Outdoor Fun: DIY Bottle Rocket
What do you do with all those empty plastic bottles when you’re done? Do you toss them in the trash, or better yet, the recycle bin? You can save a bottle or two for a fun STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) project. Get outdoors and make a DIY bottle rocket!
Light-weight plastic bottles work great for this, just don’t use glass. What goes up must come down, including homemade rockets. We wouldn’t want you to have to clean up bits of glass! Remember to stand back when the DIY bottle rocket launches because who knows which direction it will fly!
Supplies
- Baking Soda
- Colored pencils
- Vinegar
- Plastic bottle
- Wine cork
- Tape
How to make a Rocket from a Plastic Bottle
- Tape pencils to the plastic bottle so that the flat end will touch the ground when the bottle is upside down.
- Pour vinegar into the bottle
- Add the baking soda and quickly push in the cork. You only need a little bit of baking soda
- Flip the DIY bottle rocket upside down and step back before it shoots away!
Make a Parachute that Soars!
For more in-air fun try making this DIY parachute for small toys! Kids can experiment with object weight, aim, and distance while watching their toys glide to the ground.
For your DIY rocket, you didn’t give any measurements for the vinegar or baking soda. Does it matter?