The 2 younger boys (Jae and El) made a catapult to shoot toy balls at home, accidentally hitting the ceiling fan. *gasp*
I quickly showed them how to make a simple one with things we already:
- 7 ice-cream sticks
- 3 rubber bands
- 1 milk bottle cap
- poster putty (aka white tack) to stick the milk bottle cap
- pom pom balls
Targets are our collection of cardboard toilet rolls and containers.
Little El was curious how the little pom pom balls could be shot so far away, so we discussed energy conversions and gravity.
And I brought in math by briefly mentioning angles and speed.
Because of the poster putty, it then led to a mini discussion on adhesives (polymers, adhesion and cohesion).
While playing, they naturally adjusted the angle they aimed at and the amount of force they applied.
Great way to keep them meaningfully occupied experiencing physics for a long stretch of time, while I read a book nearby. And without breaking our ceiling fan!
If you get to try this out, let us know how it goes. Have fun!
