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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBO1C6M2Bc

A video that received far more airtime in our house than I would like to admit this past summer, was a 2014 Make: video showcasing a dad’s home-built rocket playhouse for his two boys. My four-year-old son was obsessed with it. Again and again, he wanted to study every detail of the project, marvel at the fabulous control panel, and always end with the same question: “Dad, when are we building ours?”

You see my son shares my love of making, and we spend countless hours “inventing” spaceships and lasers out of Lego, blocks, or whatever we can get our hands on. Seeing those maker traits begin to blossom, I’ve shown him the movies that inspired me: Apollo 13, Back to the Future, and others. I see in him that same spark I’ve always had and so who was I to disappoint him by not building a rocket?

After sketching out several ideas in my notebook — as much as I’m a techie, brainstorming is still best as an analog process for me — and reviewing the concept with both my son and my wife to gain her tacit approval, we set out to build. (She manages to be both incredibly enthusiastic about, and patient with, my and now my son’s ever-growing flights of weekend project fantasy.) There was much I loved about the original, but in my version I chose to iterate and interpret in a few key ways.

Rocket ship sketches.

First, rather than constructing a highly literal rocket shape, I followed a design principle from architecture known as the “decorated shed.” The idea is simple: if something is meant to resemble a specific object — say, a duck — you can either replicate that form exactly, embracing all the complexity that comes with it, or you can build a straightforward structure and use surface details to evoke the same feeling. My design leaned firmly toward the decorated shed: two basic geometric forms, easy to construct from stock lumber, enhanced with details that suggest a rocket ready to reach orbit.

Second, because the project would live in a generous corner of our basement playroom, I allowed the scale to grow slightly beyond the original. The added size created room for a second level of play, should extend the life of the playhouse as our boys grow, and made it a little less awkward for adults to climb in and out during missions.

Third, after building a few electronic gizmos for my son, I’ve come to appreciate the diminishing returns of painstakingly soldering a hyper-complex control panel. For this build, I focused instead on quality and gameplay rather than sheer volume of knobs and switches.

Building the frame.

Construction was, quite literally, a blast. My son spent much of the build in the garage with me, sharing elaborate plans for the rocket and serving as job foreman while I dutifully cut, assembled, and painted in the summer Virginia heat. I approached the build in two phases: first constructing the basic carcass in the garage where dust and scrap piles were no concern, then transferring the frame in large sections to the basement for final assembly and detail work.

Like most projects, we came off the starting line fast and I was able to get the basic structure cut and assembled in the basement in just a few days. The basic frame and a few side panels were impressive, but it wasn’t a rocket yet. With projects like this, those first major steps of assembly have the most promise and are the most exciting as you see your creation literally take shape before you, but that long tail of detail work can grind you to a halt. However pushing me through, for better or for worse, were my son’s constant inquiries of “when will it be done?” “Soon, buddy. Hopefully soon.” Pressing on was a challenge at times but eventually, the dust settled and the rocket structure was ready. The moment I saw the entire interior freshly furnished with its moving blanket walls, I realized this creation was no longer a simple wooden structure. It was now truly a rocketship.

While the basic frame and structure are within reach for anyone with fundamental carpentry skills and off-the-shelf tools, I fabricated several specialized components using more advanced, quasi-industrial equipment at my community makerspace, Makersmiths, in Leesburg, Virginia. Access to a large laser cutter, UV printer, and a high-end vinyl cutter allowed me to produce precision openings, a realistic control panel, and a bold NASA decal for the exterior.

Makerspace tools put to good use.

Tools like these are often out of reach for hobbyists due to their size and cost, but a community makerspace with this equipment moves once-unattainable projects firmly into the realm of the possible. Making is often a solitary way to express creativity and care for others, yet a makerspace expands that experience entirely. Being surrounded by innovators, artists, builders, and tinkerers in a shared “third space” where ideas constantly circulate continues to fuel my own desire to create and grow.

The control panel reflects that same balance between simplicity and experience. While I reduced the wiring complexity compared to the original inspiration, I kept my favorite feature: immersive audio. Using an Adafruit soundboard, a small amplifier, and a bass shaker, the panel plays real audio from the Freedom 7 and Apollo 11 missions along with Apollo 13 movie audio clips, including, of course, the classic “Houston, we have a problem.”

To enhance the impact, I edited the recordings in Audacity and layered in additional low-frequency rumble and explosion effects. When the Apollo 11 launch sequence plays now, the entire rocket vibrates with convincing force and my son, along with anyone who hasn’t experienced the full spectacle of this project, squeals with excitement.

