In the Driver’s Seat
In the Driver’s Seat
Topic: Creating a Car and Placing Yourself in the Driver's Seat
Empowerment Video: Designing Your Destiny
Basic Supplies:
- Empty single-serving milk carton or large-size juice box, one per student
- Plastic bottle caps, 4 per student
- It is easiest if these bottle caps are pre-drilled. Use a power drill to make a hole in the center of each cap.
- If pre-drilling is not possible, a box cutter, scissors, or a knife can be used to create a hole. Depending on students’ age and ability, it may be best to have an adult complete this step.
- Wooden skewer, 2 per student
- Plastic straw, 2 per student
- Paint, stickers, glitter, and other art supplies to decorate the finished cars
- Packing tape or another strong tape
- Scissors
- A small photo of each student
- Hot glue, optional
- Rulers, optional
Video Discussion:
Ask, “What do you think it takes to succeed in life?”
Direct students to turn and talk to a partner. Then bring the class together to discuss students’ ideas. Note that students are likely to have many varied ideas of “success” and the steps it takes to get there.
After watching the video Designing Your Destiny, ask students to work together to summarize the 2-3 main pieces of advice from the video.
Use some or all of the following questions to discuss the video content:
- What does it mean to “design your destiny”?
- What advice did the role models offer about designing your destiny?
- One role model told listeners that they need to “be in the driver’s seat of your own life.” What do you think this means? Why is this good advice to help someone achieve success?
Activity Instructions:
Students will be creating a car and placing themselves in the driver’s seat. Then, they will be asked to reflect on ways that they can design their destiny and be the “driver” of their lives.
Part of designing your destiny is ensuring you are in the driver’s seat of your life. This means that you are making your own decisions and finding your own path, no matter what.
- Get your milk carton, skewers, straws, bottle caps, scissors, and tape.
- Place your milk carton on your desk with the long side down.
- Lay your skewers on the top of your milk carton. Cut the skewers to be 1.5-2 inches longer than the width of your carton. These skewers will be the axles of your car.
- Thread one bottle cap on the end of each skewer. You will have two bottle caps left over at this point.
- Measure and cut your plastic straws so that they are 1-1.5 inches shorter than your skewers.
- Thread one plastic straw onto each skewer. Then thread the extra bottle caps onto your skewers. At this point, each skewer should have one bottle cap, the straw, then another bottle cap threaded onto it.
- Tip: Your wheels will roll better if the bottle caps are threaded onto the skewer with the top of each cap facing the milk carton.
- Optional: You can add a bit of hot glue to each bottle cap where it meets the skewer. This secures the bottle cap more firmly to the skewer. If you choose to do this, make sure the glue doesn’t get on the straw!
- Place your axles on your carton. One axle should be a few inches from the top of the carton, and the other should be a few inches from the bottom.
- Use tape to secure each axle onto your carton.
- Use paint, glitter, stickers, or any other art supplies you want to customize your car.
- Get your photo and cut it to fit where the driver’s side window would be on your car. Then use glue or tape to attach it to your car. Now, you’re in the driver’s seat!
- Give your car a roll and imagine where you might go in life if you stay in the driver’s seat!
- As time allows, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:
- What is the car you just created meant to symbolize?
- What does it mean to be in the “driver’s seat” of your own life?
- Why do you think it’s important to make your own decisions?
- Why do you think it's important to set goals for yourself? How can setting goals help you design your own destiny?
- What are some goals you have for the future? How do you plan to achieve those goals?
