Bottle Stomp Rockets

A 2-liter bottle and a pipe make a launcher that fires a paper rocket when a student lands on it with a two-foot jump. Students practice jumping and landing softly, sprinting to retrieve, and beating their own best mark.

How to play

1. Build it (8 min): the teacher brings the launchers (a 16-inch pipe taped into the bottle mouth). Each student rolls paper around the pipe, tapes it, closes the tip, and adds three fins.
2. Setup: 5 launchers in a line 10 feet apart, each pipe propped on a cone at 45 degrees toward the empty field, with cones every 5 yards.
3. Launch (10 min): groups of 5 line up behind each launcher. Load the rocket, call "Range clear!", jump onto the bottle with both feet, and land with bent knees.
4. The launcher runs for the rocket, notes the zone, and jogs back; the next student blows into the pipe to reinflate the bottle.
5. Accuracy challenge (5 min): place a big hoop in the 10-yard zone; adjust the angle and jump force to land the rocket inside.
6. Wrap-up (2 min): each student compares their best mark to their first one and explains what changed.

Rules

• Never aim at people: every pipe points at the empty field.
• Nobody goes out to retrieve until the teacher says "Go get them!"
• Only the student whose turn it is jumps on the bottle, with both feet.
• Safety: jump onto the bottle from the ground, never from a bench or step.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: squeezes the bottle with both hands from the wheelchair.
• Hearing impairment: pair the "Range clear" and "Go get them" calls with a flag.
• Fitness level: a student who prefers not to run measures and records distances.

Learning goals

• Jump with both feet and land with a controlled, soft landing.
• Adjust jump force to reach a distance or target.
• Set a personal goal and check for improvement.

Equipment for a class of 25

• recycled bottles: 10
• PVC pipes: 5
• scrap paper: 30
• masking tape: 4
• cones: 15

Teacher tip

Use soda bottles, which hold up best, and keep spares. If the pipe joint leaks air, the rocket won't fly.

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