Catapult for kids how to#
Catapult for kids trial#

The most basic type was made up of a long wooden arm with a large cup on the end. If you want to learn more about Newton’s Laws of Motion, try our film canister rocket. There were several different forms of catapult. The further you push the catapult arm down ( which takes more force from you ) the further the ball will travel. If you push the catapult arm down further you are storing more elastic potential energy which means more kinetic energy is transferred to the ball when you release it.

Catapults and conservation of energyĪ lolly stick catapult demonstrates energy being converted from one type to another ( potential to kinetic ) and transferred from one object to another ( catapult arm to ball ). When you pull down on the catapult arm, elastic potential energy is stored, when you release the catapult arm the potential energy changes to kinetic energy ( energy of motion ) which is transferred to the object which then flies through the air. Newton’s First Law states that an object stays at rest until a force is applied to the object. See who can score the most with a set number of balls. Set a challenge to find out how far you can make a ball travel! Add some mathsĬreate a target with different numbers on different areas and use the catapult to fire balls at the target. Investigate to find out if a heavier ball travels further? Make it a challenge! Try adding extra or fewer sticks to the central part. Remember to only change one variable at a time Change the design Popsicle Stick Catapult Investigation Ideas

Catapult for kids how to#

(Google how to make a catapult for kids).

Catapult for kids trial#

You might try online research and/or trial and error.

Experiment with your table tennis balls. Research: Research different ways to build simple catapults.

Attach a milk bottle top using double sided tape or strong glue.

There are several ways that you can make your catapult at. They shot rocks to break castle walls, or pitch or hot tar to set the target on fire. Often, catapults were set on higher ground or on castle towers to let them shoot farther.

Twist another elastic band around the bottom of two sticks as you can see in the photo. Catapults are an awesome, fun activity that you should definitely put together with your kids. A catapult is a type of machine used as a weapon to throw rocks or other things such as hot tar, that would cause damage to something else.

Tie an elastic band around the middle of the cross. Originally did this for a school project, figured I'd upload it here too.This is a short animation, following two knights as they fire a catapult for target.

There should be more lolly stick on the end you want to use for the milk top.

Place another stick above and one below the stack of 7 so they make a cross shape.

Twist an elastic band around each end to hold them in place.

Start with about 7 popsicle sticks and place them on top of each other.

Popsicle Stick Catapults What you need for a Popsicle Stick Catapult