Catapults & Trebuchets Kit

Turn curiosity into real engineering insight with the Catapult & Trebuchet Engineering Kit, a hands-on STEM experience that brings classic machines of motion to life. Students design, build, and test a range of projectile launchers—from simple catapults to advanced floating-arm trebuchets—while learning the physics that powers them.

Through guided builds and open-ended challenges, students investigate energy transfer, motion, force, and mechanics. They see how potential energy becomes kinetic energy, how launch angle influences distance, and how small design changes impact accuracy and performance.

Designed for grades 8-12, this Launch-level STEM kit walks students through the full engineering design process—plan, build, test, analyze, and improve—building both technical understanding and confidence. Activities encourage problem-solving, creativity, and persistence while reinforcing real-world physics and math concepts.

What students will do:

• Build and test multiple siege machines, including catapults and trebuchets
• Explore launch angle, range, and energy transfer through experimentation
• Compare accuracy, precision, and power across different designs
• Apply math and modeling to predict projectile motion
• Refine designs using the engineering design cycle
• Connect physics concepts to sports, nature, and video games

Students will investigate questions like:

• How does launch angle affect distance and accuracy?
• What is the difference between potential and kinetic energy?
• How can design changes improve power or precision?
• What can ancient siege machines teach modern engineers?
• Where do gravity and force show up in everyday life and play?

Perfect for classrooms, homeschools, and STEM programs, the Catapult & Trebuchet Engineering Kit is part of the Science Unlocked Launch series by Home Science Tools—created by educators to help students think like engineers and trust their ability to solve complex problems.

• Ball (6)
• Binder clip (4)
• Box (3)
• Cap (3)
• Cardboard sheet (7)
• Cheesecloth (1 piece)
• Dominoes (1 pack)
• Dowel, large (25)
• Dowel, small (5)
• Hot glue gun (1)
• Hot glue stick, mini (10)
• Marbles (1 pack)
• Mousetrap (1)
• Paint (2 containers)
• Printed targets (1 set)
• Protractor (1)
• Rubber bands (1 pack)
• Scissors, adult size (1 pair)
• String (1 roll)
• Tape (1 roll)
• Tape measure (1)
• Tongue depressors with holes (1 pack)
• Weight (2)

• NGSS science standards alignment
  • HS-ETS1-1: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
  • HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
  • HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
  • HS-ETS1-4: Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on the interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.