Water Rocket Launcher for Science Fun #makereducation
This project tutorial from educator Mccay on instructables is great for a classroom project, especially as the weather gets nice out! Water rocket launcher activities are always a fun time and this tutorial is designed by teachers, for teachers.
Last year (2013/14), I taught 2nd grade science at IDEA Allan Academy in Austin Texas. When I was handed the assignment, I wanted to do more than lecture and provide worksheets for the subject. Science, like most subjects had to be taught with hands on examples where students would gain more from personal experiences rather than filling out multiple choice answer sheets. As a year-end project, I offered the grade an opportunity to construct water rockets (was a very big hit school wide) and for a selected few, a chance to hold the title of Flight Engineer.
Water Rocket Launcher
As a teacher, I strongly believe that science has to contain an element of fun to keep kids engaged and inspire them to pursue sciences as adults. Many water rocket launchers (WRL) emphasize safety as part of the launching protocols. Typically this means that the kid launching the rocket holds a string to the launcher at a safe (and dry) distance from the launcher. (Blah! – that’s no fun).
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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!