WVMS science students help Park Avenue kindergartners make and launch straw rockets
Warwick Valley Middle School students in Mrs. Waters seventh-grade science class collaborated with kindergarteners in Mrs. Canfield's class at Park Avenue Elementary School to build straw rockets on June 16, 2025. The middle school students told the kindergarteners about lab safety and the design process needed to build the rockets that students would launch.
The kindergarten students heard from various seventh graders about lab safety (each student was presented with their own pair of lab safety goggles), and the design process involved in creating their straw rockets - complete with clay nose, and paper fins (2-4 total).
The students had trial launches indoors and then pairs of kindergarteners and seventh-graders made changes as necessary to improve their flight distance. Then everyone went outside for their final launches and to measure the distance of the rockets that traveled the furthest.
"The record of 68 feet beat the seventh-grade students’ record of 56 feet - we have a new reigning champion and he is only in kindergarten," Mrs. Waters said. "The students all had fun and the seventh-grade students learned patience, communication and collaboration important for successful team work. A great afternoon was had by all!"
WVMS medals were awarded to the top three kindergarten students whose rockets that traveled the furthest distance and a science kit was given to each participant to inspire science curiosity, creativity, and careful observation - a magnifying glass, a notebook and pencil, science stickers, and Play-Doh. .