Do you want to learn how to make a scribble bot? We turned the classic scribble bot into a hilarious unicorn bot by attaching our motor to a plastic unicorn.
This rainbow scribble bot project is so much fun for kids and will spark their creativity so they want to make more robots from toys.
This is a creative STEM activity idea that you can use in the classroom or at home. Kids will love transforming their toys into art doodle bots!
We had the best time making this unicorn scribble bot! She is a fully motorized bot that draws rainbows. You cannot get much cooler than that.
My kids (and I) were laughing the whole time we were playing with her! Your kids will LOVE this simple robot STEM project.
Easy-to-Build Unicorn Scribble Robot
Within 30 minutes, you can have your very own motorized unicorn that draws rainbows!
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What you’ll need to build a bot unicorn:
- Large plastic unicorn (we used this one)
- 3 volt motor
- AAA battery pack with wires
- Needlenose pliers
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Markers (in rainbow colors)
- Large play tray
- White paper
- Scotch tape or electrical tape
- Mini clothespin
- 2 AAA batteries
How to make a robot for a science fair project
First, you have to make sure your motor is up and running properly. Attach the wires from your battery pack to the motor. We found it didn’t matter which wires touched which side of the motor.
They worked as long as they were both attached (making a closed circuit). Because this motor runs off direct current, you don’t have to worry about getting shocked when setting everything up, making it friendlier for little hands.
Once the motor is running, attach your mini clothespin to the rotating part of the motor (we used hot glue). This will make the motor run off-kilter, making it vibrate (which is what you want in this case).
Attach your motor to the back of the unicorn. We used a combination of tape and hot glue to hold it in place. Make sure there is enough space for the clothespin to spin around without knocking into the unicorn’s head.
Attach the battery pack to the underside of the unicorn with hot glue.
Plug in the batteries and make sure your unicorn can move around without toppling over. If she can’t, move things around until the unicorn will move without falling over.
At this point, our unicorn was spinning in circles, which the kids thought was hilarious.
Next, arrange your markers into a rainbow pattern. We made two stacks of three colors each, staggering them so (most of) the colors all would touch the paper at the same time.
Attach the markers to the back of the unicorn’s tail so she can drag them along behind her.
Cover your play tray in white paper. You may want to tape some of the edges together so they don’t trip your unicorn.
Place your unicorn scribble bot inside the play tray and place the battery inside the battery pack. Watch as your unicorn draws rainbows all over your paper!
It’s mesmerizing!
Unicorn Bot STEAM Elements
Science: Kids will have to use the scientific method to refine the design for their scribble bot.
Technology: Kids use motors, batteries, and markers to bring their toys to life.
Engineering: Designing a motorized robot is a tricky challenge for kids! They must work carefully to make all elements of the design work without flaw.
Art: Drawing rainbows is a delightful way to use art in this project.
Math: Calculating the right angle for the markers and the correct power source for the motor is essential to making this project work without burning out the motor.
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