Primary Activity – Physics – Lolly stick catapults

This is a really fun activity to get children thinking about forces and simple machines.

Forces are pushes or pulls. On a simple level, the ball, or other
projectile, moves because it is pushed by the catapult.

This activity will allow children to see the forces of gravity and air resistance in action in an exciting way. The catapult itself is also a kind of simple machine, called a lever, and so this activity fits in well with learning about levers, gears and pulleys and gives children some first-hand experience of a lever in action.