  It placed second in one heat and third in most others.  That was a pleasant surprise.  Another surprise was when Karson's car just barely edged out Carson's car for the overall win. 

Grandpa Park used to work on repairing railroad trains.  We're relieved

he didn't have to "come out of retirement" to fix Brevin's tonight.

It turned out to be a wonerfully fun family evening.  On the way home, Brevin and Spencer both talked about how they wanted their next year's car to be be of the sleek, aerodynamic variety. They are both set on building a fast car that will win. I guess they have a full year to change their mind.

This post authored by Amber