WESLEY FRYER / CREATIVE COMMONS

Because we here at Chippewa Valley Family are so interested in getting families thinking and playing together, we decided to put your family’s STEAM skills to the test with the Family Team Challenge. (FYI, that acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.)

Each mission is to be completed as a family, and you can use as little or as much time as you need; however, most of the family team challenges can be completed in one sitting. 

The STEAM topic: Force

Your mission (should your family choose to accept it) is to design a catapult that will send various pieces of excess Halloween candy flying. 

The apparatus: a catapult.

The challenge: to determine which piece of candy can fly the farthest. 

Words to learn:

• Force
• Motion
• Distance

Each team CAN use: 

• large and small craft sticks
• rubber bands 
• binder clips
• clothespins
• spoons
• plastic cups
• 3 random things on or in your desk at home

Questions to consider when designing and troubleshooting: 

• What is your design goal? 
• What is the heaviest piece of candy you have? Estimate how much force will be needed to launch that candy.  
• What angle seems to be better when launching the candy? Why do you think that is? 
• After the first launch, what improvements can be made? 

Get into it: 

• Make a sketch, individually or as a team, and make it come to life. 
• Create a poster highlighting the distance after two trials and the rank after all of the candy has been launched. 
• Create a bull’s-eye that can be placed on the floor to check the accuracy of the launcher. 
• Set a goal, such as launching the heaviest piece of candy a specific distance, and make changes to the catapult until the goal is reached.
• Send us pictures or videos of your designs, successes, and failures by posting them to the Chippewa Valley Family Facebook page.