Step-by-step tutorial
Warning
Never point your bow and arrow at anyone, and do not use anything except a straw as an arrow. Stay safe!
Step 1
Overlap 2 dowels by about two and a half inches. Tape them together as tightly as possible. Make sure to tape beyond their connection points as well.
Step 2
Tightly wrap tape near the end of each dowel until the diameter of the tape is about one inch.
Step 3
Cut the string so that its length is a couple of inches longer than the length of the 2 dowels taped together.
Step 4
Tie an open knot near one end of the string and fit it over the top of one of the dowels.
Step 5
Tie an open knot near the other end of the string and bend the dowels so that you can stretch the string to fit over the other end of the dowels.
Note: If the dowels are close to snapping during this step, the string is too short.
Step 6
Cut notches into a paper straw so that it can notch onto the bow's string. Now, you can test out your bow and arrow!
How far does your arrow go? See what happens when you add a small weight (like a marshmallow or a piece of clay) to the front of your arrow!
Learn more
What’s going on?
The bow and arrow is one of the oldest technologies still around today, thanks to its effective design. The bow is able to throw the arrow long distances due to the tension that is created when the bowstring bends the bow backwards. This tension can be relieved by releasing the bowstring, which allows the bow to quickly bend back into its original shape, throwing the arrow forwards. You might be surprised by just how powerful your bow can be - and how accurate your aim can become with a bit of practice!