How to Make a Bow and Arrow

Making a bow and arrow with your kid can be a fun activity. It is always a pleasure to see the young one taking active participation in making this hunting weapon. Dressed like Robin Hood, the young ones look good with their accessories, which can also include a sword or a bow and arrow. So, if you want to indulge your kid in an interesting project, then help him build a bow and arrow to play with. Though one can even make a bow and arrow like a professional, it may require some practice to that.

For the purpose of this article, we can make a simple play bow and arrow that a kid can play with. And for this project you don’t even need to buy anything or spend a lot of labor. Just a few simple tools and material that you can find in your garden or in the garage and you are done with your preparation to build.

Materials you need:

A long straight branch
Two short and thinner branches
Some hemp string
Feathers/paper/flexi thin plastic
Some foam

Tools you need

Knife or multi tool
Scissors

Steps to make the bow and arrow

Take the long branch you have chosen for the bow. Clean the branch properly to remove any sub branches that may be there.
Use the knife to whittle and smoothen the body of the bow. You can even try to keep the mid part wider than the ends.
Once you have cleaned the branch, you can make the notches for the string. This is done on the ends of the branch. Leave about one inch from the end and try to cut a notch where you can secure the string. For the notch, you have to cut the branch from both sides to cut a shape or a half moon leaving the middle par intact to hold the string.
Once you cut the notches on both sides, you can now take the sting and tie a tight knot on one end of the branch. Make sure the knot is tight enough to hold the pull of the bow when you place the arrow. In case you need, you can put a couple of more knots to hold it properly.
Now pull the string tightly down to the other end and keep pulling till the branch folds into an arch.
Once you feel that the pull is sufficiently tight, you can tie the knots on the other end and secure the string. You can check the strength of the string.
To make the arrows, you can take couple of thinner branches and smoothen them out of any sub branches that might be there
Once you clean the surface properly, you can whittle the narrower end to work as the arrow’s pointed end. If you are making arrows for kids, its better to place some foam on the pointed end and tie it with thread. This would ensure that the arrow doesn’t hurt another kid or even and elder when the kids play with bow and arrow.
For the other end of the arrow, you can whittle it a bit and place the feathers or the thinly cut plastic or paper for fletching.

You are now ready to try your bow at aiming things.