Basketball Catapult Game
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
A basketball catapult game to play with friends and family.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
You will learn how to measure, cut, and drill wood – buliding a base for your catapult.
STEPS
STEP 1
Cut out the Hoop
Draw a box template onto cardboard. It can be any size you want! Just, make sure it is large enough to catch your projectiles, but small enough to be supported by the dowel. We made one that is 2" x 2" x 3"
STEP 2
Fold the Hoop
Lightly score the four sides where the flaps meet the bottom of the box and then fold all the sides up.
STEP 3
Put the Hoop together
Hot glue the sides together. If you would like to reinforce our basket, wrap it in duct tape!
STEP 4
Make the Backboard
Cut out another piece of cardboard for your backboard. This too can be any size that you want, as long as your dowel can support the weight. Ours is 5" x 7". Center your cardboard basket along the bottom edge of the backboard and stick it on with hot glue.
STEP 5
Prepare Dowel
Roughen about 2 inches on one side of the dowel with a craft knife (this makes it stick better.)
STEP 6
Attach Backboard to Pole
Glue this rough side to the center of the flip side of the backboard. Make sure it stays in place by adding a cardboard tab over it.
STEP 7
Prepare your Court
Mark a dot about one inch from the edge of your largest piece of wood. Make sure it is centered. Then drill a hole over this dot. This will be your "court."
STEP 8
Glue in your Pole & Basket
Put some hot glue into the hole and push the dowel into it. Make sure your basket faces the right way (towards the other end of the wood!)
STEP 9
Assemble your Launcher
Place a 4" strip of tape on your table, sticky side up. Center your spoon's handle on the strip, with the end almost halfway down. Cover the bottom half of the duct tape strip with your medium-sized block of wood, leaving a small gap between the wood and spoon. Lay another 4" strip of tape, sticky-side-down, over the tape, spoon, and wood
STEP 11
Place Block under Launcher
Loop a rubber band over one end of the smallest piece of wood. Then pull the other end of the rubber band underneath the largest piece of wood and loop it over the other end of the smallest piece of wood. Make sure the spoon is resting on top of the smallest piece of wood.
STEP 12
Calibrate your Launcher
Load up your ball (aluminum foil, marble, pom pom, pebble, etc) onto the spoon and bend it back to launch! If you miss the basket, slide the blocks around until you find the sweet spot. You can also try turning the wood under the spoon so that it is taller, or using a different object under the spoon altogether.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
You will learn how to measure & use power tools. You will also learn about potential & kinetic energy as you experiment with your catapult
WHAT'S NEXT?
Play a game with your friends or family! See who can sink the most baskets!
Materials:
- Plastic Spoon
- Duct Tape
- Cardboard (corrugated)
- 4" x 1" x .05" Piece of wood
- 18" x 3" x .05" Piece of wood
- 4" x 3" x .05" Piece of wood
- 1' of 1/4" diameter Dowel
- Balls of Aluminum Foil, Marbles, Pebbles, Pom Poms, Erasers, etc.
- Craft Knife
- Ruler
- Marker
- Drill
- 1/4" Drill Bit
- Hot Glue Gun with Glue Sticks
Please Note
Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.Forces and Interactions
- Grades K-2
- K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
- K-PS2-2.Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
- Grades 3-5
- 3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
- 3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
- 3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
- 3-PS2-4. Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.
- Middle School
- MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
- 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.
- MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
- MS-PS2-4. Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
- MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
- High School
- 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.
- HS-PS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
- HS-PS2-3. Apply science and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
- HS-PS2-4. Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
- HS-PS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.
NGSS K-2 Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
- K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
- K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 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.
NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 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 that may limit possible solutions.
- 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-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
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