We don’t know about you, but we’re still feeling fa-BOO-lous from Thursday’s Halloween celebrations. We thought we would share one more fun, Halloween-themed STEAM Saturday project before we say goodbye to the spooky season until next year. Some people love to eat candy corn, while others would rather toss it away. Since you might be tossing it anyway, how about launching it across the room instead when you and your child build Candy Corn Catapults!
This is the perfect activity for the future engineer in your household! There are several different methods of building your catapult – with pencils, craft sticks, or popsicle sticks. Depending on which method you decide to use (or whether you decide to try them all), here’s a list of supplies you might need.
- Popsicle Sticks
- Craft Sticks
- Pencils
- Rubber Bands (in various sizes)
- Plastic Spoons
- A Plastic Cap
- Hot Glue Gun
We’re going to show you how to build one using craft sticks and a spoon, but you can click here to see instructions for all of the catapult builds.
Stack 8 craft sticks together to create the base/center of your catapult. Use rubber bands to secure the stack tightly at each end. Next, take two more craft sticks and rubber band one end together. These will create your launching mechanism. Open the two sticks and slide the base of your catapult between them, then secure the base to the launching mechanism using rubber bands (see photo above).
Glue your bottle cap to the top end of the top craft stick. This will hold your candy corn. Now you’re ready for lift off! Holding on to the base with one hand, press down on the end of your launcher with the other and release! How far did your candy corn fly? Can you make adjustments that will help it travel a longer distance?
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
