Each group needs:

• 10 disposable plastic drinking straws without bends, for the sail car frame
• 4 wooden macramé beads, such as those with 3/8-inch inner diameter and 7/8-inch outer diameter (like the one shown in Figure 1), for sail car wheels; any round bead works, as long as the inner diameter is larger than the straw diameter
• 1 sheet 8.5 x 11-inch (A4) copy paper, for the sail
• 40 cm masking tape, to hold the car together
• scissors, for modifying the straws and paper
• Wind-Powered Sail Cars Pre-Quiz, one per person
• Wind-Powered Sail Cars Rules Sheet, one per person
• Wind-Powered Sail Cars Scoring Sheet, one per person
• Wind-Powered Sail Cars Post-Quiz, one per person

Materials note: Depending on the number and extent of design modifications teams go through during the design-build-test-refine process on Day 1, they may require more straws, paper and tape than the amounts listed above (which are amounts for one design iteration), plus teams will each require one fresh set of supplies for competition day (Day 2).

To share with the entire class:

• capability to show the class a short online video
• masking tape, to mark the competition course
• 9-inch electric fan (like the one shown in Figure 2), to provide the wind energy to push the sail cars, almost any fan will work as the wind source; having multiple fans may speed up the testing process
• measuring tape, to measure how far the sail cars travel
• gram scale or kitchen scale, to weigh cars in case of a tie; since the sail cars do not weigh much, typically less than 100 grams (~3.5 ounces) each, make sure the scale has a relatively small resolution; a gram scale or kitchen scale is best; a bathroom scale will not work