Build a Halloween catapult with craft sticks and rubber bands, then launch fun Halloween-themed objects toward a pumpkin target! Kids can measure distances, compare launches, and improve their designs while exploring forces and motion.
Field: Physics and Engineering
Grades: 1–5
Concepts: Forces, motion, stored energy, levers, measurement
💡 Grab the free catapult recording sheet below to track your launches.
Supplies
- 10 jumbo craft sticks
- Rubber bands
- Bottle cap or plastic spoon
- Hot glue to attach the cap
- Fun objects
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Paper and pencil
- Paper pumpkin targets, plastic Halloween bucket or a shallow tray
How to Make a Halloween Catapult
This design uses our basic popsicle stick catapult with a Halloween twist.
🎃 Make yours with Halloween colored craft sticks, draw spider webs, and find fun objects like candy pumpkins, orange and white pom poms, big googly monster eyes or plastic eyeballs (ping pong balls), small plastic spiders or bats! Even mini erasers work! Dollar stores are great for these kinds of supplies.
1. Make the stack. Stack eight craft sticks and secure both ends with rubber bands.
2. Add the bottom stick. Slide another craft stick between the bottom two sticks of the stack. Position the stack near one end of this cross stick.
3. Add the launching arm. Place the final stick directly above the bottom stick, resting across the top of the stack. Connect their short ends with a rubber band beside the stack. The longer ends should open apart, with the stack between them.
4. Attach the holder. Glue a bottle cap, open side up, near the free end of the upper stick. Allow the glue to set before launching.
💡 Alternatively, you can attach a plastic spoon with a rubber band to the arm of the catapult to hold things to fling more easily!
5. Launch a pumpkin! Set the catapult on a flat surface and place an orange pompom or chosen object in the cap. Hold the base steady, gently press down the launching arm, and release.
Launch tip: Aim toward a clear landing area, away from people.
Free Halloween Catapult Recording Sheet
Record predictions, measure launch distances, and compare results with the free catapult science journal sheet.
👉 Get the free Halloween catapult printable here.
Halloween Catapult Challenges
Ask: What adjustment helps you land closer to the target?
Ask: How does pulling the launching arm back farther affect how far the pom pom travels?
Ask: Which design helps you land in the tray more consistently?
Ask: Did the heaviest object travel farthest? How might differences in size or shape also affect your results?
How Does a Halloween Catapult Work?
Pressing down on the launching arm bends the craft stick, storing elastic potential energy. When you release it, the arm springs upward and transfers energy to the pom pom, launching it into the air.
The moving object has kinetic energy. Once it leaves the holder, gravity pulls it downward, while air resistance affects its motion.
👉 Explore more about potential and kinetic energy.
👉 The launching arm also acts as a lever, supported by the craft-stick stack. Learn more about simple machines for kids.
Ask: Where is energy stored before the launch? What changes when you release the arm?
👉 For more hands-on ways to explore motion and energy, try these physics experiments for kids.
Record and Compare Your Results
Choose one question from the challenges above and make a prediction or hypothesis.
Change one variable at a time. Keep the catapult behind the same starting line and measure to where the object first lands, rather than where it rolls or bounces.
Try each setup three times and record every result.
- What pattern do you notice?
- How much did your results vary?
- What would you change or test next?
👉 Science connection: Change one variable and compare the results. Find more guidance in our scientific method for kids guide.
👉 Engineering connection: Use your test results to improve a design so it meets a goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we use a plastic spoon instead of a bottle cap?
Yes. Secure a plastic spoon to the launching arm with rubber bands, positioning the bowl beyond the end of the stick.
What can we launch?
Orange pom poms make easy pretend pumpkins. Other small, soft objects work too—choose something that fits comfortably in the holder.
Why doesn’t the pom pom land in the same place every time?
Small changes in pullback, object placement, or base movement can affect each launch. Hold the base steady and repeat your tests to look for patterns.
Get the Halloween STEM Pack
Want more Halloween activities ready to print and use?
The Halloween STEM Pack includes 150+ pages of science, STEM, engineering, math, games, and STEAM activities for grades K–5. You’ll find hands-on projects, skeleton challenges, brick activities, classroom extras, and artist-inspired Halloween projects all in one resource.
More to Explore
Halloween Science Activities | Skeleton Bridge Challenge | Halloween LEGO Challenges | Halloween Density Experiment | Halloween Lava Lamp
🎃 More seasonal experiments: Dissolving Candy Corn | Frozen Brain Experiment | Gelatin Heart Experiment
