Originally Posted by blackshire

At the risk of being excommunicated from the NAR and one day finding myself pulling coal wagons in a very warm place, I think building small, home-made sugar rockets of the type covered in "The Incredible Five Cent Sugar Rocket" is a safe and educational activity for individual children and youth groups such as Scout troops, 4-H Clubs, and Industrial Arts classes, as long as it is done under adult supervision. Such an activity teaches children about chemistry, materials, making & using tools, following detailed directions, factory mass production techniques (making multiple motors at one time is covered in the pamphlet), how to organize a workshop for efficient utilization of space and materials, and safety procedures. Equally important (especially in this instant-gratification, short-attention span "twittering-and-texting age"), children who make and use sugar propellant rockets learn patience, the joys of delayed gratification, and the satisfaction of making and flying something that they made from scratch, using their own hands and minds.