Construct-a-Catapult
Included Materials
10 pom poms
2 notched craft sticks
1 bottle cap
8 Craft Sticks (No notches)
4 rubber bands
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4 glue dots
Construct your catapult
1.
Stack the 8 craft sticks with no notches on top of each other.
2.
Wind a rubber band tightly around each end of this stack of craft sticks.
3.
Slide one of your notched craft sticks above the craft stick at the bottom of the stack of 8 craft sticks.
4.
Lay the second notched craft stick on top of the stack and secure one end of the two notched craft sticks together with a rubber band. Use the notches on the craft sticks to help keep the rubber band in place.
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Slide notched craft stick into the stack here
Side view of your catapult
5.
At the other end of the craft sticks, use glue dots to attach the bottle cap to the surface of the top craft stick, lining the edge of the bottle cap with the end of the craft stick.
6.
Launch! Place pom poms in the bottle cap. Push the bottle cap down and release to launch your catapult!
Glue dots
Troubleshooting Tips
1.
Bottle cap falling off? Use multiple glue dots to attach the bottle cap to the craft stick. Firmly press the bottle cap and craft stick together.
2.
Not launching high enough? Push the stack of 8 craft sticks closer to the angle that your two notched craft sticks make.
How it works
Make your helicopter
When you push down the bottle cap and the craft stick, potential energy is stored in the rubber band. The more you pull back the arm of the catapult, the more energy you store. As soon as you release the popsicle stick, the potential energy is converted into kinetic (movement) energy. This causes the objects inside the bottle cap to launch into the air!
Explore!
1.
Try launching bigger, smaller, heavier, or lighter items. Which ones go the farthest?
2.
Grab a friend see who can launch the pom poms the farthest!
3.
Have a friend hold open your Kits 2 Kids bag a few feet away from your catapult. Can you launch the pom poms into the bag?
