Last week we were sent a Great Gismos 4m Green Science, Green Rocket kit to try out with the boys. The older two boys were so excited when they came home from school to find the kit waiting for them. I knew it would be a hit with them as Luc and especially Trystan are very interested in making things and finding out how they work at present.
I let them have a read of the instructions to find out if we needed anything in addition to the contents of the kit so that they would be able to get on and make the rocket. They quickly discovered we needed two empty plastic drinks bottles. Trystan went off to have a look to see if we had any, he discovered we only had one that was suitable so I promised to go and buy another bottle of pop as a treat so that they would have the two bottles required.
Yesterday we finally had the second bottle we needed and were able to get on and build the green rocket. So yesterday evening while dinner was cooking the older two set about following the instructions to build the rocket.
The instructions were really easy to follow and had diagrams to refer to as well as the steps clearly set out. The boys managed really well to follow them and the only help I needed to give was to help tighten the screws.
Rowan and Erin watched with great interest as the rockets took shape, Rowan kept asking if he could have a turn launching a rocket too. Between the two boys the whole assembly took about 20 minutes to do which is just long enough to hold the boys attention without them getting bored at the moment.
Once ready we headed out on to the patio where I helped fill the launch station bottle to stop it from falling over. Excitedly the boys took it in turns to launch their rockets across the garden trying to see who’s would go the furthest. Even the chickens came over to watch the action.
While I finished getting dinner ready the boys and Erin who watched the fun from the back door, spent a good twenty minutes playing with the rocket, trying to find the perfect position to help the rockets travel further. It was the perfect activity for after school and helped burn off some of their energy as they took it in turns to retrieve their rockets from the bottom of the garden.
When dinner was ready the boys decided they wanted to put the green rocket safe so that they could use it again at the weekend and stored it safely in the garage. The conversation over dinner was rocket focused of course and we chatted about how real aeroplanes have to carry fuel when they fly and how they manage it. They certainly enjoyed building and using the green rocket. I’ve suggested we take it to one of the local beaches or even the local rugby field where there is more space to fire the rockets to see if they can get them to travel further. So fingers crossed for some dry weather over the Easter holidays so we can do just that.
The Great Gismos 4m Green Science – Green Rocket kit costs £12.95 which I think is a reasonable price for a science kit like this. The Green Rocket kit is suitable for children aged 8 years plus which is about right. Luc and Trystan are 9 and 8 years old and they managed to use the kit without help apart from tightening the screws. Rowan however at four would really struggle and due to the small and fiddly parts would need a lot of help. He did however have a lot of fun trying to launch the rockets with his brothers. For more information or to buy your own Green Rocket Kit please visit here
No chickens were harmed in the process of launching the rockets!
Disclaimer – we were sent the Great Gismos 4m Green Science, Green Rocket kit for the purpose of this post. The content of the post is 100% my own.