When you place an object like the pumpkin candy in the bucket, the pumpkin will move at the same speed as the arm and the bucket. When you release the arm of the catapult, the elastic energy is converted into kinetic energy – the energy of motion. In the catapult we built, as we pressed down on the arm, tension was building and energy was being stored.Įnergy that is stored when a material is compressed (think of a spring) or stretched (a slingshot) is called elastic energy. The catapult is an example of a lever type simple machine in which a beam or arm pivots at a fixed point called the fulcrum. Test holding the arm down at different angles.īuild a few different models and test which launches the furthest and most accurate.īuild a bigger catapult and test different materials (bungee cord, exercise band) to see what happens.Ī simple machine is a mechanical device used to change the direction or magnitude of a force. Test different sizes and weights of objects. Secure the catapult to prevent movement and test how accurate it is using the same projectile.Ĭhange the number of craft sticks in the bundle and see what effect it has. Here are a few extensions we’ve thought up: Pumpkin Catapult Extensionsīoth kids are already thinking about what they could launch next and how to make things fly further. My 3 year -old is officially obsessed! He used his catapult the next day to launch acorns to our neighborhood squirrels. Simple, quick, and easy for all ages to use. Whoever said science wasn’t fun?!Īs far as first attempts go, this catapult was perfect. Of course, once the sugar kicked in, things got a little crazy and the game turned into shooting candy pumpkins into each others’ mouths. The kids had to get 3 out of 5 pumpkins into the glasses in order to eat one. I set up 9 small glasses in a pyramid shape. Then we moved on to experiment with how we aimed the catapults. I handed them a couple candy corns to see if the difference in weight had an affect on the distance the projectile would fly. It only took a few minutes to construct our ultra simple pumpkin catapults and my kids couldn’t wait to launch pumpkins.Īt first, they just played around with the catapults to see the best way to get the pumpkins to fly the furthest. This gives little fingers an area to push down on to create the tension to make projectiles fly. If you are doing this with little ones, it helps to glue the cup in from the end of the stick. In the photo below, the arm is the stick with the Halloween tape on it. The last step on the pumpkin catapult was to glue the small cup that would hold the pumpkins onto the end of the top arm of the catapult. We placed the bundle of 5 sticks at the very bottom of the “V” shape and secured it with the final rubber band. Next, we pried open the 2 sticks to make a “V” shape. They stacked the remaining 2 sticks and bound them with a single rubber band on the very edge of one end. This would act as the base and fulcrum – the point at which the lever will pivot. 1 small cup (We used the top to a juice container.)įirst, I had each kiddo stack 5 craft sticks on top of each other and then I helped them bind them on each end with a rubber band.7 craft sticks (wide craft sticks are easier for little hands to hold.).To make the pumpkin catapult, I quickly gathered a few supplies: Balancing the candy pumpkin on the end of the handle, I simply hit the spoon end with my hand to send the pumpkin flying through the air. In the most basic terms, a catapult is a simple machine used to launch an object or projectile without the use of explosives.īefore building our catapult, I showed my kiddos an example of a simple catapult using a spoon. Launching candy across the house? What’s not to love?! After your little engineers build theirs, hop on over for more science fun with our Epic STEM Challenges! After explaining to my 3 and 5 year-old what a catapult was, I simply challenged them to build one that would launch candy pumpkins. STEM activities (Science Technology Engineering and Math) are always a hit with my kiddos, but this engineering activity had the whole family wanting to get in on the action.
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