For upper-grade boys! Simple yet awesome craft project [Don’t call it lazy]
I want to make something for my summer break craft project that makes people say “Wow!” but I’d like to avoid anything too difficult.
Great news for upper-elementary school boys! In this article, we introduce intriguing craft projects with clever mechanisms you can build using everyday materials.
Even creations that look complex—like a fountain where water seems to flow upward or a spinning top that floats in midair—are actually surprisingly easy to make.
Once you finish, you can submit your project with an explanation of how it works and use it as a science project, too.
Go ahead and try these fun crafts that apply principles of physics!
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Crafts to learn how things work (21–30)
Easy! A chopstick rubber band gun that can even use hair ties
This rubber band gun made from disposable chopsticks is very simple—you just bundle the chopsticks together and fasten them with rubber bands.
First, stack four chopsticks and secure them in two places with rubber bands.
To catch the rubber band that will serve as the projectile, leave the top and bottom sticks of the four sticking out a bit longer.
Attach a clothespin together with the topmost rubber band at the rear.
The rubber band projectile is gripped by both the clothespin and the chopsticks; when you pull the clothespin, the band shoots out.
Try using a hair tie as the projectile—it won’t hurt much even if it hits you.
A three-step chopstick rubber-band gun
This is a chopstick rubber-band gun that you can make with a simple procedure: use chopsticks as the base and attach a clothespin with a rubber band.
Insert the metal part of the clothespin into the gap between the chopsticks, then secure the clothespin in that position with a rubber band.
After that, to keep the chopsticks from spreading apart, wrap a rubber band around the tips of the chopsticks, and it’s done.
The mechanism is that you launch a rubber band stretched from the tip by opening and closing the clothespin.
The appeal is that you can make a chopstick rubber-band gun easily with only a few materials.
Crafts to Learn How Things Work (31–40)
How to make a chopstick gun
In addition to chopsticks and rubber bands, this chopstick gun uses cardboard and duct tape to combine into a pistol-like appearance.
The basic firing mechanism is assembled from chopsticks and rubber bands, and then a grip and decorations are attached using cardboard and tape.
Since you’ll end up covering the whole thing with tape so it looks like a pistol, it’s important to build a sturdy base beforehand.
Let’s also pay attention to how we decorate it to make it look as realistic as possible.
Combine a chopstick rubber-band gun with an origami throwing star!
Let’s try making a “shuriken gun” that combines a chopstick rubber band gun with paper shuriken.
It’s a lot of fun because the shuriken, which you’d normally throw by hand, comes out as the projectile instead.
You’ll need two pairs of disposable chopsticks, two sheets of origami paper, and some rubber bands.
Use one pair of chopsticks without splitting them; split the other pair.
Wedge the split sticks between the unbroken pair and fasten them with rubber bands.
Fold the paper shuriken, tuck it into the rubber bands, and launch it together.
It’s a unique twist on the classic chopstick gun—give it a try! You can probably launch things other than shuriken, too.
Even grade-schoolers can make it! Triple-shot chopstick rubber band gun
You might think it’s just a simple chopstick rubber band gun, but it actually has a feature that lets you fire three rubber bands.
The building process is straightforward: attach a handle to a bundle of chopsticks that serves as the base, then install a movable trigger so that it’s sandwiched in place.
What’s crucial here are the trigger shape and the positions where the rubber bands are hooked.
By attaching three rubber bands at different positions, they will fire in sequence.
The hooking method for each band is also intricate, so doing that accurately is a key point.
Powerful! Chopstick Gun
Prepare seven pairs of disposable chopsticks and plenty of rubber bands as materials.
First, use five pairs of chopsticks to make the main body.
Stack the chopsticks for the body alternately left and right so that about two-thirds overlap.
Secure them firmly at two points with rubber bands, then cut a notch at the front end to hook a rubber band.
Attach a short, cut chopstick to the rear of the body as the trigger, and glue another chopstick fixed in a V-shape behind that as the grip.
Your powerful chopstick gun is complete!
Rubber band gun with two materials
Here’s a simple rubber band gun idea you can make with about three pairs of disposable chopsticks and around ten rubber bands.
Split all the chopsticks into single sticks; leave three as they are, and cut the rest into three different lengths.
If you use a utility knife for cutting, handle it with care.
It’s also a good idea to sand the cut edges for safety.
Combine the cut chopsticks to build the body, grip, and trigger, and finally create a notch at the front end of the body where the rubber band will hook.
The body tends to be long and unstable, so reinforce it by bracing it from below with shorter chopstick pieces.