This fall, Liz Bard, a part-time CMEE Educator and graduate student at Long Island
University was assigned to observe an education program at CMEE as part of her
“Education Research” class. She evaluated the interaction of children participating in
CMEE’s Rocket Day, which took place this past October 12. We wanted to share her
report with you Background
Rocket Day is designed to engage families in science play by building and launching
rockets made from various materials. On October 12, the event drew over 200 families
and their children aged of 2 through 11, including CMEE Members, local residents of the
community, and families enrolled in the Head Start program at CMEE.
During the beginning of the program, children made simple rockets with construction
paper. They rolled the paper around PVC pipe, and folded the tail according to
instructions with help from volunteers. They were able to attach these rockets to tubes
attached to a two-liter soda bottle. Each child launched her or his “stomp rocket” by
stomping on the soda bottle, which would propel the paper rocket into air.
Later during the event, all attendees gathered in the Museum Amphitheater in order to
launch a larger rocket together, which was made out of a large soda bottle. CMEE staff
enlisted the help of children to launch the rocket by allowing them to take turns pumping
the attached bike pump to "100 PSI", or pounds per square inch. The staff defined the
term for the audience and explained how the pressure acted upon the inside of the soda
bottle. When the gauge reached 100 PSI, children pulled a string, which released the
bottle and it rocketed high into the air.
CMEE staff essentially modeled the play activity that children were given an opportunity
subsequently to explore on their own. Children dispersed into groups and were given an
opportunity to launch their own rockets made from two-liter soda bottles.
Data Collection and Observations
I participated as an observer and a volunteer in the event. After recording a large portion
of my group's activity, I was able to review it in order to take notes on children's
experiences and discoveries. First, the launching mechanism for the soda bottle rockets
was designed by CMEE staff member; a bike pump with a gauge connected to a PVC
pipe, and attached to another pipe with an elbow piece. The pipes had a wooden base.
Soda bottles were placed on the top end of the PVC pipes and secured by a "collar," or a
small circular piece of pipe lined with twist ties to secure the soda bottle. There was string
attached to the collar in order to pull to release the rocket.
Children were able to pump the bike pump themselves and read the gauge in order to
determine when they should release the rocket. I started observing a group with about 20
children, both boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 11. Children seemed excited by
the initial opportunity to launch the rocket themselves, and they took turns pumping and
pulling the string. Children were monitored by volunteers, but volunteers did not interfere
with the explorations; volunteers assisted as peace keepers among the children meaning
that they made sure children were not fighting over the rockets, and taking turns
respectively.
After launching the rocket a dozen times, most of the children wandered away, leaving a
smaller group of four boys remaining. Ranging in age from 2 to 6 ½, they continued to
engage in rocket play for just under an hour. The two older boys exhibited an
understanding of the launching mechanism after an extended period of experimentation.
The boys were attempting to reach 100 PSI on the gauge, but the rocket consistently flew
off the launching mechanisms before they could reach their goal. Through conversation
and experimentation the boys realized that the rocket used in the demonstration was
twice the size of their rocket, and therefore, could contain twice the amount of air. The
older boys proceeded to instruct the younger boys to pump to 50 PSI instead. They also
attempted to launch their paper rockets, but realized that the paper rockets could not hold
enough air to launch them a substantial distance. Over time, the boys began to manually
adjust the launcher and the rocket. Again, an older boy who was 6 ½ realized that the
soda bottle became firmer as they pumped more air into it. Eventually, the boys did not
use the gauge, and one boy was designated to touch the rocket to see if it was "ready" to
launch. In addition to the gauge, the boys also stopped using the string. Instead, they
manually pulled down the collar used to secure the bottle to launch the rockets. When the
bottle did not launch or did not feel as if it was inflating with air, and the boys realized that
if a twist tie, which was attached to the collar, was bent when they initially secured the
rocket, it would not launch, and they began correcting the problem. The older boys
eventually began discussing how they could reconstruct this at home. They were able to
identify key elements such as: wooden base, two pipes, "a connector for the two pipes",
and pins to secure the string. Directions on how to create your own soda bottle rocket
launcher are on CMEE’s website.
While the older boys demonstrated an understanding of the science and vocabulary
associated with the program, the two younger boys did not speak much. The youngest
who was 2 years old, took on the role of pumping the bike pump repeatedly during
experimentation. He showed interest in the experiment for about half of an hour. His
father was also instrumental in the learning process, posing questions to all the boys,
such as, "What would happen with less air?" or "What would happen if leaves were inside
the bottle?" After each launch, one of the younger boys assumed the role as the retriever
for the group; he constantly ran to collect the launched soda bottles. While he was
running to collect the bottles, the older boys had longer time to explore the launching
mechanism. For the final launch, the father asked what would happen if they filled the
bottle with water. Eager to find out, the boys they filled the bottle with water and launched
the rocket. Not surprisingly, all of them wound up soaked!
None of these boys knew each other before the activity, yet they all exhibited patience
and companionship towards each other. Parents began talking with one another, as well.
Two of the four boys registered for the upcoming PLAY science class after the event.