Popsicle Stick Bombs

Get four popsicle sticks, preferrably after eating four popsicles.  (Use normal thin ones, not thick ones from a craft store.)  Assemble them as shown in the photos.  Weaving in the last piece is just a little tricky.  You’ll have to bend the sticks a bit.

Notice, in the final picture, that the sticks at the top are barely overlapping.  This is your “popsicle stick bomb.“  Throw it!

Made in a large supply, these are great for rubber-band-gun target practice. And with care, they can be assembled interlocking into chains.

Science!

To slap an “educational” label on this most excellent of pasttimes, consider it a lesson in potential energy (bending the sticks) converting into kinetic energy (boom!).

Advanced Popsicle Stickmanship.

A leaner shape makes a more powerful popsicle stick bomb. That is, squeezing the whole shape in from side to side bends the sticks farther and makes the “explosion” better.