Engineering Learners Launch Bottle Rockets

Mr. Patch's Intro to Engineering class took advantage of the beautiful fall weather to try their hand at building and launching bottle rockets outside. The class spent the last few weeks learning about the principles that would make their rocket launch successful. The young engineers were asked to not only build and launch a rocket made of recycled soda bottles, but to also launch an egg with the rocket, and ensure the egg doesn't crack. Many learners built parachutes and casings for their egg, utilizing many different household materials, such as tape, bubble wrap, popsicle sticks, and more. Ana, a junior, reflected,

The hardest part is getting the pressure to come out, but I like seeing how high we can get it to go. 

Her classmate, Jenna, added,

The hardest part for me is having to try so many different things. It's fun to see how different each rocket works.

The learners were given basic instructions, but Mr. Patch left creativity, problem solving, and design up to the students, giving the classic engineering project and even deeper objective.