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Simple Craft Stick Catapults

October 2, 2018 by OneMommy

 

Kids love building things, and when you add in the chance to fling a bit of candy?  We are talking an instant hit!

Whether you are looking for a rainy day activity, awesome camp craft to do with scouts, or just something fun to do with your kids, this STEM activity is sure to be a hit.

Make your own craft stick catapults and let your child’s imagination soar.

How to make a Craft Stick Catapult: a simple and fun STEM activity for kids

Affiliate links have been used below. 

This is one kids STEM activity you will want to try!

For another craft stick STEM activity, try making your own balancing craft stick toy. 

Craft Stick Catapult

Materials Needed:

  • Craft Sticks   (7 for each catapult)
  • Plastic Spoons  (stronger spoons, like these, work best)
  • Small Rubber Bands

To make future STEM projects at home easy, keep these most often used STEM supplies on hand.  

How to build a craft stick catapult:

  • Stack 5 craft sticks on top of each other and secure both ends with a rubber band.  (We used some of the colorful loom bands that seem to be everywhere in our kitchen.)  This will be your crossbar.
  • Next, stack 2 craft sticks on top of each other and secure one end with a rubber band.
  • Carefully open up the 2 craft sticks and slide your stack of 5 in between them.
  • Then lay a plastic spoon on top of the top craft stick and secure both ends of the spoon to the craft stick. (As shown in the picture above.)
  • Finally, criss-cross one more rubber band around the area where the craft sticks intersect, holding it all in place.

Launching your craft stick catapult:

To launch your homemade catapult, simply hold one side of the crossbar while using one finger to push the spoon down and then — let go!

 

launching craft stick catapult

 

Extensions: 

Try experimenting with how many craft sticks you use for your catapult.  We tried using just 3 craft sticks for the crossbar (which caused the candy to not go as far).  We also found 7 craft sticks also didn’t work very well.

Try taking the criss-crossing rubber band off one catapult and moving the crossbar up on the catapult to see how it effects the distance.

You might also want to try using different candy pieces.   We found heavier ones didn’t fly as far, and smaller candy pieces flew further.

You could also use marshmallows, cotton balls, paper wads…  Let the kids have fun seeing what will fly the farthest!  We had a blast using marshmallow peeps in this catapult game.

kids craft stick catapult craft

You might find after a while that your child’s favorite toys get in on the action.

At our house the Imaginext knights had to join the fun, and soon it was a full-on attack on the castle!

 

how to build a craft stick catapult

 

We had fun learning about catapults, seeing what effect minor changes would have on our design.

You could easily use these fun craft stick catapults to talk about potential energy (when the spoon is held back) and kinetic energy.  

For older kids you could challenge them to design a different version of a catapult.

No matter what age, these craft stick catapults are definitely fun!

build a mini catapult with craft sticks

 

You may also like:

  • Pumpkin Catapult 
  • STEM Activity: Make a Paper Cup Phone
  • STEM Activity:  Design a Boat that Floats
  • How to Make a Pumpkin Pulley System 
  • Make a Colorful Bracelet with Soda Straw Weaving 
  • Engineer a Coffee Filter Parachute 
 


Originally posted November 11, 2014.

Filed Under: Kids Activities Tagged With: craft stick craft, fun with learning, STEM activity

Comments

  1. Emma says

    November 12, 2014 at 12:37 am

    Ha – those look like so much fun! I would definitely want to get in on the candy-flinging too! lol!

  2. Susie says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    Ok now that really looks like fun! Thank you for sharing this!

Trackbacks

  1. Craft Ideas for Girls - Custom Rubber Bracelets says:
    December 7, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    […] 4 craft sticks horizontally to make the two sides (2 at each sides) and 4 vertically to make the top and the base […]

  2. 15 Cool Popsicle Stick Crafts – Crafty Kids at Home says:
    May 31, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    […] become a cool construction tool from Powerful Mothering This looks great fun. Turn them into a simple catapult from There’s Just One […]

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