One of our all-time favorite activities at the Museum are kid-powered rockets. Using homemade launchers (made by CMEE staff using PVC pipe and empty soda bottles) kids send rockets soaring high up into the sky…and sometimes on to the roof! While our launchers are temporarily unavailable, you can certainly make your own at home.
If you are interested in building a stomp rocket launcher, we have included instructions from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you are just looking to launch rockets with materials you already have at home, we have included a link to those instructions too!
Designing straw rocks is an opportunity for kids to practice engineering and design. While they are provided with a design template, we encourage you to modify again and again to see how the design can change the performance of the rocket.
Materials
- Scissors
- Tape
- Straw, paper or reusable
- Rocket Template
- Measuring tape
Straw Rocket Instructions!
Stomp Rocket Launcher (mom and dad will definitely need to help build this)
Have a craft or activity you think other members of the CMEE community might enjoy? Email the Museum’s Director of Paper Projectiles, Liz Bard!