A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Even though they are not used anywhere in wars now, they still are a lot of fun to play with. Before the NERF guns even came into existence, kids were playing around with handmade miniature catapults.

In this Instructable, I'll show you a quick way of building a cool and powerful catapult using some recycled Popsicle sticks.

Step 1: Bill of Materials

To make this nostalgic device you'll need the following items in your inventory:

Popsicle Sticks (About 6)
Good Quality Elastic Bands
Glue Gun
An Old Bottle Cap

That's all the folks, you need to stack up your arsenal with a cool old school catapult.

Step 2: Make the Wedges

First, the thing to do while building a catapult is to picture in your mind how exactly the thing works. The catapult which I'm making has a thick bundle of sticks wedged up between two Popsicle sticks, which when pressed on one end, will supply enough momentum to your cannon.

So stack up 4 Popsicle sticks and secure them with elastic bands on both sides.Next, stack up two Popsicle sticks and secure them with elastic band at only one end.It should be able to open up on the other end.

Step 3: The 'T' Joint

Now that we have both our wedges, we can put them together to form the framework for the catapult.

Slide in the thicker wedge into the two stick wedge via the open end. Push it in as far as possible. You should notice that the other end flaring outwards.This will act as the lever when pressed against and provide momentum to the cannon. Now secure both the wedges together at the center with another elastic band.

Step 4: #The Cannon Holder

After securing the wedges you have the catapult ready with the working mechanism. You have to now make a place, for the catapult to hold the cannons.

Apply hot glue at the farthest point on the flaring end and stick the old bottle cap with the groove facing upwards.

Step 5: #Carve Your Design

Once you have the cannon ready, it's up to you on whether you'd like to paint it or not. I have used a marker and made some cool designs on the catapult.

You can paint it or even stick some colored papers over it. For the cannon, simply crumble a piece of paper into a small ball and place it into the cap. Now hold the front part of the catapult and press down the cannon until the end. Now all you have to do is aim and release the cannon towards your target.