Annual Family Picnic and Water Bottle Rocket Launch!

This is also the last pack meeting of the year.

This event is held on June 12 from 5:00 ’till dark in the field behind Aquinas Academy at St Philomena’s.  All scouts and their immediate families are invited.  It is a friendly competition.  There are no trophies or recognitions given, just fun to be had!

Make sure you bring your water bottle rocket, and any picnic gear (lawn chairs, blanket, bug spray, etc).

Refer to the document that explains how to build a rocket. We have fun with it but don’t guarantee even a plain soda bottle will fly. In years past we have relied heavily on the volunteerism of the Timber Wolf parents to pitch in with set up, cooking, and clean up.

Launch Day

3:30 –  5:00      Set up.  We need a minimum of 6 adults.

5:00                   Pack meeting starts.  Scouts, look sharp in your Class A uniforms, then dress down to Class B for the rocket launch.

5:30 –  7:00      The Cooking Crew (a simple menu of cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs will be offered).  We need 5 adults for this activity.  This group will also be responsible for cleaning the cooking equipment and trash collection.

7:00 +             Cleanup.  Although we hope everyone will stay to help put everything away we need a minimum of 6 adults to take charge of this activity.

Launch Clinic to build Rockets

We conduct a clinic (regular den meeting) to help your son build his bottle rocket for the June bottle rocket launch/picnic/year end pack meeting.

Here is what you need to build a rocket

  • 2 – 2 liter soda bottles(you may want to bring an extra just in case!).  These bottles should ideally have smooth not tapered side.  Bottles should be clean and dry.
  • 1 – roll of duct tape.  This will be used to wrap your bottles, so I recommend buying a roll  with a color or design that your son likes.
  • 1 – scissors to cut the bottles and tape
  • Semi rigid plastic or heavy card board to use to make the rocket fins.  If you chose to epoxy the fins on rather than taping them, they will need to set overnight, so you should plan to do this at home.
  • Anything else that you would like to use to enhance or finish your rocket
  • Bring modeling clay to weight the rockets, Easter eggs that can be used as nose cones as well as extra plastic for fins.