- 1). Cut a Popsicle stick in half. Tape one of the half pieces to an uncut, long piece, end to end. Then tape the other half piece to the other end of the uncut piece. Now tape another long, uncut piece to the end of a short piece. Make sure the sticks are not overlapping but are taped end-to-end as they will need to bend where the tape is. You should have a long piece of taped Popsicle sticks in this sequence: short, long, short, long.
- 2). Fold the series of taped Popsicle sticks where they are taped together using the tape as hinges. This will make a rectangle and the base of your catapult. Tape the last corner with more masking tape.
- 3). Cut a Popsicle stick in half and fit one half inside the rectangle at one end. Tape this stick to the end stick at the edges only, leave the middle clear. You can choose either end of the base to put the half-stick. Whichever end you choose will become the front of the catapult.
- 4). Tape two sticks together side by side so they make one wide stick. Repeat this for another wide stick. Tape these two wide sticks to the top of the catapult base at the edges. The base should now look like a box with an open space in the middle.
- 5). Cut a Popsicle stick so that it is about 4 inches long. Exact measurement is not needed. Cut the rubber band and tape one end of it to the uncut, rounded end of the Popsicle stick. Tape it a couple times to make sure it is on tight. The rubber band should hang loose after the end has been taped to the stick.
- 6). Locate the end of the catapult base where you had taped a second half-stick inside the base. Stick the flat end of the rubber-band-stick into the slot that is between the two sticks at this end. Make sure to push the stick all the way into the slot until it is touching the bottom. The stability will give the arm more strength.
- 7). Layer a piece of tape four times with more tape. Make sure the sticky part of the bottom tape is ready to use. Cut this tape strip so there are two of them. These will form the hinge of the catapult arm.
- 8). Cut a Popsicle stick to about 4 inches and tape one of the tape strips to the flat end of the stick leaving one half of the tape off the stick at the mark. Stick the other strip of tape to the backside of the stick in exactly the same way you put the first strip. Tape the tape down to the stick. Press the two open ends of tape to each other making a single flap.
- 9
Use a thick rubber band for the best distance.rubber band ball image by Brad Johnson from Fotolia.com
Set the arm that has the tape flap into the area of the base that has no sticks. Tape the flap to the base of the rubber-band-stick with the flap facing up. The arm must be flush with the two wide sticks on the base. Wrap a couple of layers of tape around the flap to make sure it is secure. - 10
Lift the arm up far enough for the rubber band to touch the arm. Tape an inch of the top of the rubber band to the end of the arm of the catapult leaving one inch of space at the end for the basket. The arm should have one inch of space before the rubber band is attached. - 11
Any color paper will work for the basket.color paper samples #9 image by stassad from Fotolia.com
Make a basket out of the 1-inch square of paper by drawing four lines on the paper 1/8 inch from the edges so that each corner of the paper is detailed with a small square. Cut one line of each corner square. Fold up the paper and tape each corner. Tape the basket to the arm. Your catapult is finished.
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