Hobbies And Interests
Decoration Contest
This idea works best if a number of people are creating or have created their own water rockets. You can provide a variety of decorating materials such as streamers, construction paper, decals, stickers and tempera paint. Set a time limit and let each person decorate his rocket however he wants. At the end of the time limit, let the contestants or a few judges award silly prizes like Most Aggressive Flames, Most Likely To Explode, Prettiest Rocket, and so on. Celebrate the contest results by letting the contestants launch their rockets.
Design Contest
This idea offers measurable goals for those who want a more serious intellectual challenge. Choose one or more categories for water rocket designers to compete in, such as longest time in the air or longest horizontal flight. Set the parameters of the contest, like how much time designers have to create their rockets and what materials they may use, then let contestants create and fly their rockets for judging. This sort of contest can range from a very casual, even silly, event to a well-organized contest among serious hobbyists.
Parachutes
You can form a parachute for your water rocket out of a large sheet of plastic cut from a garbage bag. Cut a circle about 10 to 20 inches in diameter to fit a water rocket made out of a 2-liter bottle. A hole in the center of the parachute will increase stability; and the right size depends on wind speed, the rocket's weight and peak flight altitude. Tape eight lengths of kite string around the circumference of the parachute, tie them together and use another piece of string to attach everything to the nose of your rocket.
Drop-Away Boosters
Boosters are essentially smaller side-rockets that push the main rocket higher and faster, then fall away to keep from creating extra drag. You can create boosters by attaching rings or tubes to the sides of the main rocket, then creating smaller booster rockets with pins or hooks that point upward and can easily slide in and out of the rings. The boosters should have equal pressure with each other and higher pressure than the main rocket. The boosters will push the rocket higher until they run out of water, when they will fall out of the rings as the main rocket continues to accelerate.