Play Catapult

Make a platform for the catapult by laying 10 sticks side by side. Place a support stick on top, perpendicular to the direction of the other sticks about an inch in from the edge. Place a second support one inch in from the other edge. Glue into place and let dry.

Create a small wall by lining up five sticks. Cut a sixth stick in half and glue to the small wall in the same manner as the main platform, with each support stick one inch in from the sides. Glue and let dry.

Mount your small wall to the platform by standing the wall up across the center of the platform. Cut a stick in half and glue each half on either side of the wall at a diagonal to brace the wall. Glue along the bottom of the wall where it comes into contact with the platform as well. Let dry.

Make a hinge by first gluing three sticks together to form one thick stick. Set the thick catapult stick down so it is resting on a solid stick and not its layered side. Place the end of another stick under the catapult, and one stick over the catapult stick. Hold the three together and nail the finishing nail through all three ends. Cap the nail with a pencil eraser. Glue the eraser on if desired, but be sure not to glue the sticks together. At the opposite end of the catapult stick, glue the base of the medicine cup to the layered side of the sticks.

Set the base of the catapult down on the center of the platform with the hinge and catapult stick butted up against the wall. Glue the base to the platform sufficiently, again being sure to avoid gluing the hinge area.

Glue a final stick to the front of the platform so that it overhangs the edge and let dry. This stick will hold the rubber band to bring the catapult forward. Loop your rubber band over and around the cup and bring it down toward the wall. Extend the rubber band and loop it around the holding brace you just added.

Form 1 oz. of air-drying clay into a ball, and form the ball around the middle of an unsharpened pencil.

Place the pencil onto a table, and press down on the pencil to flatten the ball on the bottom. The pencil should be resting on the table.

Place a second unsharpened pencil perpendicular to the first pencil, pressing the middle of the second pencil into the clay. Rotate the pencil back and forth to create a channel in the clay, then remove the pencil. Allow the clay to air-dry for two hours.

Roll a quarter-sized ball of clay onto one end of the second pencil, and flatten the clay ball into a bowl by pressing your thumb into it. Allow the clay to air-dry for two hours.

Place the pencil back into the clay channel, which will now be hardened. Position the clay bowl at the end of the pencil so that it is facing up. The pencil can move up and down, and will be raised in the middle like a seesaw.

Place a small object into the clay bowl at the end of the pencil, allowing that end of the pencil to rest on the table. The other end of the pencil will be lifted up into the air.

Press down the lifted end of the pencil very quickly with your palm, which will launch the object on the other end through the air.

Place the hanger flat on a table with the hook facing away from you.

Bend both corners of the hanger up so they form two identical, vertical triangle-shaped arms.

Stretch one rubber band around both triangle arms.

Place the spoon's handle between the rubber bands with the back of the spoon facing the hanger's hook.

Twist the rubber band several times by rotating the spoon. Twist the back of the spoon toward the hanger's hook.

Place another rubber band over both triangles, above the first rubber band.

Twist the second rubber band several times by hand.

Make a space in between the twists of the second rubber band and slip the bowl of the spoon through the top rubber band to keep the spoon upright. The rubber band should not cover the bowl.

Hold the base of the hanger steady by the hook. Then load a small, light projectile into the spoon, pull the spoon back and release it.

Cut off 10 pieces of masking tape about an inch long and place them on the edge of a desk or table so that they are easy to get to when needed. Make sure there is at least one end sticking up to make them easy to grab.

Cut the popsicle sticks with the scissors so that you have each of these: three 2-inch pieces, six 4-inch pieces, one 3-inch piece, with one rounded edge and one 4-inch piece, with one rounded edge.

Tape two of the 4-inch pieces and two of the 2-inch pieces together with the masking tape so they are sticking together end-to-end. You should start with a 4-inch piece and then a 2 inch, then repeat the pattern. It should look like one long stick when you are done.

Fold the long stick so that it forms a rectangle. Reinforce each of the four corners with more masking tape.

Place the final 2-inch piece inside the rectangle so that it is flush against one of the 2 inch sides of the rectangle. Tape it firmly to the rectangle but making sure none of that tape is in the center of the piece. Only wrap around the edges.

Place a piece of the masking tape sticky side up on the table. Place two of the remaining 4-inch pieces on the tape so they are laying flat, side-by-side. Wrap the tape around, making sure you wrap around at least three times. Use more pieces of tape is necessary. Repeat this step again using the last two 4-inch pieces of popsicle sticks.

Tape these two sets of popsicle sticks to the rectangular base, one on each side so there is a space between them. Make sure you wrap at least three times around on each corner so all of the sticks are nice and secure.

Snip the rubber band so it is one long piece of elastic.

Lay another piece of tape on the table, sticky side up. Lay the last 3-inch popsicle stick piece at the very top of the tape so it is laying horizontally with the rounded edge on the sticky tape. Lay out the snipped rubber band so part of it is overlapping the rounded edge of the stick that is stuck to the tape. Wrap around several times with the tape.

Take this stick and insert it between the two four-inch pieces of stick that you put together in Step 5. The stick should go in the middle, which you were careful not to tape. You may need a flathead screwdriver or nail file to gently pry the sticks apart just enough to allow the rubber banded stick to fit in.

Stick a piece of tape on the edge of table, sticky side down. Leave just enough tape hanging over the edge to make it easy to grab. Now put a second layer right on top, then a third and fourth. You should now have a small stack of tape.

Peel the tape off the table and measure it against a ruler. Snip it so that it is about 2 inches long.

Cut the 2-inch stack of tape down the middle vertically, so you have two stacks of tape the exact same size.

Mark two lines horizontally in the middle of each of the two stacks of tape. These will be your hinges.

Tape one of the hinges to the straight end of the final 4-inch piece of popsicle stick. The other side should be the rounded side, which will be the arm of the catapult that you will launch items from.

Tape the remaining hinge on the flip side of the catapult arm. Both hinges should now be taped on either side of the straight edge of the catapult arm. Secure them together by wrapping more tape around them. The two lines you made on each stack should still be visible. Only tape below these lines.

Lay the catapult arm into the space in the middle of the rectangular base. The rounded part should be on the edge and the hinge should be flush against the popsicle stick with the rubber band in it.

Wrap the hinge to the upright popsicle stick, making sure you do not tape the rubber band. Leave the snipped rubber band hanging freely.

Raise the catapult arm so that it is forming a 45-degree angle with the base. Lay the snipped rubber band across it and tape the band to the catapult arm, so that it is also forming a 45-degree angle.

Cut a piece of paper so that it is two inches square. Use the ruler and pencil to mark a horizontal line at the top of each side that is a 1/2 inch from the top. When done, there should be four areas where the lines intersect. Snip every other one of these intersecting lines. Fold up these snipped edges so that it forms a small box and tape all the corners well.

Attach the box to the catapult arm with tape. Your catapult is now complete.