Thank you for coming
today! We hope you
had fun and maybe
learned something
about gravity,
energy and applied
force!
##################
Wellington Public Library
Presents
Second Saturday
STEAM Spectacular
Project Launch
Pumpkins, Airplanes,
Rockets & other things that
fly
Exploring the Tools & Energy
behind the Blast
Blast--Off
Welcome to the Library’s STEAM Spectacular!
Did you know that STEAM stands for Science,
Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math? We plan
to study all of those things during our events!
All kinds of things fly-airplanes, birds, rockets, balloons, pumpkins...Wait! What? Pumpkins?!! Sure!!
Especially if you launch them!
Today, we are going to make some candy pumpkins fly by building a machine that will hurl that
chewy sweet through the air. “Punkin Chunkers”
come in different shapes and sizes. All of them
use force to launch the pumpkin.
Sir Isaac Newton formulated the laws of motion
and gravity. Gravity is a force on everything on
earth. To overcome gravity and launch something
in the air, another force must be applied. There are
different types of forces that can be applied to set
objects in motion. The motion is the result of the
applied force being greater than the force of gravity. However, the forces must always return to a
balanced state.
Check out some of the cool things we have listed
in this book. Chunk some pumpkins, shoot off a
rocket, fly an airplane, and play a round of Angry
Birds. Think about ways you can launch things or
design your own launcher!
Catapults
Catapults use some type of spring or stretched band to
store energy. When the trigger is released, the stored energy becomes a force applied to the pumpkin which hurls it
into the air.
There are lots of different catapults you can make.
Craft Stick Catapult
You need:
7 craft sticks
3 rubber bands
1 milk carton cap (or similar)
Glue
Cotton Balls or something to launch.
1. Stack 5 craft sticks together, and rubber band the ends.
2. Stack 2 craft sticks together, and wrap a rubber band
around the very end.
3. Separate the 2 craft sticks. Place the stack of 5 craft
sticks between the 2 craft sticks.
4. Wrap a rubber band around all of the craft sticks to hold
the catapult together.
5. Glue a milk cap {or something similar} on to serve as a
launching platform.
6. Push down on the top craft stick and release to launch
an object from the milk cap.
Binder Clip Catapult
You need:
4 craft sticks
1 binder clip (size depends on size of craft sticks)
1 milk carton cap or similar
Electrical tape or zip ties
1. Place 2 sticks together and tape the ends. Repeat for
the other pair of sticks.
2. Slip the metal arm of the binder clips between the 2 craft
sticks where they are taped. Repeat for the other set.
3. Glue the milk cap on to serve as a launching platform.
4. Push down on the top craft sticks and release to launch.
Plastic Spoon Catapult
You need:
1 sturdy plastic spoon
1 craft stick
Tape or rubber bands
1. Tape the handle of the spoon to the stick.
2. Place the stick on the edge of a table with the spoon
hanging over.
3. Place the object you want to launch in the bowl of the
spoon.
4. Push down on the handle of the spoon and release to
launch your object.
Water Bottle Rocket
You need:
An empty plastic bottle
Cardboard for rocket nose & fins
4 pencils
Scissors
Tape
A cork
Bicycle pump with a needle adaptor
Water
1. Push the needle adaptor of the pump through the cork.
It needs to go all the way through so you might have to
trim the cork a little bit.
2. Cut the cone and fins out of cardboard.
3. Tape the equally spaced apart on the bottle. This gives
the bottle something to stand on.
4. Decorate the bottle with the cones and fins using the
tape.
5. Fill the bottle one quarter full of water and push the cork
in tightly.
6. Take the bottle outside and connect the pump to the
needle adaptor. Make sure the rocket is standing up.
7. Pump air into the bottle, making sure all spectators
stand back. The bottle will lift off with force after a few
seconds.
Rockets
Have you noticed what happens if you let the air out of a
balloon? The air goes one way and the balloon moves in
the opposite direction. Rockets work in much the same
way. Exhaust gases coming out of the engine nozzle at
high speed push the rocket forward.
Most modern launchers are very complicated and weigh
hundreds of tons at liftoff. Most of this weight is fuel, such
as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Airplanes, Helicopters & Gliders
Today, you are going to see how far you can make your
glider fly. Can you also make it land on the runway? Distance and accuracy are two factors to take into consideration when launching your airplane.
Do you know how to make a paper airplane? There are
some great books at the library that show you how or you
can find some patterns online. How about a paper airplane
launcher?
Paper Airplane Launcher
Rockets need so much fuel in order to overcome Earth’s
gravity. Only when they reach a speed of 28 000 km/h are
they travelling fast enough to enter orbit.
Most rockets are made up of two or three stages. When a
stage has used up all of its fuel, it is separated to get rid of
the dead weight. It then falls back (usually into the ocean
and far from populated areas) or burns up in the atmosphere.
Large launchers often get an extra boost from rockets
strapped onto the first stage. These may use solid or liquid
fuel. They, too, are usually thrown away.
Our rockets won’t go into orbit today, but we can still make
them fly high. Here are some things to try.
Make a paper airplane. Punch a hole near the nose of the
plane. Unbend a paper clip so you have a loop at both
ends. Place the smaller loop through the hole. Tape
around the hole and the paper clip.
Now, turn over a chair or stool, or pound 2 nails in a board;
whatever you want to use as arms on your launcher. Loop
a rubber band or elastic around the two arms of your
launcher. Hook the larger end of the paper clip to the elastic and pull back. When you let go, your plane will launch
into the wild blue yonder. Can you change the angle from
which you shoot to change the trajectory of your plane’s
flight?
Flying Fish
You need:
Paper
Ruler
Scissors
Something to color your fish (if you want)
1. Cut a strip of paper about 8” long and about 1/2” wide.
2. Cut halfway across the strip about 1/2” from one end.
Turn the strip around and do the same thing on the
other side. When you lay your strip out flat, the cuts will
be on opposite sides.
3. Slip the slot at one end into the slot at the other end. It
should look like a little fish.
4. Hold the fish high over your head and drop it. It will spin
like mad on it’s way to the ground.
What happens if you make the paper strip longer or
shorter?
What happens if you make the strip wider or narrower?
What happens if you make the tails longer or shorter?
What if you make them pointy?
Hoop Glider
You need:
Scissors
Ruler
3”x5” file card
Tape
Soda straw (not bendable)
1. Cut the file card long way into thirds (1”x5”)
2. Put a piece of tape on the end of one strip. Curl the
paper into a little hoop and tape the ends together
3. Put the other two strips end to end, overlapping a little
bit, and tape them together to form one long strip. Curl
the paper into a hoop and tape the ends together.
4. Put one end of a straw on the middle of a strip of tape.
Put the big hoop on top of the straw and fold the tape
up the sides of the hoop.
5. Put another strip of tape at the other end of the straw.
Press the small hoop very gently onto the tape. Move it
around until it lines up with the big hoop, then press the
tape down firmly.
6. Hold the hoop glider in the middle of the straw, with the
little hoop in front, and throw it like a spear.
What happens if you put a paper clip at the bottom of the
small hoop?
Make a really long hoop glider with two straws.
Can you make a double hoop glider?