Curriculum links:
- Physics – forces and gravity
- Maths – Trigonometry and Angles
- Geography – Earth and Space
Learning objectives:
- Energy and Forces
- Mathematics
- Making foam rockets!
Materials:
- Foam rockets (instructions on making the foam rocket can be found on http://www.primaryscience.ie)
- Meter stick
- Quadrant Tool
Safety:
- Smaller children may need help firing the foam rockets, or may find themselves more stable sitting down.
- Make sure children are not in the flight path.
Instructions:
The design process is not included in this resource but can be found on http://www.primaryscience.ie
Theory: 5 mins
Ask the children if what they know about rockets, what we use them for, how they fly…etc. Ask them what will happen if we kick a ball straight up into the air, where will it land. Is angle important if we want to kick a ball high? (most children will have the basic concepts of right angles at least). Asking trigger questions and getting the children to predict outcomes improves their scientific thinking.
Activity: 20 mins
First, demonstrate the experiment to the children. Make sure the quadrant is secured to the middle of the meter stick. When the meter stick is titled the quadrant will indicate the corresponding angle. Take the foam rocket and loop the rubber band around the end of the stick, pull it back and ask the children to make a note of the distance and the angle on the quadrant. Launch the rocket! Ask the children about the shape of the rockets path and explain the thrust of the band sent it up into the air before gravity pulled it back down.
Hand the equipment to the children in pairs. One will make note of measurements while the other launches. Ask them to try and find the best angle for launching the rocket (usually around 45°). Joke about how you send foam rockets to space all the time this way!
Reflection: 5 mins
Tell the children things that are sent into the air with no power of their own are called projectiles (footballs, foam rockets, ANGRY BIRDS!), and without power gravity pulls them back to the earth, this is why planes and rockets have fuel to keep them up. Ask the children now if angles play an important role in projectile motion. Ask what we could do to improve the rocket (shape, better rubber bands, different materials).
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