You can now make an upcycled catapult easily. With the right projectile ready you can now teach Fun physics for kids.
We are going to be part of the 4 weeks STEM challenge. It is running for 28 days with hands-n science activities. Every week they will announce a new theme and under the Go Green theme, we are going to make a DIY. GO green is nothing but an eco-friendly experiment with some science concepts involved in it. Your kids can have fun and you can feel glad to teach them science. We will be using upcycled items which are available at home. Also, it is part of 10 minutes activity and you need not spend much time.
It is an experiment with logic and fun so you can try with all age group kids. How will different age group find it useful is listed below.
Toddlers – Can have fun with the activity but make sure you are using a soft projectile
Preschoolers – These kids can try changing different projectiles and understand which one goes high and far.
Kindergarteners – They will do the catapult on their own and can try with different items to find the best make. Try using projectiles of different size and shape to understand the science behind the experiment. Also, will try to move the fulcrum or use a long beam and find the effects. You can fix targets to hit and score them to announce the winner.
Things required to make the DIY catapult
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- Cardboard tube which is strong (preferably an empty toilet tissue roll)
- Hair elastic
- Projectile
- safety glass (optional)
- Wooden spoon
Check the tube that is available at home. The one I used is the toilet tissue roll which will be thrown after use. If not use a rolling pin and that will do the job.
Loop the elastic on the cardboard tube two times. In the place where the elastic gets crossed insert a wooden spoon and fix it. So at the end of the spoon you can keep the projectile.
With this basic catapult model you can start your experiment and choose the projectile. For toddlers use a crushed paper and that will be soft. Also, can be played indoor without any fear of damage. Indeed it is one of the best rainy day activity.
Try this activity outdoor when playing with preschool kid. Try with pinecones or seed pods as the projectile.
With these projectiles, you need not worry about any damage caused to the neighbor’s house.
Also, we suggest you to use the safety glass and protect kids eyes. You can check this to know about safety glass.
I have tried this several times as my kids love to do this at home and outside. It’s really a fun activity. You can also try this and have fun.
This is a lever and the science behind this is similar to a simple machine. It consists of a beam, the spoon handle is the beam. It is fixed to the fulcrum (cardboard tube) at one point with the help of the elastic. Imagine a seesaw that works on the same principle.
The lever will affect the effort required to raise something. Vary the distance between the fulcrum, force, and the load (projectile) to test the height traveled by the projectile.
This experiment is listed under 4 weeks of STEM challenge. Take a look and you can find many activities for kids.
Checkout our Catapult Activities Collections:
18+ Collection of DIY Catapult Models using variety of materials
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