Plan a school car wash to raise money for your classroom. Ask teachers and parents to volunteer to help students wash cars. Before the event, show students how to carefully use a sponge or rag to wash cars. In addition, put students in charge of collecting donations during the event. Before the car wash, create a flyer and print it on white paper; let students decorate the flyers with markers and then post them around the school and local businesses.
Use water to make interesting tracks on paper. Take students outside on a sunny day. Provide students with buckets or tubs of water and toy cars. Pour a few drops of food coloring in each bucket, then invite students to dip their toy cars in the water. Show students how to roll their car across paper to make colored tracks on the paper. To extend the activity, invite students to take their shoes and socks off, dip their feet in the water and then make footprints on the paper. Let the papers dry, then hang them up in the classroom.
Hold a miniature car wash outside or in the classroom. Fill a water table or a few large plastic tubs with warm water and a few drops of dish-washing liquid. Pull out toy cars, trucks or trains for the car wash; ensure that all toys can be placed safely in water without damage or risk of electrocution before offering them to students. Give students sponges and washcloths and invite them to wash the cars. Provide a separate container with fresh water for rinsing. Set the cars outside to dry in the sun.
Turn water sprinklers into a car wash. Turn on the sprinklers and let students carefully ride bikes, tricycles and cars through the water, pretending that it is a car wash. Give students buckets and rags and invite them to wipe down their vehicles after riding them. When their vehicles are clean, provide dry cloths for drying the bikes and cars.