For the medieval catapult, stored tension equals the power of projectile motion – which now equals awesome learning power! Build and use this kit to demonstrate:

• Force and motion.
• Vectors.
• Trajectory.
• Potential and kinetic energy.
• Simple machines.
• Medieval history.

Plus, students can develop math, physics, and problem-solving skills by experimenting with the catapult to reach different distances with varying weights of ammunition (pieces of clay). Going back to the Dark Ages has never been so enlightening!

Looking for standards-based activities to accompany these materials? The Catapults Teacher’s Guide is available for print here, or you can download a digital copy for free here.

Order 30 kits to build a class pack!

Pitsco Education Catapults - Getting Started Package is the perfect solution for lackluster activities in the classroom. This package provides enough materials for 30 students to build and experiment with their own rubber band-powered catapults. Students discover the effects of various load masses and different rubber bands as they also learn about tension, forces, data graphing, and other concepts.

Requires white glue, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Crane gives students the advantage of understanding the mechanical advantage inherent in cranes. These machines help build the world as we know it. Featuring laser-cut parts, this Crane Kit can be built easily – students quickly move on to experimenting with load, ballast, and other concepts.

Includes basswood parts, string, hardware, and a user guide. Requires a small Phillips screwdriver and white glue such as HD Bond II, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Discover Heat Transfer Action Pack warms students up to the cencepts of thermal conduction, insulation and other heated subjects with this National Instruments Action Pack featuring the myTemp miniSystem. Following the lesson plans, students learn to measure and gather data for heat as it moves through various materials such as aluminum and wood. 

This pack provides the Pitsco myTemp miniSystem, NI LabVIEW™ Discover Heat Transfer software, detailed lesson plans with Next Generation Science and Common Core Math standard correlations, seven thermistors, electric heating plate and heat lamp, and other materials needed to complete the investigations.

A NI myDAQ is required, sold separately. Comes with PC-based installation DVD.

Pitsco Education Double Trouble Mousetrap-Powered Racer is an ultra-fast racer with two mousetraps for twice the power, speed and distance! This package includes all the components for you to assemble this speedy mousetrap vehicle.

Requires glue and needle-nose pliers, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Mousetrao Vehicles - Getting Started Package provides an easy way for 30 students to get the mousetrap vehicle activity rolling in your classroom. Students experience simple machines and other physics principles through the design and construction of a vehicle powered only by an ordinary mousetrap.

Requires ruler, hobby knife, wire cutter, and a drill or Dremel tool, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Mousetrap Vehicles is a complete start-to-finish design activity. The student follows the design process and sees direct applications of science and technology as he or she designs and builds a mousetrap-powered vehicle and competes with classmates to design the fastest car or the car that goes the farthest. Each kit includes a mousetrap, balsa wood, four CDs (for wheels), CD spacers, thrust washers, brass tubing, string, and building instructions.

Requires white glue, ruler, hobby knife, wire cutter, and a drill or Dremel tool, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Mousetrap Vehicles is a complete start-to-finish design activity. The student follows the design process and sees direct applications of science and technology as he or she designs and builds a mousetrap-powered vehicle and competes with classmates to design the fastest car or the car that goes the farthest. Each kit includes a mousetrap, balsa wood, four CDs (for wheels), CD spacers, thrust washers, brass tubing, string, and building instructions.

Requires white glue, ruler, hobby knife, wire cutter, and a drill or Dremel tool, sold separately.

Pitsco Education Roller Coaster Track creates the loops, hills and banked curves of a real roller coaster with this extruded rubber track designed especially for classroom use. Designing, creating, and experimenting with this track is a fun way to demonstrate: 

• Potential and kinetic energies
• Energy changes within a system
• Limits of safety
• Connecting slope to velocity

Track stands, track pads, and hardware are sold separately in the Roller Coaster Track Stands Package.

Pitsco Education Torsion Ballista uses torsion on both sides of the bow arm to fling Styrofoam balls across the classroom. Great for demonstrating how torque can be applied to create power as well as potential and kinetic energies and projectile motion.

The kit features laser-cut basswood pieces, string, hardware, and two Styrofoam balls (projectiles). Requires a small screwdriver, white glue, scissors, and ruler, sold separately. Available as a single kit or a pack of 10 kits.

Pitsco Education Torsion Ballista uses torsion on both sides of the bow arm to fling Styrofoam balls across the classroom. Great for demonstrating how torque can be applied to create power as well as potential and kinetic energies and projectile motion.

The kit features laser-cut basswood pieces, string, hardware, and two Styrofoam balls (projectiles). Requires a small screwdriver, white glue, scissors, and ruler, sold separately. Available as a single kit or a pack of 10 kits.

Pitsco Education Torsion Catapult uses the same power source as the ancient and medieval catapults – torsion. By twisting the strings holding the launch arm, students can launch small projectiles with this fun siege machine. Plus, it's great for helping students understand how to apply torque, potential and kinetic energy, projectile motion, and more.

The kit features laser-cut basswood parts and the string and hardware needed to build the catapult. Requires a small screwdriver, white glue, and scissors, sold separately. Available as a single kit or a pack of 10 kits.

You want your students to learn and have a good time in the classroom, and our Trebuchets – Getting Started Package meets both objectives. As students put together their trebuchets, they absorb lessons about inertia, counterweights, friction, and velocity. But they’re also having a great time – not many activities give them an excuse to fling projectiles (the included clay) across the room!

Looking for standards-based activities to accompany these materials? The Trebuchets Teacher’s Guide is available for print here, or you can download a digital copy for free here.

Pitsco Education Ultimate Braking Car Kit creates a braking car made of one of the simplest yet most powerful tools: the mousetrap! This kit includes all required materials for the construction of the car. The Ultimate Braking Car Kit uses stopper-peg technology to bring the car to a halt after it runs an impressive distance. A detailed user’s guide with photos and construction tips is included.

Requires glue and needle-nose pliers, sold separately.

Pitsco’s redesigned Maglev II Track gives you two options: regular or electrifying!

The track still offers magnetic levitation that can be powered by gravity or a battery-operated maglev vehicle. But now it also enables you to apply an electric current to the track to power a vehicle – just like a real maglev train.