The installed control panel.

From the moment my pen first touched my notebook to the instant our son climbed inside and pressed the launch button, just over a month had passed. But the finished rocket isn’t really about the wood, the laser-cut panels, or even the rumbling bass shaker hidden behind the controls. What matters most is that it became a place where imagination takes over. It’s a launchpad in the corner of a basement where countdowns happen daily and missions to the Moon somehow conclude just in time for bed.

Rocket ship interior.

When I showed the finished rocket to my own parents and explained that Jack simply wanted a rocket playhouse of his own, my dad smiled and said, “Yeah, so did I when I was a boy, but not many kids have a dad who can actually make one.”

Like most projects built for kids, it isn’t perfect. Some trim doesn’t quite line up, the hatch window has already endured a few hard landings, and there are still upgrades I’d love to add someday. My son and I occasionally brainstorm what version two might include. None of those imperfections seem to matter, though, when a four-year-old climbs inside, flips a switch, and very seriously announces that liftoff is imminent. He even takes to his own devices and often adds on pieces to the spaceship with pillows and blankets and anything else he can lift in his playroom. Nothing stops a maker.

Projects like this remind us why many of us started making things in the first place. It’s not because we needed a rocket ship in the basement, but because building something a little unreasonable, especially with and for the people we love, creates memories that last far longer than the materials themselves. What’s even better here is seeing that spirit come alive in my son. My wife and I marvel at the creative and often wacky ideas he brings to life, and it further feeds my own passion to keep building.

If you’d like to see the full journey from sketchbook to launch sequence, you can watch the complete build on my channel, John Builds Things. And if it inspires you to build something wildly unnecessary of your own, even better.

Every good mission starts with someone saying, “Why not?”

On February 26, Makersmiths members Jeff Irland and Diane Painter had the pleasure of participating in the LCPS Career, Technical and Adult Education Five-Year Plan dinner and small table discussions about the 5-year CTE expansion plan. This plan, under the direction of the superintendent and managed by the Department of Career, Technical and Adult Education (CTAE) was discussed. Three primary areas were addressed at the small discussion tables: Industry news assessment (hard and soft skills currently missing in entry-level hires); Course Sequencing and Competencies; and Certification Opportunities.  To read more about LCPS' CTE expansion plans, visit LCPS CONVENES STAKEHOLDERS TO ADVANCE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FIVE-YEAR PLAN. 

LCPS CTE Robot at the CTE Five-Year Plan Dinner

This year Lane Waldren, Isaac Bowser, Tom Hill, Dave and Diane Painter, KidWind participant, Natalie Johnson, created the Makersmiths float using four handcarts. The theme of the parade was Let Freedom Ring. The handcarts represented things we can make at Makersmiths (Tom’s CNC sign and Lane’s CosPlay costumes) and we also had a cart that represented the parade’s theme, Let Freedom Ring. KidWind team members Max and Nick Burrus and Syndney Clough and Truett De Luise and their coach, Diane Painter, walked along with the float carrying a KidWind banner.

It is always so much fun to see what Makersmiths members can do to a float to make it festive. Please let Diane.Painter@makersmiths.org if you would like to adopt a float for next year’s 2026 4^th of July parade.

The Virginia State KidWind Challenge was held at James Madison University on April 12 in King Hall. Six Makersmiths teams competed, three wind teams and three solar teams. The competition from Kidwind teams throughout Virginia was very strong. In the end, our High School solar team, Sub 4, came in third place and our middle school wind team, Recreational Renewables, came in second place. The Recreational Renewables, coached by Oliver Arend, competed at KidWind Worlds May 18-21 at the convention center in Phoenix, Arizona. Although the team did not win in their middle school wind turbine division, they had a memorable time meeting teams from all around the USA, Mexico and Taiwan. For more information about this challenge, visit https://kidwind.org/worlds/2025/ 

Seven Makersmiths members coached seven KidWind teams this year. Students in grades 4-11 competed in three divisions, Elementary, Middle School and High School wind and solar divisions at the March 14 Winchester Regional KidWind Challenge at Shenandoah University. The Elementary Wind Team- Champion Charges, came in 1st place with their wind turbine. The Middle School Wind Team, Recreational Renewables, came in 1st place and the Middle School Wind turbine team, Vivacious Voltages, came in second place. The Middle School Solar Team, Home Defense Protection, came in first place with their solar project, and the team also won the Knowledge Award with a perfect score on their Kahoot quiz. The High School Solar Team, Terrasol, won first place, scored the highest on the high school knowledge quiz, and won the People’s Choice award. The High School Solar Team, Sub 4, won 3rd place. All the first through third place winning teams will now advance to the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 12 at James Madison University.

