There’s nothing like making something yourself. Here’s a fun and easy catapult for kids you can make out of household items. The sturdy construction and superior arm tension are what give this hurling machine its extraordinary power.
Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to put together.
Materials:
-four newspapers
-bag of assorted rubber bands
-masking tape
-pencil
-table spoon
1. Roll a section of newspaper like a log. Secure the ends and middle with tape (figure 1)
2. Repeat until you have made four newspaper logs.
3. Stack three logs together—two on the bottom, one on top. Secure with rubber bands. (Do not wrap the rubber bands too close to the ends.) (figure 2)
4. Add one more log directly on top. 
Secure with rubber bands. (figure 3)
5. Insert a pencil just above the top two logs (and below the bottom two logs). Pencil should be one or two inches from the end. Secure firmly with rubber bands. Pencil must not be loose or wobbly. (figure 4)
6. Wrap a rubber band around the two ends of the pencil and pull it toward you. (figure 5)
7. Insert a tablespoon in the surplus and then release the rubber band. Repeat procedure with three or four rubber bands so that spoon is held firmly in place. Be careful not to over-secure the spoon. (It must be able to bend back.) (figure 6)
8. Catapult is complete.
How to Launch Objects: Bend spoon back, insert object, release. Make adjustments to the height of the spoon for optimal performance.
What Objects to Launch: Cotton balls, fluffy end of Q-tips, cut up sponge pieces.
Good Targets: Bucket, paper towel dispenser, empty cereal box, open drawer, waste can, plant pot, sneaker, three playing cards standing in a triangle.
There’s nothing like a simple catapult design for kids to put the zest back into your day. The best part is matching your skills against another player. One easy game is simply to take turns launching stuff at a bucket and then counting the results. Of course, there’s plenty of variations on that game alone, and a long list of Other Games and activities to play. Good luck!
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19 responses so far ↓
1 Jeff // Dec 5, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Nice catapult- simple yet powerful.
2 Spaghetti Box Kids // Dec 6, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Jeff- Thanks. Glad you enjoy it.
3 Rick // Dec 6, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Has the Pentagon seen this? Very nice. ;-]
4 Spaghetti Box Kids // Dec 6, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Yes, someone on the inside Wikileaked it.
5 Linda // Dec 8, 2010 at 3:30 am
Lol- someone leaked the cable. But seriously, my 8 yr old loves this diy catapult. Nice work. :|
6 Spaghetti Box Kids // Dec 8, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Good stuff. Hopefully he’ll experiment with some of the other designs on Spaghetti Box Kids. Best of Luck-
7 Sarah // Dec 14, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Veryt nice job. Instructions are really easy :]
8 Spaghetti Box Kids // Dec 16, 2010 at 3:29 am
Thanks- I tried to make the directions as straight forward as possible. Enjoy-
9 brian // Apr 29, 2011 at 5:04 pm
rockin catapult, simple but efective..
10 Spaghetti Box Kids // May 1, 2011 at 1:01 am
Good stuff- glad it’s working out for you. Cheers-
11 Mariah // Sep 6, 2011 at 5:19 pm
A-ok, this is ultimitly AWESOME!
How did you come up with this stuff?
Did you get the idea when you were
thinking of ways to protect yourself
from your mother -in-law next visit,
or what?
12 Mariah // Sep 6, 2011 at 5:22 pm
No offence to you or your mother-in
-law. I just have a (really) wierd sense
of humor .
13 Mariah // Sep 6, 2011 at 5:26 pm
seriosly, you just saved me from a terrible fate with this thing. Thanks!
Your Brilliant!
14 Spaghetti Box Kids // Sep 6, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Mariah, You do have a fun sense of humor. I’m happy to hear the design helped out. Was it for science class?
15 Mariah // Sep 14, 2011 at 4:30 am
Yep. I see that you saw through my message.
16 Spaghetti Box Kids // Sep 14, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Good stuff. All the Best- AV
17 Darron // Dec 12, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Man this is awesome easy way to get stuff done quicker & easier!!!!!!
18 Spaghetti Box Kids // Dec 14, 2011 at 4:28 am
Darron, Thanks for poppin’ in. Great to hear from you. -AV
19 Vannessa // Apr 23, 2012 at 11:54 pm
catapults are easy and fun they really work like the one with cans
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