straw rocket launcher

catherine
straw rocket launcher

Student working hard creating straw rocket and launching them during recess time.

We used the following Materials :

Pencil Scissors Tape

Soda straw

(plastic or reusable)

Meter stick or measuring tape

Rocket template

1. Students are able to cut out and shape the rocket body into a rectangle. This will be the body tube of the rocket. Wrap the rectangle around a pencil length and tape the rectangle so that it forms a tube.

2. Cut out and attach the fins

Cut out the two fin units. Align the bottom of the rectangle that extends between the fins with the end of the rocket body, and tape the fin to the body tube. Do the same thing for the other fin on the opposite side, making a “fin sandwich.”

3. Bend the fins

Bend the fins on each fin unit 90 degrees so that they are each at a right angle to each other. When you look along the back of the rocket, the fins should form a “+” mark.

4. Make and measure the nose cone

Twist the top of the body tube into a nose cone around the sharpened end of your pencil. Measure your nose cone from its base to its tip and record the length on the data log and on the rocket itself.

5. Prepare to launch!

Remove the pencil and replace it with a soda straw. Be sure your launch area is clear of people and hazards. Then, blow into the straw to launch your rocket!

Thanks to the https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/pdfs/strawrocket_worksheet.pdf

For making this activity so easy and memorable for my kinder students