Summer Science Camp Day #1: Water Bottle Rockets

After exploding soda on day one of my week long science camp this summer, I gave the kids the task of building water bottle rockets out of empty two liter bottles.  I've discussed this on my blog in the past, so I won't go over the full procedure, but it's a simple procedure to build awesome water bottle rockets.  You can find this procedure here:

Building Water Bottle Rockets

The kids had a great time building the rockets, and in the process we talked about how to get the rockets to fly higher, mainly focusing on aerodynamics.  Having a nice nose cone to push the air to the side helps, as do sturdy fins and a rocket design that stands straight up and down without bending anywhere in the design.

Building the rockets was fun, but launching the rockets was the most fun!  Here's a video of one of the kids' rockets launching.  I apologize for not following the rocket in the air, but you get to see the launch.  Listen to the kids scream at the moment of launch!  LOL!  It's that excitement that makes these camps so worth it to teach.  What's better then getting kids excited about science?  I'll tell you.  Nothing!