Get four popsicle sticks, preferrably after eating four popsicles. (Use normal thin ones, not thick ones from a craft store.) Assemble them as shown in the photos. Weaving in the last piece is just a little tricky. You’ll have to bend the sticks a bit.
If you need a closer look, click on an image.
Notice, in the final picture, that the sticks at the top are barely overlapping. This is your “popsicle stick bomb.” Throw it!
Made in a large supply, these are great for rubber-band-gun target practice. And with care, they can be assembled interlocking into chains.
Science! If you want to slap an “educational” label on this most excellent of pasttimes, consider it a lesson in potential energy (bending the sticks) converting into kinetic energy (boom!).
Advanced Popsicle Stickmanship. A leaner shape makes a more powerful popsicle stick bomb. That is, squeezing the whole shape in from side to side bends the sticks farther and makes the “explosion” better.