I've been playing with water rockets — or as we call them bottle rockets — for as many years as I can remember and when my children reach the right age we will be getting a kit so they can see science working in the real world.
Water rockets are a cheap and thoroughly enjoyable way for kids to get into science, and to generally have lots of fun with water pressure. We got ourselves drenched testing out some of our favorites, so take a look and see which suits you best.
Note: It's worth mentioning that almost all of the kits here will require a bicycle pump to get working correctly.
4M 4605 Water Rocket Kit
Everything you need to blast off
This kit from 4M has everything you need to get started on your water rocket adventure. Though you can use a standard soda bottle, it does come with a bottle to get you started that can fly up to 90 feet if you build the pressure right!
StratoFins Screw-on Water Rocket Fins
Just the fins ma'am
Not everyone needs a full kit to make a bottle rocket. These fins are perfect if you already have a launcher and you just want to make your rocket fly a little better. They are easy to attach to almost any bottle and will help make your bottle more aerodynamic.
AquaPod Water Bottle Rocket Launcher
You can launch it from a distance
The AquaPod Water Bottle Rocket Launcher is a more comprehensive kit than the previous ones. The launcher itself has valves to allow you to apply just the right amount of pressure and hold that pressure until you are a safe distance away. Then, you simply pull the cord to launch your rocket up to 100 feet in the air!
Ginormous Water Powered Rocket
150 feet of blasting power
This giant inflatable rocket is already seven feet tall before it takes off! There is a lot of fun to be had here with a giant rocket that can launch up to 150 feet in the air, but be careful; you'll need lots of room to launch this bad boy.
Relationshipware StratoLauncher IV
A complex setup
The Stratolauncher is something a little more permanent then some of the kits you might have seen. This kit has a platform with valves that can build up to 125 psi and can launch your bottle with such force you need to make a nose cone to keep it steady in flight. It's a little expensive, but
Wooooooosh
Water rockets are a lot of fun and they can teach children a lot of science around pressure, but can also teach trajectory and velocity too. They can also teach kids not to stand too close or they will get wet!
The best value for money comes from this 4M water rocket set. It isn't as hardcore as the Relationshipware StratoLauncher IV but it is a reasonable price and comes with everything except the pump. It has a bottle to get you started.
While a lot of these rockets can be fired in your local neighborhood I would recommend heading out to your local field or large park where you can fire them without risk of losing them in the trees, or your neighbor's roof.
