Make Mini Paper Rockets

Launch a mini aquatic adventure right in your living room with these cool paper rockets!

 

Materials Needed

• Paper
• Colored pencils or markers
• Scissors
• Ballpoint pen (with removable ink tube)
• Shallow dish or tray filled with water

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Draw and color a mini rocket design on paper.

Step 2: Carefully cut out the paper rocket shape.

Step 3: Remove the ink tube from a standard ballpoint pen.

Step 4: Fill a shallow dish with a thin layer of water.

Step 5: Dab a small drop of pen ink directly onto the bottom tail notch of your paper rocket.

Step 6: Gently drop the rocket onto the surface of the water and watch it blast off across the dish!

Learn More 

This speedy propulsion trick works because of a cool science phenomenon called the Marangoni effect! Water molecules hold tightly to one another, creating an invisible film on the surface called surface tension. Pen ink contains special solvents and chemicals that break up those water bonds and lower the surface tension right behind the rocket. Meanwhile, the clean water in front of the rocket still has strong surface tension, pulling the water surface—and your paper rocket right along with it—forward!

If your young scientist loved launching rockets and exploring fluid forces, take flight with the Astronaut Starter Kit from the KiwiCo Store!