Biathlon Winter Olympic Games STEM Activity Build a Ping Pong Ball Launcher

Bring the excitement of the Winter Games into your classroom with this Biathlon Winter Games STEM challenge. 

In this winter Olympics–inspired STEM activity, students engineer a shooter that can launch a ping pong ball at a biathlon target while exploring force, motion, accuracy, and fair testing.

Perfect for January/February STEM lessons, Winter Games units, or upper elementary science centers, this hands-on biathlon challenge blends engineering, math, and literacy in one engaging experience.

What Students Do

• Learn key biathlon vocabulary such as biathlon, target, course, and penalty using kid-friendly picture cards.
• Discover how the biathlon works with a simple visual poster that explains skiing the course, stopping to shoot, and earning penalties for missed targets.
• Engineer a shooter using materials like paper cups, cardboard tubes, rubber bands, tape, popsicle sticks, and a ping pong ball to knock down printed targets.
• Test their designs from a starting line and compete to see which team can knock down the most targets using only their launcher (no throwing allowed!).
• Optional: participate in a full biathlon course simulation, “skiing” around the room on laminated skis and adding time penalties for missed shots.
• Read an informational passage titled “What is the Biathlon?” and respond to comprehension questions about the sport’s history, rules, and penalties.
• Reflect on their learning and write about “What I Know About the Biathlon” using differentiated writing pages.

What’s Included

• Teacher instructions with materials list, build guidelines, testing procedures, and ideas for a biathlon-style race course.
• Full-color and blackline Engineering Design Process posters with guiding questions (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, Share).
• Makerspace consumables list to help you stock your STEM cart with easy-to-find supplies like cardboard tubes, cups, yarn, foil, and more.
• Vocabulary cards and a “How the Biathlon Works” mini poster.
• Printable biathlon targets and skis for the course simulation.
• Student challenge letter that sets the scene: students are helping prepare equipment for a winter competition by designing a biathlon shooter.
• Planning page for the Biathlon Winter Games challenge (Ask/Imagine/Plan) and multiple “What I Know About the Biathlon” writing templates.