A rocket's fuel and oxidizer-called propellants-can be either solid or liquid. Unlike airplanes' jet engines, rockets are designed to work in space: They don't have intakes for air, and they bring along their own oxidizers, substances that play the role of oxygen in burning fuel. Rockets make exhaust by burning fuel in a rocket engine. As a result, the rocket moves in the opposite direction of the exhaust with the same total oomph. The exhaust's gas molecules don't weigh much individually, but they exit the rocket's nozzle very fast, giving them a lot of momentum. Rockets work by expelling hot exhaust that acts in the same way as the basketball. The faster you throw the ball, the faster you roll backward. If you throw the basketball in one direction, you and the skateboard will roll in the opposite direction to conserve momentum. Imagine yourself standing on a skateboard with a basketball in your hands. If no outside forces act on a group of objects, the group's combined momentum must stay constant over time. Instead, rockets take advantage of momentum, or how much power a moving object has. How do rockets work?Īs tempting as the logic may be, rockets don't work by “pushing against the air,” since they also function in the vacuum of space. These craft and their engines, called rockets, have taken on many roles as fireworks, signal flares, and weapons of war.īut since the 1950s, rockets also have let us send robots, animals, and people into orbit around Earth-and even beyond. Looking for more great DIY Crafts for Kids? Check these out.Since the invention of gunpowder in China more than seven centuries ago, humans have sent cylinders soaring into the skies with the help of controlled explosions. You’ve got to love quick & simple outer space crafts. Once complete, add the top of the rocket and the flames bursting from the bottom! Now it’s time to add those star stickers to make it look a little more like space. Have them use the purple glue right on the main paper and place the shapes on top of it to really see what they are doing. I really like to use the glue pictured above, Elmer’s Washable Disappearing Purple, as it goes on purple but dries clear. Have the kids glue the letters of their name in order down the centre of the page. Time to get crafty! Pull out a sheet of black or blue construction paper. I organized it all and got got it ready for the next day. This meant I did most of the work! Once I cut out my squares, triangles and strips, I wrote the letters of their names on the squares. I knew I wanted to do this craft with the kids so I prepared it the night before. You will also need a triangle for the top of the rocket ship and strips for the flames. You will need squares in an array of colours – one for each letter of their name.
If your child isn’t quite ready to use scissors (I don’t trust Little J with sharp objects) then you can cut out the shapes for them. Cutting with scissors, gluing, writing letters and placing the shapes in order will keep them busy. This craft is great for helping your preschooler with their fine motor skills. Construction paper in a variety of colours.This is such a simple dollar store craft in fact, you probably already have what you need in the house! What You’ll Need I also enlisted the help of my 4.5 year old. Incorporating learning with building a spaceship seemed like a great idea for my little spaceman. He recently made this adorable Tin Foil Moon. Luckily, his love for the moon includes most things to do with space including spaceships! Being just 2.5 years old, we are working on learning the alphabet. If you’ve been following along with my space crafts for preschoolers, you will know that I have a little man who just adores everything to do with the moon.