Kid’s Rockets

Launch Party

Posted in Kid's Rockets on July 18th, 2010 by cpeds – Be the first to comment

Yesterday was a good day out with the kids. All four kids launched rockets multiple times. Miranda and her friends were launching their Whatchamacallits plus Miranda also launched her Giggle Powered once. Matthew launched his “Steam Fly” Thing-a-ma-Jig a few times but didn’t choose to launch Amazon this time around.

It was very hot so we didn’t stay there all afternoon, but we all enjoyed the day very much.

Trying to watch all of the rockets at once I didn’t have much time for shooting photographs or videos, but I did get this video of Matthew’s Steam Fly launching on a C6-5.

Get the Flash Player to see this video.


And here it is again in 1/8 speed slow motion (I love this new video camera)…

Get the Flash Player to see this video.


Rocket Painting Party

Posted in Kid's Rockets on July 10th, 2010 by cpeds – Be the first to comment

Today the kids had a painting party with two of Miranda’s friends. They painted the rockets that they had built at their first rocket building party back in June.

We started by taking them to iParty to pick out stickers they’ll put on the rockets the day of the launch. Then we went to the hardware store and they picked out their spray paint. The trips from iParty to the hardware store and then back home were adventurous given that it was pouring out! We all got soaked. That did not bode well for the outdoor paint party, but a tarp on the garage floor solved the issue.

The rockets came out pretty well, especially given the kid’s ages (three of them are eight years old and one is four years old) and the fact that we did not do any sanding or priming.

TIP: As you can see in the photo, I like to put them at the end of a really long pole so that the kids don’t spray paint me when I’m holding the rockets. The poles can then rest in that little stand I whipped together while they dry. If you try this, make sure the poles can’t push the nosecone off. If the rocket has a thrust ring then using a pole wider than the opening in the thrust ring will work. Another option is to wrap a thick layer of tape around the pole to stop the rocket from sliding down it.
Painted Rockets

Kid’s First Rocket Building Party

Posted in Kid's Rockets on June 22nd, 2010 by cpeds – Be the first to comment

We had a little rocket building party at our place.  Miranda invited two of her friends over and the three of them and Matthew built rockets.  The three girls each built a FlisKits skill level 1 Whatchamacallit.  Matthew built the larger, but still skill level 1, Thing-a-ma-Jig.

Rockets built by Matthew, Miranda, and Miranda's friends[Rockets built by Matthew, Miranda, and Miranda’s friends]

The fins on these kits were interesting. Because of the way they interlock with each other it was very easy to align them properly and we didn’t need any sort of jig to hold them while they dried, though we did use a little tape to hold them together.

Overall the party went well.  Three eight year olds and a three year old are a little bit much for me to handle on my own for a build like this, but my wonderful wife helped out and it was a good afternoon.

We will have the girls over another day to paint the rockets. We’ll bring all the kids to the local hardware store and let them each pick a color. We’ll also take them to a store where they can buy stickers (I’m thinking iParty). When we get back to our home they’ll spray paint the rockets one color each. The morning of the launch they can put on the stickers.

TIP: If you attempt a childrens rocket building party, I strongly recommend you assemble one of the rockets once or twice before the party.  I had looked through the instructions and thought it looked fairly simple, but there were a few items I would have adjusted before hand to make it go smoother.  For example, we kept getting hung up on centering rings that were too tight.  Fiddling with those rings took some time and had to be done by me. I think the kids may have had more of a sense of accomplishment if I didn’t have to help as much during the build.
TIP: Attaching a streamer is much easier for a kid on their first rocket than a parachute. If their first kit comes with a parachute I suggest you buy a roll of party streamer, cut a piece 2 – 4 times as long as the rocket and use that instead of the parachute. Just tie the string to it using the sticky reinforcements just like you would attach a shroud line to a parachute. To roll it up, fold it in half twice then roll it. The Thing-a-ma-Jig came with a parachute, but I replaced it with a streamer. I did the same with the kid’s first rockets as well.

Kid’s First Launch

Posted in Kid's Rockets on May 24th, 2010 by cpeds – Be the first to comment

On May 22nd my two kids (3 and 8 years old) launched their first rockets.

Matthew built an Estes Amazon and Miranda built an Estes Crossfire ISX.  I let them each pick out one spray paint color at the local hardware store.  Matthew picked a horrible florescent green, but once that was sprayed onto the black rocket, it turned into a decent green.  Miranda picked a super glossy dark blue.

I originally planned to let them draw on the rockets with markers, but the marker didn’t stick to the glossy blue.  Even a Sharpie marker couldn’t touch it.  So we tried model paint.  That didn’t work out well either.  The glossy blue was just too slippery.  In the end I bought a bunch of stickers.  The kids had a blast covering their rockets with stickers.  Miranda just used a ton of smiley faces and named her rocket “Giggle Powered”.  Matthew used various stickers plus the original Amazon sticker that came with the kit.  He stuck with the name “Amazon”.

My kids with their first rockets
[Clicking the image will display a slideshow of photos from the day.]

Matthew’s Amazon flew six times on Estes C6-5s without incident.  Each flight was perfect with a nice slow lift-off and safe recovery.  On one flight it landed in some tall grass and took a few minutes to find, but we found it easily.

Get the Flash Player to see this video.

Miranda’s Giggle Powered on the other hand had a much more adventurous day.  The shock cord broke on the first flight.  The body landed without any recovery system attached, but it bounced on the grass and survived without damage.  I tied the shock cord together and it broke again on the second launch and the third.  Before the next one I added a long section to the shock cord. That did the trick.  This time it landed safely under the streamer.

TIP: Make your shock cord extra long. The longer it is the less stress you’ll place on the shock cord, body tube, and nose cone. If you are worried about it getting tangled, crochet it. Although that video demonstrates the technique using a crochet needle, I’ve done it by hand without any issue. Also, if the shock cord is still too long you can crochet it a second time, but that is riskier so be careful to make sure it will unwind correctly and won’t snag.

The fifth launch went without incident as well.  On the sixth launch it hit a wind gust and flew off course.  It went well into the trees and I thought it was gone forever.  I spent a while beating my way through the overgrowth and finally saw it hanging high in a tree.  However, the guys running the launch had a 30 foot pole with a hook at the top.  Using that I was able to bring the rocket back.  Despite all the broken shock cords and a crash into the trees Giggle Powered survived the day.

Despite launching on Estes B4-4s instead of the C6-5s Giggle Powered was still very fast and flew very high. Following it with the camera was next to impossible.

Get the Flash Player to see this video.


Each kid now has their rocket hanging on their bedroom wall.  They both enjoyed building and flying them.  It was a great experience for all of us.