Launch Learning! The Pitching Machine STEM Kit

Let your students build, experiment, and launch — all while exploring core STEM principles.

What’s in the Kit & How It Works

• A chassis and mounting parts to assemble the pitching frame

• A DC motor with coupling to spin a launch wheel

• Wiring and connectors to power the motor

• Four foam balls for safe projectile launching

• Teacher’s resource guide with lesson ideas and background material 

When assembled, the fast-spinning wheel (driven by the DC motor) propels the foam balls forward, converting electrical energy into kinetic energy and motion. 

STEM Concepts at Play

As students build and test this kit, they’ll engage with:

Why Teachers Love It

• Affordable, hands-on learning tool — ideal for individual or small-group builds

• Scalable complexity — for younger students you can guide the wiring, for older students let them experiment

• Cross-curricular integration — ties into physics, math, technology, and inquiry skills

• Supportive resources — the kit includes a teacher’s guide (see the “Additional Resources”) to support lesson planning Kidder

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Speed & Accuracy Challenge: Have student teams attempt to hit a target, measuring which launch parameters (voltage, wheel diameter, angle) produce best results

• Optimization Sprint: Give teams fixed time to test modifications (e.g. changing motor voltage, adding fins, trimming weight) to improve performance

• Data Lab: Students record dozens of launches, chart distance vs. voltage or vs. angle, calculate averages, analyze outliers

• Design Extension: Encourage students to adapt the kit into a ping-pong launcher, catapult hybrid, or even build an “automatic pitcher” system