Easter is Over

PEEPS BE FLYIN' CHALLENGE

• A catapult is a device used to launch or throw something a great distance without electricity.

TYPE OF CATAPULTS

• Trebuchets
• Mangonels
• Ballistas

Catapult Science
When you push or pull an object, you are exerting a force. People exert this force to move objects from one place to another. This exerted force is called work. Simple machines help people perform work. A lever is an example of a simple machine. A lever consists of a plank that is free at both ends (like a teeter-totter) and a steady object on which the plank can rest. The object the plank rests on is called the fulcrum. The object on the plank that one is trying to move is called the load. (On a teeter-totter, you are the load!) Force pushing down one end of the plank moves the load in the opposite direction. On the teeter-totter, if the far end is forced down, you go up! This is a lever in action. A catapult is a kind of lever!

Challenge Time
Easter is over and the Easter Bunny has delivered all of his Easter Baskets. These PEEPS were left out of baskets this year and need some help finding their way home, until next Easter. Can you help them come up with a catapult to launch them into the air, beginning their journey home? Create your catapult out of everyday materials.

Challenge Time

We will award the team who designs a catapult that will launch the PEEPS the farthest.

Materials

• PEEPS - Provided
• Anything You Can Think Of & Have In Your Classroom

Consider This...

• How does changing the location of the rubber band change the trajectory?
• Can your catapult launch a package to a specific target?
• Does your catapult have to have rubber bands?
• How can you launch the package the farthest? Highest?

Reflect

Was your group successful? Why or Why not?

My group (was/was not) successful because ________________. We (were/were not) able to complete this task because _________________

Next time, we would __________. We think this would work better because ______________. We didn’t try this first because ___________.

Could you add (materials) to it to make it better? What would you add?

(Yes/No) we (could/could not) add to our catapult. We would add ___. We think this would work better because ________________.