Last week one of our science instructors visited a second grade class to make Stomp Rockets. When the students make Stomp Rockets, they are learning about and building simple machines, and also talking about how they move, which is with force. To make Stomp Rockets fly, the kids use the force of "push" to get the air from the bottle out through the tube and up into the rocket sending it into orbit.
Once a rocket has been put together it's time to launch. The rockets are launched in pairs, with one person aiming the rocket and the other jumping onto the launch pad. The jumper always holds the science presenter's hand for safety!
Whenever you launch a Stomp Rocket you have a choice-you can aim toward the sky to make it go up high, or you can point your rocket out toward the horizon to see how far it can go. This rocket, called Ketchup, went up really, really high!
Stomp Rockets can be made from things you have around your house or can find at a local hardware store. With a bottle, a tube and some paper and tape, you can create your own stomp rocket and launch pad. The rockets we made here had three fins, and the bottle we used was a 2 liter bottle. Can you think of ways to experiment with these rockets? Maybe you could add some fins? Try different kinds of bottles? Make the rocket out of something else? Whatever you try, that's you being a scientist. Scientists are always trying new things and making new discoveries. We want you to try lots of new things, and share what you've learned with us!
If you are a parent or teacher who would like to know more about our school year program, please visit http://www.edventuremore.com/school_year_services.php or email alexis@edventuremore.com for more information.
