9/6/2023 0 Comments Pumpkin catapultGlue (A hot glue gun is best if available, but use caution and adult assistance when using hot glue.).Piece of corrugated cardboard, about one foot by one foot. Many medieval trebuchets were larger and could hurtle projectiles even farther than catapults. Then the counterweight is allowed to fall, rotating the lever arm and converting that potential into kinetic energy in the projectile, which is flung through the air. When the counterweight is raised up, it has lots of gravitational potential energy. A trebuchet has a lever arm with a large, heavy counterweight on one end and a smaller projectile on the other end. It relies on gravitational potential energy-the type of energy you get by raising something up off the ground. This catapult worked by storing elastic potential energy-the type of energy you get from stretching something such as a rubber band or a spring-and rapidly converting it to kinetic energy (the energy of motion) of a projectile (in that case a cotton ball).Ī trebuchet works differently. The Bring Science Home activity Build a Catapult showed you how to build a miniature catapult out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. But did you know about an even bigger type of medieval siege weapon called a trebuchet? Try this project to build a miniature version! In the Middle Ages armies would use them to hurl stones at castle walls. Well, this year my husband decided to raise the bar a little bit.You probably know what a catapult is. Measuring distances, shooting off pumpkins & watching them splatter, and competing for a prize? Warm participants = more pumpkin chunkin fun!Īnd it’s a great excuse to roast marshmallows while you’re waiting for your turn.ĭoesn’t take much to entertain a group of boys. Have a fire going in the fire pit to keep the participants warm The kids measured their distances and kept score in a notebook.Īt the end of the event, each kids’ score was averaged and whoever had the highest score won the Pumpkin Chunkin prize (a Santa Claus Pez Dispenser)! It worked really well and was a lot of fun. Last year we used my son’s baseball pitching machine to chunk the pumpkins. This year, we have around 20 kids participating! Find a pumpkin chunkin device Last year, we had 6 kids in our competition.Įach kid got around 11 pumpkins to chunk. My son has counted out over 200 pumpkins for this year’s event. Well, last year, they followed through on their plans and held their very first Pumpkin Chunkin extravaganza with my son’s best friends and cousins.īecause our event was on a much smaller scale, we used baby pumpkins.Īfter Halloween you can find baby pumpkins at local produce stands, nurseries, pumpkin patch’s, and grocery stores.īecause Halloween is over and the demand for pumpkins has significantly decreased, you can usually get a good deal on a whole lot of pumpkins. My husband and son have talked for years about having our very own event. How to Host Your Own Pumpkin Chunkin Event Gather your pumpkins How fun is it to come up with a device that can throw a bright orange pumpkin as far as possible, see it splatter to smithereens, and have a chance at winning a prize? The WCPCA, World Championship Pumpkin Chunkin Association, is a nonprofit, raising money for scholarships and organizations helping young people and the local community.Īnd when you really think about it, pumpkin chunkin is the ultimate STEM activity! In addition, a European Championship takes place in Bikschote, Belgium annually. This event is now held in Illinois by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association ( WCPCA). Interestingly, a World Championship Punkin Chunkin has been held every year during the month of November. It is “the sport of hurling or ‘chucking’ a pumpkin solely by mechanical means for distance.”ĭevices can include slingshots, catapults, centrifugals, trebuchets, and pneumatic cannons. Over the last several years, it has become a tradition with my husband and son to turn on the TV and watch the World Championship Punkin Chunkin event. Not many people I know have even heard of it before.īut in my household, it has come up many times. Has the topic of pumpkin chunkin ever come up in your household? We love pumpkin chunkin so much that we hosted our own little event using a little imagination and lots of mini pumpkins!
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