Candy Heart Catapult: Measuring Distance

Welcome to another STEM Saturday! Every week we aim to share something related to science, technology, engineering and/or math. At the end of this post you’ll find more STEM ideas from the co-hosts and a linky where other bloggers can add STEM related activities!

This week we are taking a break from the space themed science and math activities to do something a little more festive for Valentine’s Day! The co-hosts of STEM Saturday are all sharing a Valentine themed STEM activity! I’ve decided to make Candy Heart Catapult and do something with Caden I’ve always wanted to try but give it a holiday spin!

We made a really simple catapult using seven large craft sticks, rubber bands, a bottle cap and a glue dot. You can find other catapult models at Frugal Fun for Boys. Caden tried to help build the catapult, but it was really too hard for him to wrap the rubber bands around the craft sticks, but he did what he could.

When the catapult was built, we were ready to test it with some candy hearts! This particular catapult design isn’t the best for measuring distance, but would be great for measuring height and arch.

We set up this catapult, along with a second catapult and some measuring tape to try and measure the distance the candy hearts were launched. (Note: The second catapult we made with regular wooden craft sticks launches the candy hearts much better.)

Caden had a great time launching candy hearts from the catapults and seeing which one went further. He also enjoyed eating the candy hearts! We were having so much fun we never did get around to measuring with the tape measure.

Even Dad got in on the fun! Caden has enjoyed playing with these catapults all week. I think we may even try some other catapult models and test which one works best! Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails recently made a cool catapult and tested it with candy hearts, check it out and read all about Catapult Science for Kids.