Build a catapult that could launch mini presents in the air.
In this tinkering activity, we shall be guiding you towards building a catapult using simple materials. This catapult can be used to launch presents (tiny ones) into the air. Let’s say that we are building it to help Santa’s elves in packing up Santa’s sleigh for its glorious journey. A catapult is used to amplify the force when throwing something. The one we shall build makes uses of the stored energy in rubber bands which will help in launching items for quite a distance. The larger the force, the farther the object will travel. Let’s begin! Oh and by the way, get your creativity going.
Get your stuff ready!
Try it out!
Step 1
Grab a pencil and some paper and start designing your catapult. Decide how the launching part will be and make sure you design a solid base.
Step 2
Connecting the sticks together is an important part. Make sure that you secure them well with rubber bands. You might want to group some sticks together for the main parts, so the catapult is strong and stable enough.
Step 3
Start building the base and the launch lever. We will not be telling you how to do it since you need to work according to your design. However, below, we have provided you with some photos of one of our catapults we’ve done 😉
Step 4
The final building step is the launching lever. Attach the bottle cap or container to the end of the lever using glue before. You can do this before or after to attach the lever to the catapult body.
Step 5
Set your targets. In order to test out your catapult, you’ll need to know where you will launch your stuff. Use the markers to design a target zone on paper and attach it to a wall.
Step 6
Enjoy your catapult and hey, don’t throw stuff at people or animals it doesn’t matter how annoying your sibling is.
Show us what you’ve made! Take a photo of at least 4 of your favourite activities from Esplora’s Science Advent Calendar. Trust us, you’ll need them 😉
Share your creation with us on social media
by tagging us on social media @esploramalta #esploramalta #getcuriousgetinspired
