Groups work together to tackle the challenge of firing an egg onto a landing area without breaking it. They must present, design and build their rocket before competing against other teams. The team that lands their egg closest to the landing area, wins the challenge.
Equipment Required:
- Egg/s (depending on the number of teams)
- Pen & large piece of paper
- Landing area (create a circle with a rope, bungee cord or hulahoop)
- For launch, you require: cork and bicycle pump
- Materials to protect the egg (2 x plastic cups, roll of sellotape, newspaper)
Space Required: Large outdoor area to carry out the ‘practice‘ & the ‘final firing’
Group Size: Teams of 6 to 12 ideally.
Total Time:Â 60Â minutes
- 5 minutes to brief and set up
- 30 minutes to design, building and practice
- 10 minutes for presentations
- 10 minutes final firing (with other groups present)
- 5 minutes to review and debrief
Egg Escape Rocket Team Challenge Instructions
Organise the group into smaller sub-teams (between 6-12).  The challenge is to launch an egg to the landing area using the equipment provided, ensuring that it lands unharmed. They have just 30 minutes (which has already begun!) to design, make and practice ready for the launch. The team that both protects their egg and lands the closest to the landing area wins the challenge.
Set each group off to start the construction. Suggest to each team that they should work in smaller sub-teams to begin with to generate ideas for the build and then select the best design.
When the time is up, get all the groups together and begin the presentations. Each team must present their egg rocket to the other groups and explain how they come up with the idea and why their rocket is the best.
Once the presentations are done, it is now time to begin the launch. Here are some key safety points to include:
- Be aware of other teams when operating in or near the launch area
- Do not cross the marked safety line whilst rockets are being launched
Final Launch
Instructions on how to launch the Egg Escape Rocket –
- Make sure the launch area is clear of others
- Fill the bottle with water to desired level
- Connect the bottle to the tail fin
- Position the rocket on the launch pad
- Connect the air tube to the bicycle pump
- Pump away …
-  .… watch the rocket fly
The group that SAFELY (in one piece!) lands their egg closest to landing area is declared the winner.
For a step by step overview on how to build an air rocket visit this well explained wikiHow article. For more articles on the build of the rocket, just type ‘bottle rocket’ in google for explainer videos and tutorials.
Suggested Learning Outcomes
- Cooperation
- Creative thinking
- Planning
- Teamwork
- Time management
Reviewing and de-briefing
- How would you say you worked as a team?
- Who led the team during the challenge? Did you have more than one leader?
- How did you come up with the design? Did everyone agree with the design?
- If you had to do something differently next time, what would you do?
- How did you manage your time effectively?
