Siege Engine Tournament!!!
Reminder: On 4/18, the last day of regular co-op classes, our history class will be hosting a siege engine tournament. (The next 3 weeks are classes (4/4, 4/11, 4/18) and presentation day is 4/22 @ 2:00pm.)
Assignment: bring a catapult, trebuchet, ballista, or other completed siege machine to class and demonstrate its capabilities. These can be homemade, kit, borrowed, or anything else. Make this project as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
Please note that the "rock" that we made in our first class does NOT need to be your projectile. We originally considered having a standardized size and weight for all siege engines, but realized just how impractical that was for this age group
There will be prizes for:
- accuracy
- distance
- height
The kids have been working hard to learn about the various machines, and most have a general idea of which one they want to build. Remind them as they begin to design that the finished product must fit into your car and be easily assembled on the day of the tournament. These projects take time to perfect, even with detailed plans, so I encourage you to start early and allow time for tweaking the design.
Here are a few ideas to get you started -
Build your own:
Lego catapult: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/lego-catapult/
Tiny paper catapult: http://www.mikesenese.com/DOIT/2011/10/palm-sized-print-and-cut-paper-trebuchet/
More catapult designs: http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/?q=catapult&sort=none
Trebuchet designs: http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/?q=trebuchet&sort=none
Full size siege engine plans: http://www.mikesenese.com/DOIT/2010/10/trebuchet-roundup-eight-online-plans-reviewed-for-building-your-own/
Work from a kit:
Amazon has many ready to assemble kits - including this one inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
My kids have had great success with the Pitsco kits. They are simple but effective. The only thing you will need to purchase in addition to the kit is a bottle of wood-glue.
We will be outdoors for most of our class period on the 18th, regardless of the weather, so please dress accordingly. Parents are welcome to join us for the festivities, and the youngest classes may come out also, so save the pretty white shoes for another day.
I look forward to seeing what the kids bring in!
Sheryl G
