Spring is coming and it’s time for stomp rockets. At least that has been my view. Some time between last summer and this spring, our set of stomp rockets has disappeared, left at a park or outside too long in the yard, subject to aggressive clean-up efforts.

So we are without. This has put me on the hunt for them once again. Why? Because this simple kid-powered toy is a hit all summer long. It’s an easy system - a pump, a three foot long plastic tube and a launcher. Place one of the 9 inch long rockets on the launcher and then stand back. Your kids will leap into the air and land on the pump, shooting the rocket up to 100 feet in the air!

This is, of course, endlessly fascinating. Kids will create multiple iterations – running and jumping;  jumping with one foot; two kids jumping at once, etc. There seems to be a fairly large age range for this game too! Yes, I admit, we adults in the family can’t resist leaping onto the pump and seeing how high we can make them go too!

Since I’ve had this toy before, I have to say, it’s very simplicity makes it pretty sturdy. There aren’t many pieces to break and those that can are well made. The only issue is…with these high flying rockets, they do tend to get lost on rooftops and in trees. Fortunately rocket replacement sets are available!