The humble rubber band opens up a whole range of possibilities for fun DIY projects. These rubber band toys make great gifts, particularly for geeky kids or partners who appreciate the homemade touch.
Rubber Band Car Launcher
You can use the explosive energy stored in a stretched rubber band to launch a toy car into motion. Check out this rubber band car launcher tutorial and get those Hot Wheels moving. It can be created using scraps of wood, a few screws and a short piece of plastic track to guide the car onto its course. Using the rubber band car launcher is easy: simply pull back the wooden block to create a stretch in the band, then let go.
Rubber Band Helicopter
Why limit yourself to two dimensions of motion? You can create a rubber band helicopter using two rubber bands, some card, a craft stick, a toy propeller and a paper clip. Putting together the pieces of the helicopter is easy and requires only a pair of scissors and some masking tape. You also don’t have to make your flying machine resemble a helicopter; a starship, drone or flying saucer are all possible shapes to try. After a short crafting session, you can take your creation to the park and see how far it will fly.
Rubber Band Gatling Gun
A rubber band fight is fun, but a fight with Gatling guns is even better. Follow this rubber band Gatling gun tutorial to create two fearsome fighters, then challenge your partner to a Valentine’s Day duel. This project requires some basic woodworking skills, including using a drill and a saw, but can be completed in a weekend.
Rubber Band Man
What if you have nothing but a big pile of rubber bands? You can still make creative DIY toys as geeky Valentine’s Day gifts. This rubber band man tutorial explains how to create a colorful mini-me simply by wrapping rubber bands over each other. Once you have got the hang of the technique, you can make other rubber band models, such as animals and monsters, or props for your humanoid creations to use.
Rubber Band Powered Ornithopter
A rubber band powered ornithopter can be a rewarding project. It may be slightly more effort than some of the other projects, but when your flapping toy takes flight, you’ll be happy you put it together!
Soda Bottle Submarine
We’ve already covered the ground and the air, how about under-water? You can build your own rubber band powered submarine from a soda bottle! A few creative cuts and a rubber band gets you a toy that you can pilot around in a pool, lake, or pond.
Catapult Glider Launcher
Throwing gliders by hand may work, but there’s no fun in that is there? Why not make a rubber band powered launcher to get those gliders into the air? Just lock the launcher in to place, pull the trigger, and launch those flying toys up to 150 feet in the air!
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