Homemade Rocket

You need:
Paper
Film canister with lid
Alka-Seltzer tablet
warm water

Tightly roll an entire piece of paper around the film canister. The canister should be upside down at the bottom of the roll. Make sure the lid can be removed easily.



Cut a circle of paper large enough to be the top of the rocket. Cut a section from the circle and form paper into a cone. Attach the cone to the top of the rocket.



Cut 3 triangles out of the paper and tape them to the bottom of the rocket (fins).

Decorate the rocket, if you want.



Go outside and find a good place to set off the rocket. We only had an Alka-Seltzer cold tablet so I don't know if the other kind is stronger, but the rocket didn't go very high. Maybe 2-3 feet.

Now would be a good time to put on some goggles for eye protection.

Hold the rocket upside down and take the lid off the film canister. Fill canister with warm water and pop the tablet in it. Replace the lid quickly, and set the rocket down (rightside up) while you move back.

POP!!



We were able to put the tablet back in and launch our rocket one more time. It didn't make it to Mars like the boys hoped, but they enjoyed it anyway.



The project took about 15 minutes from start to finish so it was great fun with very little time investment. The boys were able to do all of the work(another plus) except the launching. At the end, the rocket was in good shape so we may try it again with regular Alka-Seltzer and possibly a film canister with a different top that may fit a little tighter. You must try this at home!!