Are you ready for a fun paper tube building challenge? With just a few materials, you can create a cotton ball launcher.
Spark your thinking!
1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #38: STEAM Challenge: Cardboard Tubes
2. Watch this video. On your recording page write about what will be easy about the STEAM mini spark and what will be more challenging.
3. Read this step by step instructions on how to build the launcher. On your recording page explain if you liked the video instructions or the written instructions.
4. Collect your Materials. Ask the EY coordinator at your building for help getting supplies if needed.
- Short pencil or popsicle stick
- Thin rubber bands (2)
- Cardboard tube (2 empty toilet paper tubes or empty paper towel tube cut in half)
- Packing tape or other strong tape
- Scissors
- Cotton balls
- Single hole punch
5. Take pictures of your supplies and add it to your recording page.
6. Use the video or teaching page from steps 2 and 3 as a guide and start building. Make sure to take pictures of your progress.
6. Test it out! If you need to make modifications, do so at this time.
7. Read this information. In this activity, you used two types of energy to load and launch your cotton ball. As you drew back on the pencil with the cotton ball loaded, you added potential energy to the system. The farther you pulled back on the pencil, the more potential energy was being stored. When you released the pencil, the potential energy became kinetic energy, and the cotton ball should have gone flying through the air!
8. Make a pic collage with the pictures from your project. Include the energy terms, information from step 7, and definitions.
9. Add your pic collage to your recording page
10. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.
Source: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/cotton-ball-launcher#instruction