Not long ago, on the Fourth of July, the Makersmiths’ Middle School Solar Flares KidWind team built a solar-powered rocket to explore the universe. They brought with them Makersmiths’ High School solar team called La Wai and the team’s solar-powered desalination project.  They wanted to be sure to have clean water to drink if they landed on a planet with only salty water. They also included the Makersmiths’ Middle School Wind Turbine team, called the Vivacious Voltages, so when they landed on a planet and it was dark, they could generate power if there was wind. 

As the three KindWind teams soared through the universe, they approached a planet that seemed dark but intriguing. When the rocket landed, a gnome by the name of Sir Gerald Chadwick greeted them with a peace sign. He said, “Welcome to the Ungnome Planet!” He told the teams that he was the leader of all the gnomes who lived on this planet.

He invited the teams into his little hobbit house. The KidWind teams explored his house and then the land around the hobbit house. They found that Sir Chadwick was burning fossil fuels to keep warm and to cook his food. So the Kidwind teams told the gnome leader they could help him and all the other gnomes on the planet to learn to use clean energy because they were ruining their planet with greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels. The KidWind teams showed the gnomes a better way of powering their planet with wind turbines that produce energy day and night as long as the wind blows. They can also generate energy with solar panels when the planet’s sun was shining!

The gnomes of the Ungnome Planet were so grateful that they invited the teams to stay with them. They all lived a good clean life, happily ever after.

Seriously, we needed a story to go with our KidWind FLOAT for the Purcellville 4th of July parade!

Coaches Andrew Taylor and Diane Painter are seen here with members of the 2024 KidWind teams.

The Makersmiths High School Solar team called La Wai won the Solar High School Division on May 8, 2024 at the KidWind Worlds Challenge in Minneapolis, MN! Coached by Justin McMillen and Maria Busuioceanu, the team wowed the judges with their solar operated Distillation Project! Not only did they do well presenting to the judges, they performed well on a knowledge quiz and several instant challenges. When visiting the Convention Center vendors, they met many Green Energy industry leaders. The other fun part of the experience was meeting other KidWind teams from the USA, Mexico and Taiwan!

The three 2024 KidWind teams sponsored by Makersmiths competed in the Northern Virginia Challenge at Shenandoah University on March 14. The high school solar team (La Wai) won first place in their division, the middle school solar team (Solar Flares) won third place in their division, and the middle school wind turbine team (Vivacious Voltages) won second place in their division. All first and second place wind turbine winners automatically qualify to compete in the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 6, 2024 at James Madison University. First through third place solar teams qualify for the state challenge. This means all three Makersmiths KidWind teams qualify for the state challenge!

Above, La Wai, the High School Solar Team coached by Makersmiths members Justin McMillen and Maria Busuioceanu, won first place in their division. They also were awarded the Dream Big Award for their ambitious, forward-thinking water distillation solar project.

Above, Vivacious Voltages, the Middle School Wind Turbine Team coached by Makersmiths member Diane Painter, won second place in their division.

Below, Solar Flares, the Middle School Solar Team coached by Makersmiths member Andrew Taylor assisted by team parents Nick Richard and Oliver Arend. The team came in third place in their division for their rocket launch pad run by solar project and won the Solar Guru Award for a perfect quiz score. Pictured right is Remy Pangle from JMU who heads KidWind-Virginia.

Sixteen youth on three KidWind teams sponsored by Loudoun County’s community-based nonprofit Makersmiths, Inc. competed in the KidWind Virginia State Challenge on April 8 at James Madison University. The solar team named Operation Cheap and Clean coached by Adam Pricer came in second place in the middle school solar division. The solar team named The Neighborhood WATTs coached by Justin McMillen came in first place in the high school solar division. Both those teams qualify to advance to the KidWind National Solar Challenge that will be held May 14-17 at the University of Colorado in Boulder. 

Makersmiths' KidWind middle school teams competed in the Northern VA Regional Kidwind Challenge on March 15, 2023 at Shenandoah University and came home as winning teams. The middle school solar team (called Operation Cheap and Clean) won first place in the solar challenge and they also won the knowledge award (meaning they aced the knowledge quiz on renewable energies!) The middle school wind turbine team (called The Hot HAWTs) came in second place in the wind challenge. Both these teams and the high school KidWind solar team (called The Neighborhood WATTS) will go on to compete in the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 8 at James Madison University.