With just a few supplies, you can launch a paper rocket at home! This straw rocket activity is super fun for your aspiring astronauts and only takes a few minutes to make.
Rainy days in SoCal are rare. And I have to admit, I am spoiled with the weather. I don’t even check the weather anymore, so imagine my surprise when I opened the door and saw the rain coming from the sky.
Okay, I guess no parks today. What to do indoors with my kid so they don’t turn the house upside down?
The straw rocket activity is super easy and quick to set up. You probably already have all the materials necessary in the house (there are not many). And the kids love blasting the rockets!
How to Make Straw Rockets
Materials
- Paper
- Straw
- Tape
- Scissors
- Free Straw Rockets Printable
Directions:
- Cut a piece of a rectangle so that the length wraps around the straw and the width is about the length of the top of the bendy straw (about 2”x1.5”). It doesn’t have to be exact, just eyeball it and cut the paper.
- Wrap the paper around your finger and tape it so you have a tube.
- Fold the top of the tube down and tape it closed.
- You can actually stop at this point and use the tube as your rocket! Just bend the straw, place it on the short end pointing up, and blow!
- Print out the straw rockets printable here.
- Have your child color the rockets.
- Cut out the rockets.
- Tape the tube to a rocket.
- Place the rocket/tube on the short end of the straw, and blow hard!
For more fun, count down with your child from 10 just like the NASA rocket launch!
You can also flip the straw around so you are blowing on the short-side and the rocket is on the long-side. Do you observe a difference? Does the rocket fly higher this way?
Final Thoughts on Straw Rockets
Feel free to have your child draw their own rockets and tape them on to the paper tube. My daughter loved coloring the rockets as much as cutting them out. So this became a fine motor, scissor skills activity as well!
If you like simple experiments you can do on a rainy day, check out these:
Thank you! I’ve got a preschooler who LOVES rocket ships. This was a great activity on a snowy corona-y shelter-in-place morning! Thanks a million.
Aw I am so happy your preschooler liked this rocket ship activity! Stay safe and healthy :). We will get through this difficult time!
Printable Doesn’t work!!
That’s strange! I clicked on it and it worked. Here is the link in case it doesn’t want to load for you: https://www.mombrite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Straw-Rockets-Template.pdf
This is such a cute idea! Lots of time to keep them occupied while making and then while playing with it!
Thanks! It’s super fun for the kids!
Thanks for sharing! They could create other shapes too, maybe birds, and make them fly too!
Yes that’s a good idea!
Loved it😍
I am so glad! Thanks!
Thank you! What s lovely craft!
Thank you!