At It Again! Catapult Materials for TAF Academy

We need your help!

In April, TAF Academy ninth grade students will build medium-scale catapults and need supplies for construction. It’s a pretty ambitious project, and although the school has some tools in the engineering lab, it’s not nearly enough for all the groups to construct at the same time.

The amount of tools and materials the school is able to collect will end up determining the scale of their projects which will be displayed during their third exhibition for spring. As this is a project based learning activity, in addition to the catapults, students will also design CAD models of their projects, mathematical models of their projectiles and trajectories, and a humanities research deliverable that will explore the rise and fall of empires.

Here’s their best-case scenario wish list:

LUMBER

• Qty 20: 2″x4″x8-12′ lumber or similar
• Qty 20: 2″x2″x8-12′ lumber or similar
• Qty 5: 3/8″ MDF sheets or similar

PVC

• Qty 10: 10 ft PVS pipe, 1″ diameter or greater
• Qty 40: matching right angles
• PVC cement

SCREWS/NAILS

• Qty 5: 1 lb boxes of 3-in drywall screws
• Qty 5: 1 lb boxes of 3-in nails

OTHER

• 100′ of 1/2″ surgical tubing or similar
• Hammers
• Hacksaws
• Drills and drill bits
• Clamps

If you or anyone you know has extra materials they’d like to donate, or would like to donate directly to this project, please contact development@techaccess.org.

Please share!

Also, below is a video of the last time our students were able to build catapults!