I had a 5th grade class project where I had to research and create something from the Middle Ages and bring it in with an explanation of what it was, why it mattered, etc. Most of the class got their parents help make traditional clothes or food, one kid built medieval replicas of a sword and mace and one kid researched a song sung in farming communities which was really cool.
My dad and I built a 4ft tall trebuchet that could launch a filled water bottle about 200ft, using the updated version relying on weights to provide the momentum for the swing instead of manpower like the romans used, and if we had the time we would have experimented with other designs, such as adding wheels to allow the fulcrum to shift which could have extended the range by ~ 25% or a version that was designed by never attempted in the age that used a series of rail-like structures to allow for pivoting along the x and y axis that could extend the range even further. I loved building that thing it was
*surprisingly tricky getting the ratio of the counterweight, height, length of the arm and size and weight of the projectile just right so it didn’t just launch it straight up or slam it into the ground. The trebuchet was absolutely the greatest siege engine of its time and 10/10 will absolutely build one with my kids.
My dad and I built a 4ft tall trebuchet that could launch a filled water bottle about 200ft, using the updated version relying on weights to provide the momentum for the swing instead of manpower like the romans used, and if we had the time we would have experimented with other designs, such as adding wheels to allow the fulcrum to shift which could have extended the range by ~ 25% or a version that was designed by never attempted in the age that used a series of rail-like structures to allow for pivoting along the x and y axis that could extend the range even further. I loved building that thing it was