Breaking news from the Children’s Museum of Houston – we just learned that insurance companies are no longer providing coverage to roof damage due to hooves and sleigh rails, thereby preventing Santa from landing on our roofs for easy chimney access! Fortunately, we do have a potential solution – projectile motion!

Projectile motion is motion in two planes – the horizontal and the vertical. By controlling the angle at which a projectile starts and the amount of force provided, we can control its travel. And what better way to control angle and force than to build a catapult! But not just any catapult…a SANTA-PULT!

So go digging through the odds and ends around your house. There are three basic types of materials you’ll need:

• Force Generating Materials – springs (like in clothespins and clipboards) and elastic materials (like rubber bands and plastic spoons) can be used to provide the force your object needs
• Lever Arm Materials - this is usually a stick that is attached to the force generating material to help increase the force and give you a place to put your projectile. Rulers and craft sticks work well as lever arms
• Frame Materials – this is the body of the catapult and helps define the angle at which the projectile launches. Cardboard, foamcore, sticks, and many other things work well. This is also where I put the materials that hold everything together like tape, rubber bands, twist ties, binder clips, etc.

So design, engineer, build, and test your Santa-Pult, although I recommend a stand-in for Santa and your chimney until you get it right. A box works well for a chimney and a lightweight ball works well for your Santa stand-in. However, I do recommend against testing it around anything breakable. Good luck and have fun!

Special thanks to our friends at Region’s Bank for making our O Wow Moments possible!