How To Build A Catapult
How To Build A Catapult – To change things up from my usual posts, I decided to write instructions for making a simple catapult. I am a Den Leader for my local Webelos Cub Scout group and we are working on an engineering activity badge. One of the requirements for the activity badge is to build a catapult. This catapult can be used as a craft idea for kids on a slow weekend or as a school project.
When I finished, I found that the best items to launch from this type of catapult are mini marshmallows that can be found at the grocery store for a few dollars.
How To Build A Catapult
I chose a simple design that would be easier for the boys to follow and would give them enough time to shoot the marshmallows at the target. Many of the designs (including the one given in the applicant’s manual) were quite complex and took a long time to produce. Some I saw were as big as explorers. After following these instructions, Scouts needed just 10 minutes to start testing their new catapult and get involved.
Saturday Morning Workshop: Desktop Catapult (diy)
Step 1 – Take 7 craft sticks and tie a rubber band tightly at one end.
Step 2 – Tie another rubber band tightly to the opposite end so that all 7 sticks are connected.
Step 3 – Take the remaining 2 sticks and tie a rubber band to one end. Try to tie the tape close to the edge of the stick.
Step 4 – Insert the 7 sticks connected together through the bundle of 2 sticks as shown in the picture below.
Build Your Own Catapult
Step 5 – Tie the cross rubber band together connecting the two pieces. The closer the 7-stick bundle is to the edge, the more leverage the catapult will have.
If these instructions helped you, please leave a comment or link to this page so others can find these instructions. A: I am running a STEAM program and Makerspace at an international school in Singapore. More about the teacher »
The idea for this catapult design came from my six year old and we had so much fun. When I looked around the internet, I saw a huge number of catapults, but I was surprised not to see this one. I like this because:
All you need to do this is a piece of wood, a clothespin, a popsicle stick or tongue twister, and a cork or bottle cap. Bonding is done with a hot glue gun.
Fun With A Catapult — Aims Center
Since I usually make these with my younger students, I use low temp glue guns and they work great.
First, we put some glue on one side of the clothespin and stuck it to our scrap. Then we put the glue on the other face and lower the tongue. I reinforced this with another tongue depressor. By doing this, they can last for a long time. The ones I made at home with my kids are still standing after a year of playing.
When the basket is glued, it is good to leave a gap from the end. That way, kids can grab it with their thumb to pull.
There are many different clothespin designs available where my students can solve different problems. As you can see in the pictures, this one came out with a metal ring on it. The students produced a good paper.
How To Make Popsicle Catapult
This catapult used a very large clothespin. If the glue is not strong enough, it will be strengthened with a screw. The pilot hole was made with a spiral drill, which you can see in the picture. This is great for kids – cheap and relatively safe. And notice how little slits are cut into the popsicle sticks to fit snugly.
After all the competitions to see who goes the tallest, farthest, etc…my students like to pull out the Kapla/Kev/Citiblocks to build structures and then try to catapult them down. Ping-pong balls work as projectiles, but rubber bands work pretty well too!
Goats Vs Llamas – Crazy monumental 3D board game with 3D printing from Hey Jude Toys & Games. The #2 pencil is a classic school accessory, and we’ve turned our pencil case into a pencil catapult. Who doesn’t love a catapult? There are great learning opportunities that a catapult can bring from engineering design to math to science and of course fun! What you launch is up to you!
We invite all young scientists, engineers, researchers, inventors and the like to immerse themselves in a simple engineering project for kids. We love STEM activities that you can actually do that actually work!
Build A Model Catapult—flinn Stem Design Challenge™, Full Size Lab Kit
Whether you’re doing STEM in the classroom, in small groups, or at home, our simple STEM projects are a great way for kids to learn how fun STEM can be. But what is STEM?
The simple answer is to break the acronyms! STEM is actually science, technology, engineering and math. A good STEM project will combine two or more of these concepts to complete a project or solve a problem.
Almost any good science or engineering project is actually a STEM project because it must draw from a variety of resources to complete it! Results occur when many different factors come into play. Technology and math are also important to STEM work, whether it’s research or measurement.
It’s important for kids to handle the technology and engineering parts of STEM necessary for a successful future, but it’s not about building expensive robots or being glued to screens for hours. Instead, have fun with building activities like this pencil catapult below!
How To Build A Catapult For A School Project
Before you sharpen those pencils, design your own pencil catapult. We’ve made catapults out of marshmallows, popsicle sticks, LEGO and plastic spoons/rolls out of cardboard tubes, but never pencils!
You may need a little extra help holding pencils and twisting erasers. However, there are many ways to make one that is unique to you!
First, you want to attach two pencils in the middle of one pencil as shown below. This will act as a lever/trigger.
Second, you want to attach that pencil about 1/3 of the way down the two pencils in the frame. Check it out below.
Looking For Something Fun And Creative To Curb Your Child’s Boredom At Home? Check Out Our Diy Catapult Project That Your Child Can Build All By Themselves
Third, slide the rubber band over the frame as shown below. Remember that it is the voltage that will affect the startup!
Fourth, add a pencil at the bottom and top to form the square shape. Note that the top pencil is on top of the middle two pencils
Your pencil catapult needs a solid base! After building the main frame, you need to make a base.
Then we added three pencils connecting them to the main unit at the bottom and creating a square at the bottom. See the photo below.
Easy Diy Popsicle Stick Catapults
Finally, you need to add a pencil diagonally on each side, creating a triangle on each side. This will keep your pencil catapult upright and ready to launch.
Different materials will come out farther than others. What is that? Set up an experiment and find out. Since we use school supplies, we decided to start the pencil eraser! Really fun!
In addition to simple fun, our catapult also works on physics and mathematics. How does leverage work? Is there potential and kinetic energy?
Use our design or make up your own, this catapult STEM project is the perfect antidote to boredom. Above all, have fun! Here’s a fun (and effective) catapult to make with popsicle sticks, hot glue, and a few other household staples. We had fun with this little gadget!
Build A Catapult
The catapult arm is attached to a piece of straw that rotates around a bamboo skewer. To fire the catapult, hold the frame with one hand while pressing down firmly (and quickly!) on the arm with the other hand.
We shot Nerf Rival balls with our catapult, and they work great! They are very light, but fun. If you don’t have these, pom pom balls work well too. If you want something with a little more power, we’ve also had good success with small wooden beads. (Make sure, okay?)
Step 1: Take 6 sticks and heat up the glue gun. I actually used some mini popsicle sticks for my photos and then made a catapult out of the full size sticks. The process is the same. I think I like the popsicle stick full size catapult better, but they both work well!
Step 2: Make two triangles by gluing the three craft sticks together. Then take a straw and a bamboo skewer.
Stem Project Idea: How To Make A Diy Popsicle Stick Catapult
Step 6: Glue a wide craft stick to the straw to create the catapult throwing arm.
Step 7: Cut off the bottom of the paper cup so that it is only an inch or two. Hang on a second
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