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CreateKit Spoon Catapult Kit

Learn about motion and trajectory using a spoon catapult students design and build themselves!
Item# 37-565
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Working in small groups, students decide how to build a catapult with a spoon, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands in any way they choose. Using the Engineering Design Process, students work through issues they may encounter with their simple machine. After creating the catapult, groups attempt to launch a pom according to challenge parameters. Students can make adjustments as needed to increase success and define the variables that changed. The included lesson direction details setup instructions, activities by grade level, learning objectives, and teaching suggestions to expand lessons. Accommodates 24 students. Recommended for Middle School and up.

CHOKING HAZARD (1). Not for under 3 yrs.

Kit includes:

  • Rainbow Popsicle Sticks, Set of 1,000
  • Jumbo Craft Sticks, Set of 100
  • Spoons, 100 Ea
  • Poms (1/2" dia), Set of 100
  • Table Tennis Balls, 12 Ea
  • Plastic Cups, 250 Ea
  • Pipe Cleaners, Set of 100
  • Rubber Bands, Set of 320
  • Lesson Direction

For an overview of the lesson direction, click here.

Next Generation Science Standards*:

  • 3-PS2-4: Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about force and motion.

  • 3-5-ETS1-1: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

  • 3-5-ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

  • 3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

  • 4-PS3-4: Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

  • MS-ETS1-1: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment.

  • MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

  • MS-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

  • MS-PS2-2: Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

  • HS-PS2-1: Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

*The Next Generation Science Standards are a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics*:

  • CCSS.Math.Content.3.MD.B.4: Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch.

  • CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.1: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.

  • CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.A.1: Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

  • CCSS.Math.Content.6.EE.C.9: Use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that change in relationship to one another; write an equation to express one quantity, thought of as the dependent variable, in terms of the other quantity, thought of as the independent variable. Analyze the relationship between the dependent and independent variables using graphs and tables, and relate these to the equation.

  • CCSS.Math.Content.HSG.MG.A.3: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios).

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.