Knights and ancient armies used catapults to launch huge stones over castle walls. You can build a mini catapult and launch marshmallows! 🏰
What You’ll Need
🪵 7 popsicle sticks
🔗 6 rubber bands
🥄 1 plastic spoon
🍡 Marshmallows or pom-poms
How to Build It
1. Stack 5 popsicle sticks on top of each other.
2. Wrap rubber bands tightly around both ends to hold them together.
3. Place 2 sticks separately — make a ‘V’ shape with their tips touching.
4. Place the stack of 5 BETWEEN the 2 separate sticks, near one end. Like a wedge.
5. Wrap a rubber band around all the sticks at the wedge point to hold everything in place.
6. Tape or rubber-band the plastic spoon to the TOP popsicle stick.
7. Press down on the spoon. Put a marshmallow in the spoon’s bowl. Release! 🎯
The Physics of Launching
When you press down on the spoon, you’re storing potential energy in the bent stick (like a spring).
When you release, that stored energy turns into kinetic energy — motion energy. The marshmallow zooms forward!
Catapults use the same idea as ancient times — just smaller scale!
Catapult Challenges
🎯 Aim for a target (a cup at the end of a table)
📏 Measure how far you can launch a marshmallow
🔬 Try different objects — does a heavier object go farther or shorter?
🏰 Compare your catapult to a trebuchet (uses gravity-falling weight instead of springs)
Engineering through the ages — and you just built one! 🎉
