Thames & Kosmos Catapult Engineering 6-in-1 Maker Kit

£24.99

With so many gifts on the market, knowing which to pick for your kids can be a real struggle – especially as you try to balance gifts that are fun, whilst also having an educational element. This is where the Thames & Kosmos Catapult Engineering Kit comes in, which provides everything your kids need to make a variety of catapults at home so they can launch foam balls and soft arrows across the room, all whilst learning about physics in the process!

The Catapult Engineering 6-in-1 Maker Kit provides everything needed to make a catapult, reverse-draw crossbow, onager, crossbow, trebuchet and ballista launchers. In the set, there are 88 pieces which, using the 32-page step-by-step instruction booklet, you can construct each of the launchers. Each launcher was fairly simple to put together, with only a few bits that were a little fiddly.

Once constructed the catapults felt really sturdy and were fun to use. The set includes 2 soft darts and a foam ball which can be flung from your construction across the room. I loved that the box even included a cut-out page to make your own building blocks. The building blocks once cut out, can be folded into small cubes and then stacked to create your own castle that you can then fire your objects at. The cutting out can be a little fiddly and may need parental supervision for younger kids, but once built they made a great addition to the set.

One of the key benefits of the set is that with the construction, and then firing of the ball and arrows, kids can learn about physics including subjects like trajectory, force, and energy in a subtle yet fun way. This means parents can feel comfortable giving this as a fun gift this Christmas, knowing there’s an educational STEM focus behind it. Plus, it helps their imaginations grow as they can then utilise the aspects of the kit to make their own launchers.

If you’re on the hunt for a great Christmas gift that brings science-based experiments together with all the fun of making catapults then the Catapult Engineering 6-in-1 Makers kit is an easy and affordable choice.

Pros:

• Step-by-step guide for easy assemble
• Sturdy pieces that make durable launchers and catapults
• 6 different catapult options available

Cons:

• The set does contain multiple small pieces which could easily be lost
• Does require some additional tools like scissors, a study dish or a measuring tape