Make Your Own Rocket Ship

5-4-3-2-1 Blast off! Another rocket ship run

Take me to the moon.

Take me to the moon.

When I get there, I’ll go dancing through the air.

Dancing on the moon.

(Lyrics from “Rocket Ship Run” by the Laurie Berkner Band)

My boys continue to be fascinated with rocket ships.  We have been reading rocket ship books and singing rocket ship songs (see above).  We even got a the Lego space shuttle….  So, I decided it was time to make rockets with the boys. We have done this in the past, but they have all fallen apart or been crushed since.  This time, I wanted our ships to be really durable and survive all that a 3 year old and 5 year old could dish out.  So, we started with a mailing tube. We got our tube at Kmart, but you can get them at office supply stores and post offices as well. Here is how we made our rocket ships.

Materials:

• 1 mailing tube
• metallic paint
• hot glue gun
• cardboard (we used part of a box)
• fabric (a square cut of orange and red)
• plastic tubing or wire
• scissors
• optional: metallic craft paper or posterboard

Mama’s Directions:

We found these great metallic paints in the art section of Kmart (in AU). They were perfect for this project!

I cut the mailing tube in half (with a bread knife!) and had my boys paint them. They chose the silver metallic paint for their rockets.

Meanwhile, I cut fins from a cardboard box and we attached them to the tubes using our hot glue gun (which then proceeded to explode…). Then the boys painted the fins.

While at the craft store, we picked up some of this cool, glittery tag board.  We cut a circle from the tagboard then cut out 1/4 of the circle and glued it together to create a cone shape for the top of the rocket. We then attached the cone to the rocket using the hot glue.

Next was the flames that come out of the rocket.  I cut two rectangles of fabric- one orange and one red.  I glued the two pieces of fabric together at the top and then trimmed off about an inch or so of the red so the orange was visible.

I then cut fat fringes in both pieces of fabric from the bottom up to about 3/4 of the way to the top.

I cut a piece of plastic tubing the same diameter as the inside of the tube.

I hot glued the tubing onto the top of the fabric.

Then I folded the fabric down over the tube and glued it again.

Next, I glued the tube closed in a circle as shown below.

I then inserted the circular, tubed part of the flames inside the bottom of the rocket and secured it with hot glue.  And voila! Our rockets were done.  Now, before the rocket takes off, the flames are stuffed inside the rocket and when it blasts off, my boys pull the fabric out and go!

     

Here are our favorite books about rockets:

Edward Built a Rocketship by Michael Rack

Edward wants to go to space, so he builds himself a rocket, packs up his lunch and his teddy bear “in case it got too rough,” says goodbye to his mom and takes off. While in space, he has quite an adventure, but then returns safely to earth and his mother’s outstretched arms.

Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton

A simple, rhyming book that tells all about rockets, their adventures in space and their return to earth.  Part of a fantastic series about vehicles.  See our post, Book Mama: Vehicles for All Ages,  for more about the series.

On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book about Rockets by Michael Dahl

A countDOWN book about all the preparations that happen before a rocket takes off.  “Twelve stars twinkle in the morning light.  Eleven workers take care of tasks. Ten engineers watch their screens.  Nine spotlights shine up on the rocket….One shining rocket aims toward the stars. BLAST OFF!”

On our Rocket Book Wish List:

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

If You Decide to Go to the Moon by FaithMcNulty

Other Rocket Ideas from Boy Mama Teacher Mama:

• Boy Mama: 10. 9, 8…Blast Off!
• Boy Mama: Now this was Fun (and Simple)

Other Mailing Tube Ideas from Boy Mama Teacher Mama:

• Boy Mama: Do you Didgeridoo?

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