Up, up, up! – Build and launch your own rockets | Teach with space PR23
In brief
In this set of four group activities pupils build three different rockets. The first is a simple paper rocket powered by blowing into a straw, the second is a more complex paper rocket powered by squeezing a water bottle, and the third is a chemical rocket. Pupils will launch their rockets to investigate which variables affect the distance travelled and their trajectory. They will eventually gain a
good understanding of rockets are, and how they work.
In-depth
Languages: English teacher guide and student guide, French teacher guide and student guide German teacher guide and student guide, Greek teacher guide and student guide, Italian teacher guide and student guide, Spanish
Subjects: Science, Design and Technology
Age range: 8-12 years old
Rockets are used to launch satellites, probes, and even astronauts into space. A rocket launch is extremely impressive. Thousands of kilograms are burned in just a few minutes in order to provide the force that the rocket needs in order to overcome the gravity of the Earth.
Rockets provide an exciting context to teach pupils about science and technology. In this set of activities, pupils will design and build three different types of rockets. They will launch their rockets in order to investigate what variables affect the trajectory and distance travelled.
The rockets that will be built in this activity include:
- A simple paper rocket launched by blowing into a straw
- A more complex paper rocket launched using air pressure from a bottle
- A chemical rocket launched by a chemical reaction between water and an effervescent tablet
For the bottle-launched paper rocket, you will need to use a 3D printer to print an elbow which attaches the bottle to the rocket. To print this, you can use either: your own 3D printer; a 3D printer at a MakerSpace (or equivalent); or an online service which can print an object from a file.
Download the teacher guide and pupil activities documents separately.
