By far one of my boys’ favorite engineering projects we have ever done is our DIY Rocket Building Station we did for our Mad Science birthday party! It was incredibly easy to set up and loads of fun for all the kids at the party!
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Creating a DIY Rocket Building Station for Kids
Materials
Duct Tape (of different colors and patterns)
Washi Tape (various colors)
Recycled Bottles (any size works)
Dowel Rods, Popsicle Sticks, Straws, or Pencils
Paper towels
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Rubber Corks
Scissors
Permanent Markers
Set Up
Setting up this DIY rocket building station is simple to do. Before the party or play date or planned activity time, set our baskets with your different materials so that they are easy to access for the children. I love using wicker baskets, but you can use anything to organize your baskets.
Depending on the age of the children, you might want to have an example set out for them to use as a guide, or you might want to let them be completely in charge of design to test different variations.
It is a good idea to keep the vinegar and baking soda in a different area. I actually pre-made my baking soda paper towels so they were ready to go. To do this, you need 1 square of paper towel about about 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda. (This is something you can test as a variable as well). Lay the paper towel flat and put the scoop of baking soda in the middle of the towel. Wrap the towels up in a roll and squeeze the ends closed.
Creating Your DIY Rockets
This is the fun part! There are so many variations to how to make the rockets. The basic idea is that you turn your bottle upside down and tape at least 3 “stands” to the sides of the bottle so they make the bottle stand up when you turn it over. Of course, children can decorate their rockets are change the design to their creativity.
Launching Your DIY Rockets
Here comes the really awesome part! I mean who doesn’t love launching rockets? For our launching session, we set up a launch pad in the back yard using our patio umbrella stand, you can also just let the kids put them on the ground. We started with this method, but the rockets kept falling over due to the wobbly legs the kids made.
1) Turn the bottle rocket upside down and fill about half-way with vinegar.
2) Using your pre-made baking soda paper towel, Place the towel into the bottle but do not let it touch the vinegar, leave a tad hanging out.
3) Place the cork in the bottle and quickly turn the bottle over.
BACK UP! Get ready for launch!
Just a word of caution… sometimes the rocket “seems” like a dud and just sits there… PLEASE use caution when you check to see if it really is a dud. NEVER put your head over the rocket to check it…
We had one rocket that we thought was a dud and it ended up in the neighbors yard! It shot about 100ft in the air! We plan to do this again and try to catch it on video for you!
If you are looking for more engineering fun with your kids, you might want to check out…
Travel Kit for Little Engineers
Top 10 Summer Engineering Projects for Kids
Mentos and Soda Science Experiment
Do you have a favorite Classic Science Experiment? I would love to know! Connect with me onFacebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.
TIME FOR STEM SATURDAY BLOG HOP!
Every Saturday we will get so many wonderful ideas linked up from around the web that we have decided we want to feature some of these great ideas. That’s why every Saturday, I will pick from the posts linked up and feature my absolute favorites. This might be a hard choice to make, luckily you can always head over to last week’s post and check out more great science resources!
This Week’s Feature:
Rocket Science Free Printable ~ Study at Home Mama
VISIT THESE GREAT BLOGGERS FOR MORE STEM FUN!
Surface Tension | Drops of Water on a Coin from The Science Kiddo
DIY Rocket Building Station for Kids from Lemon Lime Adventures
Pool Noodle Structures for Kids | Little Bins for Little Hands
Follow Dayna | Lemon Lime Adventures’s board Learning | Science on Pinterest.
Wow, thank you so much for featuring our rocket science experiment!
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Love this! My boys will too, but I might just pin it till they’re a little older!
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