Rocketry Planet

GREEN, Ohio USA — Children and parents had their eyes on the sky June 26 as they gathered at Green High School to watch model rockets soar during a program sponsored by the Green Family YMCA.

Photos: Joyce Rainey Long.

Don Davidson, of Green, a retired Akron firefighter and pilot, taught a week-long class to four students ages 10 to 13 at the YMCA. They learned about rocketry, aerodynamics and math, according to Davidson.

The students built their own rockets during the week, watched them soar 300 to 400 feet and calculated the speed and altitude of their launches.

Davidson is shown at right top talking to a group of children about how model rockets work.

In another class, 10 children younger than 10 learned about rocketry along with their parents in a morning session. They made rocket egg pods with raw eggs they decorated with markers. The egg pod rockets soared about 200 feet, and only two eggs broke in the 14 launches, according to Davidson.

Shown at right bottom is 13-year-old volunteer Christian Lamielle, of Green, helping 6-year-old Madeline Fitzgerald, of New Franklin, with her egg pod. Christian was one of 14 volunteers to assist with the rocket launches.

Lori Lautenschlager, executive director of the Green Family YMCA, said this was the first time rocketry classes were offered at the facility and the site hopes to offer the classes again.

"It’s great to expose kids to math and science," said Lautenschlager. "This is also a summer activity both parents and children can be involved in.

A group of children is shown at left watching one of the successful launches along with Davidson.

"They learned how to have fun with math, which is one of the most important subjects they will have to use for the rest of their lives," said Davidson, who added that model rocketry can be an inexpensive hobby entire families can enjoy.

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