In today’s post: Teach kids how to make their very own marshmallow catapults. It’s a fun, easy craft project for kids that will get them thinking about scientific principles, all while launching marshmallows across the house.
The day I came up with this marshmallow catapult was one of those genius mom moments that are prompted by desperation. It was spring break (years ago) and everyone had had a little too much time together – you know how that goes, right? We were in desperate need of something fun to do that 1) didn’t cost much and 2) wasn’t too complicated. Inspiration hit and these simple kid-constructed marshmallow launchers were born. Keep reading for photo tutorial.
These marshmallow catapults are fun to make, and even more fun to use to launch small items (like mini marshmallows or cheerios) across the room.
Construction is simple enough that kids 5 and up should be able to put the catapults together by themselves, and even older kids, like my 13 year old, will enjoy trying to launch marshmallows at their siblings. We’ve made marshmallow catapults a number of times over the years and kids have always enjoyed them. It’s a cheap, easy activity that works for most ages. The two kids in these photos started with a marshmallow war, but quickly progressed to trying to launch marshmallows into each other’s mouth – they got pretty good at it!
Supplies
You only need a couple of supplies to make a marshmallow catapult:
- Four large marshmallows
- Seven bamboo/wood skewers
- One thin rubber band
- One plastic spoon
- Masking tape
You should be able to find all the supplies at a grocery store; Walmart carries everything you will need. One tip: plan to set the marshmallows out of the bag for at least an hour before constructing the catapults; stale marshmallows work much better than fresh ones!
How to make a marshmallow catapult (marshmallow launcher)
Marshmallow Catapults
Supplies
- 7 Wood/Bamboo Skewers
- 4 Large Marshmallows stale
- 1 Plastic Spoon
- 1 Rubber Band
- Masking Tape
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Instructions
- Using 3 marshmallows and 3 skewers, form a triangle.
- Use 3 more skewers and 1 more marshmallow to form a pyramid.
- Loop thin rubber band over topmost marshmallow.
- Tape plastic spoon securely onto the end of another skewer.
- Insert spoon skewer through rubber band and into one of the base marshmallows to complete the catapult. When launching, be sure to hold the front marshmallow with one hand, and pulling back the spoon with the other hand.
Tips For Success
BE SURE to let the marshmallows get stale before you make the catapults. If you use fresh marshmallows, they will tear quite easily as the kids play with the catapults. If you remember, open the bag of marshmallows the night before you want to use them, but if not, leave the marshmallows out for about an hour before construction.
Have mini marshmallows or cheerios on hand to launch. You can also launch the larger size marshmallows; they just won’t go quite as far. Try launching multiple small candies at once.
Extend the play time by creating targets on the table or the wall for kids to launch into. You can use masking tape to create targets, or even set out hula hoops or baskets.
Be aware that the skewers do have a pointy end which is sharp, so if you are making these with younger kids you might want to snip the point off with kitchen shears.
If you’re looking for more kid fun, check out these posts:
Chacity says
So we are doing a project for school, how far will the marshmallow launch! im really trying to get a good grade!
autumn says
The staler your marshmallows are (that you used to build the catapult with), the stronger the entire structure will be and the further stuff will go. So try to get it built a few days in advance to let the marshmallows harden up – or buy the marshmallows at least a day in advance and let some of them sit out of the bag to go stale before you even build it. You shouldn’t have trouble getting small marshmallows all the way across the room at school if you do that!
Nancy says
Wow this is really helpful thanks so much 4 every thing =)!
Beth says
Your a life saver, my son has to build a catapult for school and everything we found involved clothespins and no creativity, this has his mind rolling with ideas on how to make the marshmallows go further and thinking of ways to make it number one for his class! Thanks for sharing!!
autumn says
I’m so glad it was helpful! I actually figured it out when my son was supposed to build a catapult for school and everything we found online was so complicated. I kept thinking: there must be an easier way! Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Jessica says
Do you know if it will shoot big marshmallows? I want to do this with a kid I nanny but I don’t want mini marshmallows lost all over the house
autumn says
Mini marshmallows fit better on the spoon, which is what launches stuff – but I’m fairly sure you could make it work with big marshmallows – they just might not go as far. You could probably also wad up pieces of paper into “balls” and launch those – that way there’s no food ending up on the ground. Have fun!
Melissa says
I am adding one of these to the gingerbread house I decorate this year. Then, while the rest of my family tries to finish their decorating of their gingerbread houses, I am going to pelt them with marshmallows!
autumn says
Awesome 🙂
Danessh says
This helped me in my school project of lever principle. …I made it and it is awesome…but I am finding out anything which can replace the marshmallow?
cecilia says
i am doing a school project to.
Madge says
Hello !
You just helped me cure my summer boredom!! Awesome idea and so simple! I am glad I had all the supplies on hand too!