Pre-Teens Build Hovercrafts and Catapults

On July 17th, Cool Science did a builders’ workshop for pre-teens. The kids had the chance to make balloon hovercrafts and learn about the engineering behind large-scale hovercrafts with their own smaller models. They also made marshmallow catapults, where they discovered the physics behind the ancient military weapon.
 
The hovercrafts were built from a single balloon, one CD, glue, and a PVC pipe. Tiny holes are poked in the tape covering the opening in the middle of the CD, and the PVC pipe attaches the balloon to the top of the CD so air slowly escapes out the bottom. This provides the CD with the ability to “glide” over flat surfaces.
 
The catapults are made from a wooden piece of 2x4, a couple wooden dowels, rubber bands, a paint stick, and of course a paper cup to hold the marshmallow ammunition. Not only were they fun to build, everyone had a blast playing with them. (Check out a video from our YouTube channel below)

​It was an epic showdown as the kids and adults launched marshmallows and piloted their hovercrafts in races!

-posted by Joshua