By Simran, Kiran, and Svara Jayasinghe
A few months ago, we bought something called a Tinker Crate. The company that makes it, Kiwi Crate, sends you a box of materials for a science project each month. We were really excited to get our first box , because the experiments sounded like fun. The Tinker Crate is one of the items that the company sells. They also have other crates, such as Doodle Crates, Kiwi Crates, and Koala Crates. Take a look at them at kiwico.com.
In the Tinker Crate, there are instructions and the material needed for the main science experiment. The Crate also has a magazine inside. The magazine includes several additional experimental ideas, and materials for two of these other experiments are included in the box as well.
In June, the experiment was to build a bottle rocket. We built the rocket, made a launch mixture, and launched the rocket! The bottle rocket used a small chemical reaction to fly upwards.
It took a few tries to launch the rocket properly, and to get the hang of launching it. Our tips: Hold the rocket tightly against the cork on the launcher so that none of the gas inside the rocket can escape. Make sure that the launcher is on the ground before you let go of the rocket. Otherwise, the launcher will get ejected out of the rocket, instead of the rocket flying off the launcher. Once the launcher is firmly on the ground, let go of the rocket. Try adding extra water and more launch mixture to the rocket for a better blast off.
We can’t wait to see what comes in the Tinker Crate next month!