Local kids had the chance to both express their creativity and learn a little science at the Bath Community Library on Thursday. In an activity led by library part-time employee Phoebe Wahab, the youngsters had the opportunity to decorate and ‘fly’ their own balloon rockets, learning about propulsion, thrust and friction.

The crafts were simple — paper rocket ships colored with markers and other decorations, taped to sections of straws. Each rocket was taped to inflated balloons. Running strings through the straws, kids counted down to blast-off and watched with excitement as they let their creations fly.

The event Thursday is part of a summer-long series of programing at Beaufort-Martin-Hyde Regional libraries. In honor of the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the library’s summer program “A Universe of Stories” focuses on themes of space travel and exploration. For more details on the library’s summer programing and other programs, visit www.bhmlib.org.