Wild About Rockets - Wilder Elementary Students Launch Homemade Rockets
It was raining rockets on the playground at 
Wilder Elementary. As part of their study of space, the fourth graders built their own rockets out of nothing more than paper, tape and a little clay. But prior to putting on their rocket science hats, the students studied Newton’s Laws of Motion and experimented with inertia, friction and building some simple balloon-powered rockets in class. Last night’s homework was in the form of a challenge: Build a rocket that will fit around a piece of 1/2″ PVC pipe. Read more about the rocket launcher.
As an introduction to blogging, the fourth grade students were given the task of posting their first blog entry about their rocket launch experience. They were encouraged to write about their classroom experiences yesterday while studying Newton’s Laws of Motion (yes, they learned how to whip the tablecloth out from under the dishes) and today’s rocket launch. You can read their comments below.
When the phone rings, we never know quite what to expect. The phone rang and on the other end was a senior producer at the 
Houston, we have lift-off! Fifth graders from Mrs. Heaton’s class at Willow Creek Elementary invited me to participate in their annual paper rocket launch. The rockets were made from construction paper, tape and clay… that’s it. No engines or explosives in these rockets - the only fuel was 30 pounds of air pressure. I learned how to make the 
Camp for Educators in Huntsville, Alabama. The morning started with each student making their first launch. Some of the rocket designs were great while others just blew up on the launch pad. It was back to the drawing board as the students reanalyzed their designs, fixed the flaws and headed out for the second launch. The success rate for the second launch was well above 80%… and the young rocket engineers were amazed to see their success.
Soak a raw egg in vinegar and over the course of time, the vinegar will dissolve the eggshell. What you’re left with is the egg’s translucent membrane to protect the egg. Even though it’s a classic, I’ve never done this demo on the television show because it takes so long for the eggshell to dissolve in vinegar (about 7 days). But this year I had to try something new. What about substituting 3 molar hydrochloric acid for vinegar? The goal is to dissolve the calcium carbonate in the egg shell and 3M HCl should do the trick. The first attempt was a success, but I stumbled upon a great technique at the same time. Instead of doing the reaction in a beaker, I put the egg in a 1000 mL graduated flask and cover the egg with 150 mL of 3M HCl. This makes the reaction easy to see and very controllable. As the acid dissolves the egg, carbon dioxide gas is produced and a white foam of calcium chloride slowly rises in the cylinder. When the reaction is complete (you’ll see the …
