WonderLab hosts afternoon of catapults and physics

Jack Maher’s eyes opened wide and a large smile formed on his face.
His catapult, made from a toilet paper tube, a rubber band, pipe cleaners and a paint stirrer, was working.

Four-year-old Maher was one of many children to visit the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology Saturday afternoon for a hands-on project to create a working catapult.

The workshop cost each visitor $2 per project and is part of a series of Spring Break activities at the interactive museum.

Staci Radford-Vincent, program and outreach manager for WonderLab, said the museum’s catapult workshop was intended not only to inspire children to learn about simple machines and physics, but also to give them a sense of accomplishment and foster their problem-solving skills.

“It’s not just a kit you can snap together,” Radford-Vincent said. “The kids get a creative experience of making something with their hands, having to tweak it to make it work the right way.”

Radford-Vincent said the workshop began as an offshoot of a WonderLab demonstration about simple machines.

Gareth Evans, Jack’s father, said when the two visit WonderLab, Jack finds a creative learning experience while he runs around exploring the many exhibits WonderLab has to offer.
“There’s not a whole lot for kids to do in Bloomington,” Evans said. “So this is a good resource for them.”

Museum Assistant Liza Huffman helped the children with the construction process by attaching plastic bottle caps to paint stirrers and cutting wooden dowels to the appropriate length for each catapult.

Huffman said the workshop was a great way to introduce the process of learning to young children and it made learning fun for the older children and teens who participated that day.

“It’s a more hands-on science experience,” she said. “When you build something, it’s a lot more personal. They (the children) can take pride in it.”

Jack’s catapult sent its pompom ball soaring across the room one last time.
His favorite part about his catapult?

“When it throws the ball like ‘pshwoosh,’” he said.