Straw rockets are an easy activity that will give your child some experience with coloring, cutting, and the laws of physics. We’ve included free printables below, but you can design your own rocket bodies if you prefer.
Straw Rocket Supplies
- Two sizes of straws, one that fits inside of the other (or use rolled paper in place of the larger straw)
- Straw Rockets printable
- Markers or crayons
- Safety Scissors
- Hot glue, glue dots, or tape
Straw Rocket Instructions:
Color your straw rockets first and then cut them out.
Let your child practice cutting around the edges of their straw rocket. It’s good small-motor practice.
Your child may be ready to try to use scissors with your help as early as age 3. A grownup can assist by holding the paper while the child snips. Blunt-nosed scissors help prevent accidents.
Here’s what it looks like to feel the accomplishment of a hard task like cutting shapes!
Imperfect coloring and cutting is just fine. Both of these skills are refined and developed over time.
Snip off about 3 inches of your larger straw and seal one end tightly with strong tape (or a grownup can melt the ends together).
Use glue dots, hot glue, or tape to attach each rocket to a sealed-end straw
Using a longer straw with a narrower diameter than the straw you attached to your rocket, insert this longer straw into the sealed straw on the back of your rocket.
You may use rolled paper in place of the larger straw. It will need to be rolled tightly around the straw and sealed air-tight. (See the video below for instructions).
Launch your straw rockets by blowing on the longer straw.
Blow and watch it go.
Have races and experiment with different angles, blowing harder and softer, and even blowing your rocket up into the air out-of-doors.
If you don’t have two sizes of straws available, you can also make the larger “straw” section out of rolled paper:
Older children might have fun designing and re-designing their own straw rockets. Begin with this template developed by NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory and work on design improvements as you go.
Download NASA’s template and find detailed instructions here.
Happy Launching!