Who knew popsicles could be this fun!
How can a handful of craft sticks and a few rubber bands turn into an afternoon of learning and laughter? Math, science, and language skills all come into play with this STEAM-inspired catapult that is as much fun to play with as it is to build. Start by asking your child how he or she might make a simple see-saw using the craft sticks. Let him or her experience the struggle of adding the rubber bands. Introduce the meaning of words like force, motion, projectile, and accuracy. After creating the catapult together, have your child make predictions about how far items of different weights might travel when launched. Show how to use a ruler or measuring tape and make a graph of the results. You can also help practice language skills by having them tell a story to describe what is happening with the objects. This is a terrific way to build understanding of concepts and expand vocabulary.
You need the following items:
- Popsicle Sticks
- Rubber bands
- Hot glue or gorilla glue
- Cotton balls, small marshmallows, small balled up tinfoil
- Target, such as cup or bowl
Take about 8 Popsicle sticks and tie two rubber bands at each ends of the sticks so that it looks like this
Take another Popsicle stick and place it in between the last and second last stick. Take another one and place it at the top. Use a rubber band to tie both the ends of the sticks.
Glue a water bottle cap to the end of your launching stick to hold materials you want to launch. We suggest cotton balls, tiny marshmallows, or balled up tin foil. (please be aware that small objects are choking hazards for young children) The heavier the item launched, the further it will travel.
Final product will look like this:
Add a target (such as a cup) to see how many times you can launch your materials into the cup. You can also see how far you can launch materials by taking a piece of yarn as your goal line.
You may have to secure your catapult by crisscrossing rubber bands in the center as shown in the photo.
Literacy Connection: The Marshmallow Incident by Judi Barrett, author of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, is the perfect ending to a day of launching projectiles. It is a hilarious combination of solving differences, marshmallows, and medieval life!
