The saying “It's not rocket science” is used all too often – but just how hard is it to build a rocket in the first place? Not very, is the simple answer.

In fact, crafting a functioning rocket is not only fun but a unique learning experience.

From paper aeroplanes to drones, our fascination with flying is as timeless as it is varied. While an expertly folded piece of paper is arguably a bit too humble for today's iPad-armed children, forking out for electronic flying devices is not for every parent, either.

Luckily, building a rocket is a good compromise. A quick rummage around most drawers at home should provide you with the materials needed to reach lift-off – provided you have the skill to put them all together. After that, it’s a question of how far can you can make it go.

Whether you're a NASA engineer trying to fire a rocket into space or a dad vying to launch a water bottle into orbit at the local park, the main obstacle remains the same: gravity.

“It’s relatively easy to build a rocket that can go up, but very difficult to make one that goes up high enough, and fast enough, to make it into orbit”.

In the morning students will make and launch paper rockets that can easily be replicated at home with some basic equipment. They will then design and build water-powered soft drink bottle rockets that will be fired at an air pressure of 80psi. But the real learning is re-designing their model to make it travel further. 

While there will be some bottles available on the day, participants are encouraged to bring TWO soft drink bottles of the same size {preferably 1.25 litre} and shape to construct their rockets.