Last year a friend of mine saw some plans online for a project that he thought his nieces and nephews would enjoy. He gave it a shot and built it. His nieces and nephews had a blast. He refined the project in a few stages and the thing just took off. In the end, he made one for my kids as well.
It was a water rocket! With a few pieces of PVC, a few miscellaneous parts, and a 2 liter soda bottle, he built a contraption that will send a rocket over 100 feet in the air – a FUN, SAFE, REALLY COOL contraption that will SEND A ROCKET INTO THE AIR OVER ONE HUNDRED FEET! FAST!
The kids and I have spent several hours launching the bottle, trying to get it higher, trying to catch it when it falls, showing off to neighbors, talking (if only for a few minutes) about the science behind the project, and generally just having fun – and getting wet!
Thought I haven't built it myself (yet), the plans look pretty straight forward and easy to follow. The parts are inexpensive and easy to find at any Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I think that the kids and I will try to make another rocket (maybe incorporating some of the suggestions listed on the sites) soon. I think that the building process will be almost as much fun, and give them a greater appreciation of how it all works.
Thanks again Jeff -- from all of us!
The original(?) plans can be found here on the This Old House site.
1 comment:
Woo Hoo I'm famous now!
Glad to hear that you and the kids are enjoying the launcher. It is hard to believe something so simple can be such a blast -- literally.
Jeff
: )
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