Every spring, I end the year with our water rocket project. Students build water rockets out of 2-liter bottles, cardboard, masking tape, cotton balls, packing peanuts, etc. The purpose of the project is to create the rocket that will travel the furthest distance with the astronaut (raw egg) surviving. The astronaut travels in a capsule that the students build and attach to the rocket. The project takes a couple of weeks because each group gets to manipulate three variables (air pressure, water volume, and launch angle) until they get the optimum result.
Not only is this project lots of fun for the kids, but they learn a lot from the experimental design process. I enjoy watching them learn from their mistakes, which range from rockets that have a capsule on the side of the bottle (results in a wild rocket that shoots backwards!) to rockets that lose their fins or nose cones.
(Rocket getting ready for take-off.)
(Love this picture with the water propellant shooting out. Yes, we get wet during take-off!)
(Rocket in flight.)
(Opening the capsule to check on the astronaut egg after the flight.)
(Rocket getting ready for take-off.)
(Love this picture with the water propellant shooting out. Yes, we get wet during take-off!)
(Rocket in flight.)
(Opening the capsule to check on the astronaut egg after the flight.)
1 comment:
now, that's what i call good teachin'!
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