LOGAN – The Logan Library and Craft Lake City DIY combined efforts with children ages 2 years to 16 years at Willow Park on Wednesday, July 9, to teach kids how to build and launch a 2-liter plastic pop bottles.
They launched the rockets into the sky using compressed air and water.
Raylan Ternes pulls some tape to decorate his 2-liter bottle rocket on July 9, 2025.
Craft Lake City brought enough plastic 2-liter bottles for everyone who attended. Participants decorated the bottles with duct tape and stickers then stood in line for their turn at the launch pad. A small crowd of children and parents started to assemble as the guys from Craft Lake City were getting the tales and materials ready for the children.
Willow Park was a great location with grass, nearby trees and the Rotary Pavilion for shade.
Jeremy Johnson, a program administrator from the Salt Lake City-based organization, hooked up the air compressor hose to the launch pad and placed the rockets on it. A string was connected to the launch pad for the kids to pull to launch their rocket.
“We put 60 psi into the bottle to launch them,” he said. “We talk to the kids and ask them if too much or too little water can affect how high their rocket will go.”
Porter Ternes launches his rocket at Willow Park on July 9, 2025.
When the bottle had just the right amount of pressure, Johnson counted down from three to one and the participant pulled the string releasing the bottle into the sky.
The crowd oohed and awed as the rockets shot into the air with water shooting out of the bottom of them.
Andy Fletcher said the organization was linked to festivals and projects all over the state.
“This is my third rocket launch,” he said. “I’ve done one in Provo and Salt Lake before coming here.”
The 2-liter water-powered rocket compressed air as its propellant creates a force that propels the rocket upward.
Building and launching a 2-liter rocket bottle is an easy way to learn and understand the basic concepts of physics and engineering while having fun in the process.
Craft Lake City DYI brought 2-liter plastic bottles and decorating supplies for kids to launch rockets at Willow Park on July 9, 2025.
The water-rocket propelled bottles have significantly grown in popularity for educational settings.
Educators are using these rockets in other venues as a hands-on learning tool to teach students about physics, engineering, and the scientific method.
The simplicity and affordability of building and launching a plastic water rocket makes it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.