The two senior classess, Year 5-6 and Year 7-8 participated in the Wonder Rocket Challenge project.

We would like to thank Powerco for allowing their graduate engineer Josh to visit us and be our project ambassador supporting us in our Rocket Challenge learning journey. We also would like to thank the Wonder Project team for providing the resources and support that made our learning so much fun. 

The Rocket Challenge is part of the Wonder Project programme. The students learned to use STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to answer a big question. The question for the Rocket Challenge was “I wonder how rockets fly?” 

The students learned the different aspects of the Engineering Design Process where they respond to a question and come up with an answer. They imagined the features the rocket should have and created a prototype. Finally they tested and improved their prototype to come up with a final model to launch that will fly higher and further. During the testing of the prototype, students could only change one variable at a time i.e. weight distribution, fin design or optimal water level.

Testing and modifying the rocket design required perseverance, patience and resilience.  Launching the rockets using a launcher and bike pump taught the students about air pressure inside the rockets and the force of thrust as the rocket lifted off. During the rocket challenge, the students also learned about Newton’s Laws of Motion. These laws were:

•  an object will remain at rest or in motion in the same direction until another force acts upon it;

•  for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, like if you throw a ball against a brick wall it   will bounce back at you;

•  and the larger the mass of an object, the more force is needed to move it.

The students also learned about the forces that act upon a rocket once it has been launched… the forces of lift, drag, thrust and weight.