PACK/DEN ACTIVITIES
Mini Rocket Racers
Heart of America Council
This is
an alternative to the rocket racers supplied by the B.S.A. The race track is
thin string or fishing line strung between two points. The race vehicles are
paper cones, threaded onto that line. The power is supplied by the Scouts
blowing into the open end of the cone to the finish line. You may choose to
make your own, or use the disposable drinking cup cones that can be purchased
from retail stores. This activity can have the Scouts make and decorate (with
magic markers) their cones right at the pack meeting or ahead of time. This
activity is simple but filled with fun and adventure.
The Rocket
National Capital Area Council
Threading a straw with a launch line makes the rocket.
Leader blows up a long balloon. He attaches it to the straw with tape. The Cub
then goes to the other end of the launch area and waits by his parent.
Cubmaster then attaches the award to the balloon and releases the balloon. It
rockets to the parent for the award to be given to the Cub.
To Make An
Alien Head
National Capital Area Council
Materials: 1-2 yards green fabric, 1-1 1/2
feet elastic, green thread, needle, plastic bags
Directions: Cut out a large circle of green
fabric. The larger you want the head, the bigger the circle. Then, hem the
ends of the fabric, but leave enough space to get the elastic through. Then,
when you are done hemming, pull the elastic through the space in the hem. When
the elastic is through, connect both ends together with the thread. Stuff your
head with plastic bags to make it stand up, put it on your head (tuck your
hair under), and you're ready to go
Rocket Ship
Bank
York Adams Area Council
Need:
•
Potato chip can
•
Colored or contact paper
•
Glue
•
4 Craft Sticks or Tongue Depressors
Directions:
Remove the corrugated paper on the inside of the can. Cover the outside with
colored paper. Invert the can so the plastic lid is on the bottom of the
rocket for easy removal of the money. For the nose cone, cut a 2½” diameter
circle of colored paper; remove a pie-shaped wedge. Overlap and glue the ends
to form a cone. Glue the cone to the top of the rocket. Cut a coin slot just
below the nose cone. For fins, cut three vertical slits near the bottom of the
rocket, insert and glue a popsicle stick into each. Cover each fin with
colored paper that is cut a little wider than the popsicle stick and glue in
place.
Soda Bottle Rockets
by Mike Passerotti
York Adams Area Council
http://home.integrityonline.com/passerotti/soda_bottle_rocket/soda_bottle_rocket.html
[Editor’s Note: This is
a fun craft that our Pack has used off and on for years.]
Materials
•
2 soda bottles
•
Card stock printed pattern
•
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
•
Tape
•
Glue
•
Scissors
•
Water
•
Wood block approximately 4" long piece of "2 by 4"
lumber
•
One wood screw
•
One rubber automotive valve stem
•
Bicycle tire pump
Preparation: Review and prepare materials. Build
the launch pad by cutting 2 1/2" off the cap end of the bottle, cut a 3/8"
slot down one side of the bottle for the tire pump hose, drill or punch a hole
in the bottom of the bottle, screw the bottle to the block of wood.
Construction
Print the patterns. Cut the fins out. Cut the nose cone
out.
Roll and tape the nose cone. Tape the nose cone to the
bottom of the whole soda bottle.
Fold the fins at all the
dotted lines. Glue or tape two of the fins together. Wrap the fins around the
middle of the whole soda bottle and glue or tape the last fin together.
Launch Time: This is an outdoor activity. If
gusty winds are a problem, then abort the launch. Everyone should stand away
from rockets when they are on the launch pad. These rockets can shoot 100 feet
or more into the air. No sharp objects should be placed on top of the nose
cone or elsewhere on the rocket.
Fill the soda bottle a
little less than half way with water. Shove the large end of the tire valve
stem into the neck of the bottle. Attach the bicycle pump hose to the valve
stem. Lower the bottle into the launch pad so that the hose slides down into
the slot, the valve stem points down and the bottle rests on top of the cut
bottle.
Inexpensive Launch Pad
Pump up the bottle until it pops off the valve stem and
flies to new heights.
Wrap-Up: One way to record the results of
different "fuel" mixtures is to make a simple graph of height vs. amount of
water. Such a graph gives a clear, visual record of the observations and can
be used as evidence to support interpretations.
Design And Launch Other Rockets. Design a
two-stage rocket. Design recovery mechanisms such as parachute, ribbon or
propeller.
Rocket In Space Slide
Debbie Kalpowsky
York Adams Area Council
Materials:
•
1 to 1½-inch disks
•
Black or dark blue paint
•
Glitter or glow-in-the-dark paint
•
1-inch miniature rocket models (white preferred)
•
¾-inch PVC slide rings
Equipment:
•
Hot glue
•
Small paint brushes
•
Old toothbrushes
•
Craft sticks
Directions:
1.
Paint front of disk with black or dark blue paint.
2.
If using glitter for stars in background, when
paint is slightly tacky sparingly sprinkle glitter on disk.
3.
If using glow-in-the-dark paint, wait until black
paint is dry. Pour a little bit of glow-in-the-dark paint into a small lid or
on a small paper plate.
4.
Dab toothbrush into paint to get just a little on
the bristles. Pointing the business end of the toothbrush away from you and
at the painted disk and with bristles pointing up, scrape the craft stick
across the bristles so that the bristles “splatter” the paint onto the disk.
5.
When all paint is completely dry, use hot glue to
mount the spaceship/rocket on the disk, as if in flight.
Mount the slide ring to back of disk using hot glue.
