Diaries Magazine
Wild Science – Hyperlauncher Rocket Ball Factory
Both Boys One and Two are partial to a little boffinery, unfortunately, so is Boy Three given half a chance.
Thus it was that the science lab was set up in granny's utility room. The boys were using the Hyperlauncher Rocket Ball Factory to explore the properties of bouncy balls on a stick.
The kit has everything young boffins need including safety glasses. It also has there colours of water-based granules, moulds for balls and skewers.
I imagined the kit as about launching rockets - something that would consume space and energy and break things. In fact, it's about making small bouncy balls that fly fairly safely across the room to hide under the sofa. Fortunately they glow in the dark so are easily recovered.
What we liked. The kit explains everything - including safety issues - very clearly. The boys had no trouble in making the balls. And they worked. There were enough ingredients for several goes.
What we didn't like. Very little, actually. You have to follow the instructions closely to get the balls to work, but that's not a bad thing.
The kit is made by Interplay and suitable for children over the age of eight.