30 min
Paper Aeroplane Testing Lab
Three designs, one tape measure, and an argument about which flies furthest.
🏹
Build a Lolly Stick Catapult
Seven lolly sticks, two elastic bands, and a pom-pom that goes further than expected.
A five minute build followed by half an hour of testing and adjusting.
Ce qu’il vous faut
- lolly sticks
- elastic bands
- a bottle cap
- glue or tape
- pom-poms or scrunched paper
Comment faire
- Stack five lolly sticks and band them tightly at both ends.
- Band two more sticks together at one end only, so they open like a mouth.
- Slide the stack between the two sticks, near the banded end.
- Tape a bottle cap to the top stick as the bucket.
- Load it with a pom-pom, press, release, and measure how far it goes.
Pourquoi c’est bon pour eux
Moving the stack a centimetre changes the range dramatically, which makes the relationship between the pivot point and the outcome obvious without any explanation. Measuring each configuration turns play into a fair test.
Adapter selon l’âge
5 to 6 yearsBuild it for them and let them do the testing and measuring.
11 to 12 yearsChart distance against pivot position and find the optimum.
Sécurité
Soft ammunition only, never launched towards faces. Elastic bands can snap, so check them before use.
Astuce rangement
Keep the catapult, it gets used again.
Dans le même esprit
25 min
Tallest Straw Tower
Twenty straws, some tape, and one rule: it has to stand on its own.
30 min
Balloon Rocket on a String
A straw, a string across the room, and a balloon that fires along it.
35 min
Frozen Treasure Excavation
Freeze small toys in a tub of water and let them dig them out.
45 min
Map Your Street
Walk your road and draw it properly, to scale, from memory.
25 min
Plant Something and Wait
One pot, a few seeds, and a reason to look out of the window every morning.