Catapults Round-up

We are about to be cooped up in the house for months.  Lay in supplies of giant marshmallows, Skittles, rubber bands,  popsicle sticks,  and ping pong balls.  Let’s make catapults!  My favorite is  this one, Simple Catapults.  The plan calls for scrap wood.  Let your kids hammer them together and decorate the catapults with colorful duct tape.  The Up-cycled Catapult requires a wooden spoon, hair elastic, and paper roll.  Is this your first time making catapults?  Try the DIY catapult.  There are very complete instructions. I like this plastic spoon catapult because there is a clear explanation about the catapult as a simple machine with a lever and fulcrum.  I use this design as an inquiry lesson.  What happens if you add more sticks to the fulcrum?  Change the length of the spoon?  Once kids have a basic design, try Design a Catapult from Teach Engineering.  Have fun!