![]() Simple math measurements can be used for younger kids, but with older students have them work out the percent gain based on design differences. Second, by building their catapult to ensure maximum launch to shoot those candies far! Math First, by figuring out how to build a LEGO Heart target that is able to stand up and stable. Students are challenged to build their engineering knowledge in two ways with this project. In this activity we are hitting three pillars of STEM: Science (Physics), Engineering and Math.Īnd like most STEM activities, this project can be easily adapted to a variety of ages. They are fun, but they also teach some wonderful STEM lessons. The Science Behind a CatapultĬatapults are a timeless and popular activity for a reason. Measure the distances of the catapult launches to see if variations in the projectiles, designs or builds makes a difference. Study the arc to see if they can calculate exactly where the catapult needs to be to get the candy right through the middle of the heart. Load it with a candy, then aim and LAUNCH!Ĭhallenge your students to play with the physics by adjusting the way they use the catapult to change the force. Set up the LEGO heart, then position your catapult. I let them learn by trial and error, their hearts breaking a few times, until they came up with a structure that they were happy with, and was stable. If they didn’t copy each side, brick by brick, things got a little wonky and the heart structure became unstable. One discovery they made was that it worked the best if they started in the middle at the top, then built up and out, creating a mirror image. I let the kids take the lead on this and build it the way they wanted. Then came the puzzling out of how they wanted to build their heart. The kids loved digging through their LEGO bins and find all the red bricks. This was such a fun part of this project. ![]() In this project the heart is our target and the goal is to shoot candies or mini hearts through the centre of the heart. While the glue is drying, build your LEGO Heart. Leave a little gap from the end of the popsicle stick so you have a small handle for launching. Glue the bottle cap on the opposite end from the elastic. Now take the remaining two popsicle sticks and stack them. Secure each end of the stack with an elastic. We used red plus plain wood because we didn’t have enough red to do the entire catapult in red. Take 8 of the popsicle sticks and stack them up. You can do this with regular sized, but we prefer our jumbo ones. To build your catapult, grab 10 jumbo popsicle sticks. This will allow time for the glue to dry while you are building the heart. To save on time, start by engineering the catapult. ![]() Let the kids get creative! For the CatapultĬandies or little plastic hearts for launching DIRECTIONS Building the Popsicle Stick Catapult You could even make one out of paper and hang it. Don’t have LEGO? Make your heart out of other materials like wood blocks, pipe cleaners, tinker toys, or even other popsicle sticks. LEGO – we used all red bricks, but you can use whatever you have available. ![]()
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