How to Make a Rocket From Styrofoam

Help your kids design their own unforgettable rocket.

Learning about outer space, astronauts and rockets both increases a child's sense of wonder toward the universe and his interest in science. You can bolster this interest by indulging kids in space-centered activities such as making rockets. Creating rockets not only empowers kids to make a toy that they can play with for hours, but allows them to create one they can personalize completely, selecting the colors and decor of their choice.

Things You'll Need

• 4 Styrofoam cups
• Masking tape
• Craft glue
• Paper plate
• Paint brush
• Acrylic paint
• Measuring tape
• Felt
• Scissors
• Cardstock
• Construction paper

Instructions

1. Take two Styrofoam cups and press their mouths together, lining them up perfectly. Wrap a piece of masking tape around them. Repeat with the remaining two Styrofoam cups.

2. Stack the two sets of cups on top of each other, gluing them together with craft glue. Allow them to dry for an hour.

3. Squeeze out several acrylic paint colors from their tubes and onto a paper plate. Dip your brush in the paint and cover all the cups with paint in your desired colors. Allow the paint to dry overnight.

4. Measure the circumference of the widest parts of your joined cups. Cut two 2-inch-wide pieces of felt to those dimensions. Apply a thick layer of glue to each felt strip and wrap them around the two areas on your stacked cups that are covered with paint and tape.

5. Cut three diamond shapes around 4 inches long out of card stock. One end of each diamond should be longer than the other. Fold each diamond in half. Glue the longer end of each diamond to the bottom end of your tower of cups, spacing them out evenly. These will be the burners of your rocket.

6. Cut a 4-inch-wide circle out of construction paper. Cut a slit from the edge of the circle to the center. Slide one edge of the slit inwards, rolling the circle into a cone. Tape it in its cone shape.

7. Glue this cone to the top of your rocket tower with craft glue. Allow it to dry for at least an hour. Decorate the rest of the rocket with drawings, designs your initials or stickers.

References

• Kidspot: Paper Cup Rocket