Making Film Canister Rockets!

I was lucky enough to spend two days making rockets with children from all over Solihull this week.  A fantastic time was had by all with children from St Alphege Juniors (who were wonderful hosts), Widney Juniors (thank you for the pictures) and Sharmans Cross among others.

The year 4 students were asked to build film cannister rockets and got to launch them around the room.  We made a bit of a mess but that was a perfect use for the Phiz Lab that had been created using some money from the Ogden Trust.  If your school is not part of a local partnership then why not check out their website here and get the children from your school involved in some of the fantastic opportunities they offer.

If you wanted to give film canister rockets a go with your students then it is really simple – you just need some film canisters, water and effervescent vitamin C tablets (any cheap ones will work!).  Put some water in the canister (about 1/3rd full), add half a tablet then put the lid on and stand back!  This is best done outside to avoid making too much mess in the classroom (you have been warned).

I should be back at St Alphege Juniors in the summer term for some more fun and games with Year 1 classes – I can’t wait!

About the author: Matt Stanford

Matt has been working in education for 10 years, teaching science to all ages from preschool to degree. Before he became a teacher he studied chemistry at Masters level and completed his PhD at The University of Warwick. It was during his time at university that he got involved in outreach work in local primary schools and found his passion for inspiring learning.