Model Rocketry
York Adams Area Council
Our Pack has done Model Rocketry as an activity at some
of our Family Days. The boys (and all those Born-Again Rocketeers [BARs])
just love it. Why not find some BAR who can take the Den for an outing with
model rocketry?
1. Keep the first trips to the flying field short. Kids
have a limited attention span and can become bored very quickly. When they
begin to show signs of losing interest, it's time to go.
2. Prep a few rockets in advance to keep "down time" at a
minimum for the first trips. Get everything set except the parachute. This
should always be packed just prior to launch for reliable deployment.
3. Kids hate to lose things, including rockets. Kids will
be much happier if you have a successful launch and recovery with an "A" or
"B" motor from 500' than if you stuff the biggest motor a rocket can handle
and punch it up over 1000' and never see it again. We enjoy watching the whole
flight sequence take place.
4. Involve the kids in building the rockets. This can be
as simple as handing you parts or helping to assemble the parachute. This
gives the kids a feeling of ownership. They want to fly "their" rocket. Estes
E2X kits require very basic modeling skills and a minimum amount of time to go
from box to the launch and are a good choice for first rocket projects. I
built our MK-109 E2X kit in 20 minutes.
5. Build a variety of rockets. Let the kids help to pick
out some of the kits. Build some "different" rockets, not just 3 fins and a
nosecone. Try a 2 stage rocket, a boost glider or exotic sci-fi kit. Try a
streamer or helicopter recovery instead of just parachutes. Try an egglofter
to see if you can launch and recover a raw egg without breaking it.
6. Teach the kids all about the flight. Explain the
reasons for things that happen. Encourage questions and discussion. Brian has
developed an incredible interest in rocketry, space and science. I believe a
large part of this is due to our rocketry.
7. Teach and practice safety! Always stress the
importance of safety. The adult should be in control of the safety key at all
times. Never allow anyone to approach the pad while the controller is armed.
The National Association of Rocketry Safety Code is packed with all model
rocketry products. Learn it and follow it!
Southern Pennsylvania Area Association of Rocketry
http://users.supernet.com/pages/feveryear/spaar/index.htm
C. Glenn Feveryear
701 Main Street
Delta PA 17314-8940
(717) 456-5570
http://www.estesrockets.com/rocketry101/rocketry101.cfm
Visit
Smithsonian Institute’s National Air And Space Museum
York Adams Area Council
The Museum is open every day except Dec. 25.
General Admission is Free.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/visit/visit.htm
The National Air and Space Museum is located on the
National Mall at 7th and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., just west
of the Capitol building. The closest metro stations are L'Enfant Plaza or
Smithsonian. Information is available on Special Services for disabled
visitors.
For information on visiting the Smithsonian and
Washington, D.C. including maps, access and other tourist information, please
see the online guide to Planning Your Smithsonian Visit. (The National Park
Service also offers a digital version of their map of Washington, The Nation's
Capital.)
For more information on all tour descriptions and special
tours, programs, science demonstrations, or to make reservations, call the
Tours and Reservations Office at (202) 357-1400.
Recycled
Rockets (Take-off on Recycled Genius Kits)
York Adams Area Council
Ever have the boys make Genius Kit Creations? These
are fantastic inventions of the uncluttered imagination—best done by the young
and young at heart. You can use the same approach for holding a Recycled
Rocket Contest—just change the Kit Contents. Here are the Rules we use for
the Genius Kit Contest we hold periodically:
Genius Kit
Contest Rules And Regulations
•
Each boy who participates must have a great
time doing it!
•
Each boy will receive a Genius Kit. The kit
contains the only materials the Genius Cub is allowed to use in creating his
Genius Work, with one exception: Glue can be used to construct the Genius
Work. [Screws, nails, tacks, tape, etc., unless provided as part of the
Genius Kit, are not allowed.]
•
The Genius Cub does not have to use all items in
his Genius Kit, but it will be a consideration in some of the judging.
•
Materials in the Genius Kit can be modified, but
no additional material can be added to what is in the kit.
•
The Genius Work cannot have the Genius Cub’s name
in view (but the name can be on the bottom of the base plate).
•
The Genius Work must be completed by the January
Pack Meeting and it must be registered at the Pack Meeting before the judging
begins.
•
At registration, each Genius Cub will sign in on a
numbered list. The number is the Genius Cub’s registration number. He will
receive a sticker with the registration number on it. He must place the
number on the Genius Work and then put the Genius Work on the judging table.
•
Judging will begin promptly at ? p.m. (unless
judges are late getting there). Judging categories will be areas like:
•
Most Intricate, Most Ingenious, Most Life-Like,
Most Inventive, Most Unbelievable, etc.
•
Ribbons will be given out to the award winners.
All Genius Cubs will also receive a frame able Certificate of Genius Work for
participating.
Water
Rocket Trails
York Adams Area Council
It’s only September and
it’s not too cold out yet. Consider holding a Water Rockets event. Water
rockets are great fun for the boys. To make them, you will need to collect a
bunch of 2-liter soda bottles, make fins (see diagram) and then get together
several launch pads, using tire pumps, sports ball needles, and rubber corks.
Push the needle through
the cork and attach the needle to the tire pump.
Fill a rocket about 1/3
full of water and plug a cork into the opening.
Stand the rocket upright
(upside down) with the tire pump nearby to pressurize the bottle. (The
rockets will stand on their own on the tips of the fins.)
Have the Cub or an adult pump the pump until liftoff.
Paper Towel Rockets
York Adams Area Council
Save enough empty paper
rolls for the den rockets. Glue fins to base and a cone of construction paper
to the top of it. Paint with wild colors or cover with wild-colored wrapping
paper.
