- Garden Montessori School student Ella Stiles launches a water balloon from her homemade catapult.
- Teacher Leah Ailey weighs down the front of Shanti Santiago-Fey’s catapult as Shanti prepares to launch.
- Garden Montessori School student Lauren Griggs made her catapult from giant popsicle sticks.
- Henry Key celebrates as his water balloon hits the target in the Garden Montessori School catapult challenge.
It was “Ready, aim, fire!” at Garden Montessori School in Fountain City April 25, as students in the Upper Elementary classroom tested their homemade catapults.
Part of the classroom’s study of science, the students were challenged at the beginning of April to create a catapult from materials they found at home. The catapults had to launch a water balloon the size of an apple a distance of at least three feet. Catapults were tested on the school’s playground for accuracy, distance and force.
The catapult test coincided with teacher Leah Ailey’s birthday, and Ailey was a good sport as students celebrated with a mass water balloon launch at her. The fun concluded with gifts and cupcakes. Thankfully, these were not launched from catapults.
Info: www.gardenmontessori.org