Summer Fling

There’s one thing about summer that is a constant throughout the years – popsicles (and popsicle sticks) are awesome!

Since I am a packrat and I see crafting potential in virtually anything, I always wash and save the popsicle sticks when we’re done. Who knows what we could build or do with them later. Well today, we decided to use a few of our stash and make a real catapult for no reason other than the fun of seeing how far we can fling stuff.

First I explain how a catapult works - it works just like our arms do when we throw things. A catapult is loaded with whatever you want to throw and then it goes back a bit and then forward, releasing whatever it holds. How far we can throw depends on how long our arms are, how strong they are, how far we move them before release and how heavy what we are throwing is. We start with those principles and begin crafting our catapult.

The arm/stick strength is fixed but I show them how we can vary the length and movement. I hold two popsicle sticks in a v-shape and put a third stick sideways just before the point. I then launch a Cheerio across the kitchen table (if you’re trying to visualize that, it looks just like the pics to come without the string holding it together, hence my inability to do it and take pictures. Then I put two sticks stacked on top of each other to replace the one horizontal stick and the kids see that with two sticks I can make the Cheerios go farther. They decide that three sticks is perfect.

Then I show them how we can change the length of the "arm" that is moving by moving the horizontal stack of sticks closer or further from the v. When we decide just how we like it, we start building.

Step 1: Stack 3 popsicle sticks on top of each other and tie them together on both ends.

Step 2: Take 2 more sticks and form them into a V. Put the wrapped stack of sticks in the middle and secure with string. If you tie it with just a tiny bit of slack, you can slide the inner sticks along the V to adjust how far you can launch things. The kids thought that was great although motor skills at their age really affect trajectory more than anything else.

At this point you are done. Put something on the end of the unbound sticks while holding onto the string side and let it fly. Except that holding things on which was straightforward to me, turned out to be quite complicated for my preschoolers. No problem, we improvised.

Step 3: We used the caps from mini bubbles that we had used up and were in the recycling bin. Coke bottle tops would work too but they are a bit smaller. Hot glue the lid to the unbound end of the V.

  

We make a second catapult so that each kid can have their own. Now we’re ready for some good old-fashioned fun. The kids quickly pick wild cherries and blueberries from our yard (we have a nice little Eden back there and ended up with giant trees of them after I let the kids plant some grocery story fruit in the yard. I never thought any of it would grow. The blueberry plant is Gorgeous by the way - when the fruit ripens the whole truck turns maroon. Ok, now I have to post a pic. Here's Abby picking some blueberries to launch-

You see the randomly planted blueberry tree by the edge of the driveway. We had to dig the other one up so they didn't ruin out landscaping in the front yard. We also ended up with a strawberry patch in the middle of the yard that we have to keep mowing down. I’m scared because this summer they planted watermelon and cantaloupe seeds – no way those can grow like berries, untended in the suburbs, right? Knowing little about gardening we are not going to eat them so we mostly use them as organic paints for crafts and now launching.) Anyway! Back to flinging stuff...

This picture (below) is my favorite because you can see the cherry flying over the edge of the deck.

  

Then the rain came (for five random minutes in the middle of an otherwise sunny day) and we had to go inside. No backyard berries in the house! As it turns out the McDonalds happy meal toys that we save in a bin are the perfect size for our catapults. My girls squeal as their fairies and My Little Ponies fly through the living room.

The perfect summer fling.

<3 Pedigreed Housewife