At Home Steam Project: 013

Ready, set, and launch! Did you know you can build a working catapult with just rubber bands and craft sticks? Fun fact, it's also an exciting way to learn about stored and potential energy. Let's get building!

013: Pyramid Catapults

Using rubber bands and craft sticks let's making a real working catapult!

What you need:

-Craft Sticks

-Masking Tape

-Straws

-Rubber Bands

-Paper Cups

Instructions:

Make three triangles

-Connect three craft sticks together using cut pieces of straw

-Form a triangle and connect the ends together with another piece of cut straw

-Using a single piece of long tape, wrap the outside of the triangle

Make a pyramid

-Tape the three triangles together

-Fold the two outer triangles up and tape together to form the pyramid

Catapult arm

-Tape one big craft stick, one small craft stick and a section of straw together

-Bend the straw and tape it to the inside of the pyramid

-Loop a rubber band over the arm, then pull it through the frame

-Pull the rubber band back over the arm

-Tape the cup onto the catapult arm, leaving a half inch of the top of the arm exposed

Launching the catapult

-Hold down the frame

-Push the arm down with your fingertips

-Let it slip to launch!

What they learn:

-Simple machines

-Stored energy

-Potential energy

When the project is complete:

-Take a photo of the structure and share it with us! Tag us on social media and use hashtag #theRchild, we can't wait to see the results.

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Interested in learning more about STEAM education?

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