• Home
  • About Me
  • PR Friendly
    • Site Statistics
  • Copyright, Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Kid Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts & Activities
    • Easter Crafts & Activities
    • Summer Crafts & Activities
    • Halloween Activities & Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts & Activities
  • Dr. Seuss Activities
  • STEM Activities
  • Games for Kids
    • Shark Games for Kids
  • Shop

Catapulting Pumpkins: Simple & Fun Halloween Activity for Kids

October 18, 2019 by OneMommy

October has flown by.  With all the running around that seems to happen when you have kids, it’s easy to lose track of time.

Thankfully there is still time for some fun Halloween STEM Activities.

Making a craft stick pumpkin catapult is fun for kids of all ages.  And once it’s made, kids will have fun using it for a Halloween game that will keep them busy and having fun.  

pumpkin craftstick catapult Halloween STEM activity

Ocotober is perfect for pumpkin STEM activities like this one.  

Kids love flinging things.  That’s what makes this activity such a huge hit.  

If your child enjoys this project, you may want to check out our catapulting Peeps post, too.  

Craft Stick Pumpkin Catapult

Affiliate links have been provided below.  See my full disclosure for more details.  

Materials Needed:

  • 7 Jumbo Craft Sticks 
  • Plastic Bottle Cap
  • 3 Rubberbands 
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Candy Pumpkins
  • Pumpkin Bucket 

To make your simple catapult, you will follow the same basic craft stick catapult directions. The only difference is you will use a bottle cap as a basket to hold the candy instead of a plastic spoon.  We also used jumbo craft sticks instead of the smaller ones. 

Start by stacking 5 craft sticks and securing the ends together with 2 of your rubber bands. 

Hot glue your plastic bottle cap to the end of one of the remaining sticks.  

Stack the stick with the bottle cap on top of the last craft stick and fasten them together with the last rubber band.  

Slide the stack of 5 craft sticks from earlier in between these 2 to make the catapult’s crossbar.  

how to make a craft stick catapult

To help hold it all together, and to make it have a bit more “oompf” when you use it, criss-cross the rubber band holding the 2 stacked craft sticks so it goes around the crossbar.  

We found that the catapult worked better when we twisted that last rubber band around the end of the sticks extra tight.  

how to make a simple catapult

Catapulting Pumpkins Halloween STEM Activity 

Once you have your catapult ready, it’s time to test it out.  

What better target than a smiling pumpkin candy bucket?

Place your bucket on a flat surface in front of your pumpkin catapult.  

Load the basket of the catapult with a piece of candy and get ready to play.  

catapulting candy pumpkins STEM activity

To fire the catapult, use one hand to hold the crossbar down against the table.  Use your other hand to press the basket of the catapult down, and then let go. 

The candy will shoot up into the air.  

Can you get the candy to land in the bucket?  

Experiment with where you need to place your catapult.   

You can also experiment with how the catapult is made.  Try adding another craft stick or 2 to the crossbar.  Will this make the candy fly further?   What if you take away a craft stick?  

Try using a different rubber band to hold the catapult together.  Or, try moving the crossbar further to the end of the catapult.  Does this affect how far your candy goes?  

craft stick catapult STEM activity for Halloween

You can turn this STEM activity into a fun DIY Halloween game.   

For solo play, start with 10 candy pumpkins and see how many you can get into the bucket.   Or, see how many pumpkins you can get into the bucket in 1 minute’s time.  

You can also compete with a friend.  Who can get the most points for pumpkins in the bucket?  

When your child finishes, challenge them to build a toothpick and candy pumpkin tower. 

Halloween craft stick catapult with pumpkins

 

This simple craft stick pumpkin catapult is a fun Halloween STEM activity for all ages.   

You may also enjoy:

  • Vanishing Ghosts STEM Activity
  • Make a Pumpkin Pulley
  • Pumpkin Volcano
  • Halloween Party Games for Kids

Filed Under: STEM Activities Tagged With: Halloween STEM activity, kids Halloween activity, pumpkin activity

Connect with me

Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Pinterest Page
Link to my Twitter Page

Check Out My New Book & Popular Posts

Engineering Activities for Kids

how to make egg geodes

Straw Weaving -- weaving craft

how to make vanishing ghosts by melting packing peanuts

Search this site

Recent Posts

  • Make Learning Easier with DIY Math Manipulatives
  • Engineer a Truss Bridge with Craft Sticks
  • Dragon STEM Activities
  • Fun and Foamy Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
  • Shark Party Games — Perfect for Shark Week or a Shark-Themed Birthday Party

Proud Member

Women Online
Blog Meets Brand

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in