DI Parkview Destination Imagination

LESSON 03 · NOVEMBER · ANY AGE

Launch Lab

Store energy in a rubber band, let a lever turn it into speed, and aim it. Build a popsicle-stick catapult, then test it like an engineer: change one thing, measure, write it down.

Play the game → The catapult build

THE BIG IDEA

A catapult is a lever with a battery. The rubber band stores the energy, the lever trades a short strong pull for a long fast swing, and the angle decides where all that speed goes.

Every setting changes the throw in its own way, so the real skill is testing. Change one thing at a time, measure where it lands, and write it down. That notebook is how engineers stop guessing.

SIX LAUNCH IDEAS

What sends it far. What sends it true.

fulcrum in the middle: same push, same move fulcrum near the push: same push, BIG move

01 · Levers

Move the Fulcrum

A lever is a stick on a pivot, called the fulcrum. Push the short side a little and the long side moves a lot. Slide the fulcrum and you change the trade between strength and distance.

In the game
The fulcrum notch
In real life
Seesaw, crowbar, bottle opener, your own forearm
Science word
Lever, fulcrum, effort, load
1 band 3 bands: 3x the energy

02 · Stored Energy

Store It, Then Let Go

Stretching a rubber band stores energy in it. Let go and that energy becomes motion. More bands, or a longer stretch, store more energy and throw farther.

In the game
Rubber bands, 1 to 6
In real life
A bow and arrow, a wind-up toy, a jumping kangaroo's tendons
Science word
Potential energy, kinetic energy
short just right! long + heavy

03 · The Sweet Spot

Longer Isn't Always Better

A longer throwing arm swings its tip faster, but the arm gets heavier to swing, and the bands have to move that weight too. Somewhere in the middle is the best length.

In the game
Notch 5 throws hardest. Try it!
In real life
Tennis rackets, golf clubs, baseball bats all have a best length
Science word
Moment of inertia, optimization
20° about 40° 70°

04 · Trajectory

Pick Your Angle

Throw too low and it hits the ground fast. Throw too high and it wastes its speed going up. In empty space 45 degrees would go farthest; with air pushing back, a bit lower usually wins. A wall means you need to lob it higher.

In the game
Launch angle, and the wall on target 3
In real life
A basketball shot, a garden hose, a long jumper's takeoff
Science word
Trajectory, projectile, angle of launch
tennis ball big balloon: air pushes back

05 · Mass and Drag

Air Pushes Back

The same bands throw a light ball faster than a heavy one. But air pushes back on everything, and it slows big light-for-their-size things the most. The best ball depends on the shot.

In the game
Tennis ball, beanbag, water balloon
In real life
A feather vs. a coin, a badminton birdie, a parachute
Science word
Mass, air resistance (drag)
TARGET 6.5 m notch 5, 3 bands, 45° 5.7 m notch 5, 4 bands, 45° 7.4 m notch 5, 4 bands, 60° 5.8 m notch 5, 4 bands, 55° 6.5 m ✓

06 · Fair Testing

Change One Thing

Change two settings at once and you can't tell which one helped. Change one, measure, and write it down. A few honest rows get you to the bullseye faster than a hundred guesses.

In the game
Your engineering notebook under the game
In real life
Recipe testing, science fair projects, every engineer's lab notebook
Science word
Variable, control, data

HANDS-ON · THE POPSICLE-STICK CATAPULT

Build it, then hit the cup.

Each team gets

  • 7 jumbo craft sticks
  • 5 rubber bands
  • 1 plastic spoon
  • Pom-poms or mini marshmallows to launch
  • A paper cup target and a tape measure

Build (10 minutes)

  1. Stack 5 sticks and band both ends tight. That's the fulcrum.
  2. Band 2 sticks together at one end only. That's the arm and the base.
  3. Pull the 2 sticks apart and slide the stack between them. Cross-band it in place.
  4. Band the spoon to the top stick, cup at the free end.

Test like an engineer (20 minutes)

  • Set the cup 1 meter away. Fire 3 shots and measure each landing from the catapult.
  • Now change one thing: slide the fulcrum stack toward the spoon, or add a stick to the stack, or pull back farther. 3 more shots. Measure.
  • Write every setting and every distance in a table. When you land one in the cup, check your table: what did you change to get there?

The table is the lesson. A team that measured 9 shots knows more than a team that fired 50 and guessed.

PICK YOUR AGE

Same lesson, four levels.

Every age builds a catapult and every age keeps a notebook. The words, the rules and the math grow with them.

Make it fly.

Words to use

pushpullstretchfarclose

Build it

Grown-ups band the stick stack; kids put the spoon on and do all the launching. Target: a laundry basket 1 meter away.

Play it

Play together: the kid picks the ball and the angle, a grown-up reads the numbers out loud.

Ask, don't tell

  • What happens if you push the spoon down farther?
  • Did it go farther or closer than last time?
  • What could we change to land in the basket?

Stretch

Line up 3 cups at different distances. Can you hit the close one, then the far one, on purpose?

Change one thing.

Words to use

leverfulcrumenergyanglefair test

Build it

The full build. Fire 3 shots at the cup, move the fulcrum, fire 3 more. Measure every shot with the tape measure and write it in a table.

Play it

Play Launch Lab and keep your own paper notebook next to the game's. Before each shot, predict: farther or shorter?

Ask, don't tell

  • Where is the fulcrum on your catapult? Point to it.
  • Why did moving the fulcrum change the distance?
  • If you change two things and it works, which one helped?

Stretch

Find 3 levers in your kitchen. Where is each one's fulcrum?

Find the sweet spot.

Words to use

lever armpotential energykinetic energytrajectoryvariable

Build it

Build, then run a real experiment: test 3 fulcrum positions with 5 shots each. Average each set and graph distance against fulcrum position. Is the best one at an end, or in the middle?

Play it

Launch Lab all month. Go for a 500 by using your notebook, not by guessing.

Ask, don't tell

  • Why does the game's notch 5 throw harder than notch 9, even though notch 9's arm is longer?
  • Your 5 shots didn't all land in the same spot. Why does averaging help?
  • Which ball is best for the wall shot, and why?

Stretch

Change the launch angle on your real catapult with a stopper stick. Does 45 degrees really go farthest? Why might your answer be different from the game's?

Engineer it.

Words to use

PE = ½kx²v = ωrI = Σmr²range = v²sin2θ ÷ gdrag

Build it

Run the 3-position experiment, then predict before you shoot: measure your launch speed from one shot, use the range formula to predict a new angle, and test it.

Play it

Launch Lab, then explain your 500 run using energy and the lever. Top score teaches it to the younger kids.

Ask, don't tell

  • The game's bands give the arm the same energy every time. Why does a longer arm make the tip faster at first and then slower? (Hint: the arm's own moment of inertia.)
  • Without air, 45 degrees goes farthest. Why does the game's best angle come out lower, around 35, and lowest of all for the water balloon?
  • What would make your real catapult's shots more repeatable?

Stretch

Build a second catapult with a counterweight instead of bands, like a trebuchet. Which one throws more consistently, and why?

RUN OF SHOW · ABOUT 60 MINUTES

The meeting.

  1. 0:00
    Hook (5 min). Flick a pom-pom off a ruler balanced on a pencil. Then move the pencil and flick it again. Ask: I pushed the same. Why did it go a different distance?
  2. 0:05
    The six launch ideas (8 min). Walk through the animations above. Have kids find the fulcrum on the ruler demo.
  3. 0:13
    Build the catapult (10 min). Teams build from the steps. Coaches can hold sticks, but kids do the banding and decide the layout.
  4. 0:23
    Test like an engineer (17 min). Cup at 1 meter. 3 shots, change one thing, 3 more. Every shot gets measured and written in the table.
  5. 0:40
    Game lab (12 min). Pairs on laptops at parkviewdi.com/lab/launch. One kid sets the catapult, the other keeps the notebook, then swap.
  6. 0:52
    Launch the challenge (6 min). Show the Launch Lab leaderboard. Same five targets for everybody, so it's fair. Can anyone get a 500?
  7. 0:58
    Exit question (2 min). Name one lever you used today before you got here.

DI tie-in: Pop-ups, flips, launches and moving props show up all over DI solutions, and almost every one of them is a lever, a spring or both. This is that skill in miniature. Teach the skill here, and let the team decide whether and how it shows up in their own solution. Coaches ask questions; kids build.

MATERIALS

Craft sticks and rubber bands.

  • Jumbo craft sticks, 7 per team
  • Rubber bands, 5 per team (plus spares, they snap)
  • Plastic spoons, 1 per team
  • Pom-poms or mini marshmallows
  • Paper cups for targets
  • A tape measure per team, or masking tape marks on the floor every 25 cm
  • A ruler and a pencil (hook demo)
  • Paper and pencils for notebooks
  • Laptops or Chromebooks for the game

THIS MONTH'S CHALLENGE · ALL AGES

★ Launch Lab

Five targets, three shots each. Tune the fulcrum, the rubber bands, the angle and the ball. Your best shot on each target counts. Everyone shoots at the same five targets, so it comes down to your testing.

score = best shot on each target, up to 100 each (500 max)

  • A bullseye is 100. Every 25 cm off costs about 10 points. Hitting the wall is 0.
  • Submit with your first name, last initial and grade. One spot per kid, and a better run replaces your old one.
  • The server re-flies every shot, and anyone can replay any run, so every score can be checked.
  • Each grade group's winner shows their notebook at the next meeting.

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