Always a cool project with so many directions you can take them. I wonder how many years in a row (k-12) you could do rockets and kids would still be interested?
NASA has a great 133 page Educators Guide
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/rockets-educator-guide-20.pdf
Obviously, there is lots of STEM involved in working with rockets, but there are many historical and literature connections. The idea of “rockets” goes back 2000 years. Fireworks also go back 2000 years and “fire arrows” are at least 1000 years old. How about the 16th century Chinese star gazer that put 4 dozen rockets on a chair in order to fly into space. Of course, there are all of the war applications through the centuries, then tons of ideas (people, places, war, space) with “modern rocketry”. Always bring in some books (or movies) where rockets play a key role (for all ages) : “Edward Built a Rocketship”, “Roaring Rockets”, Curious George and the Rocket”, “The Firebird Rocket” (Hardy Boys), “October Sky” , “From the Earth to the Moon”, “How We Got to the Moon”, “Hidden Figures” , “Apollo 13” to name a few… and many others about scientists and astronauts. I imagine Mythbusters has a few episodes dealing with rockets.
Yes, there is Art also. In addition to being functional, the design has to look good, have a good color scheme, nice logos.
Here are some of the ways to build/launch rockets :
Straw rockets
Pitsco has a straw rocket launcher where you can adjust the angle and pressure (height you drop a plunger) https://www.pitsco.com/Straw-Rocket-Launcher and a mini launcher
. The “rocket kits” are straws, index cards, & modeling clay (clay for the nose “cone” ) You could also make small paper rockets. A pencil is bigger than most straws and is a good template to wrap some paper around. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/make-a-straw-rocket/ Their “nose cone” method of just twisting the top of the rocket to seal it off is pretty good and cleaner than clay.
Kids could launch by blowing through another straw/coffee stirrer, though I avoid this one with kids blowing germs all over the place.
Balloon rocket
You need balloons, some fishing line/string, straws, tape, and some way to attach fishing line to ceiling (or wall). Run some fishing line from floor to ceiling (or wall to wall) and attach one end to ceiling (or wall), leave the other end loose. Inflate balloon(s) (hand pump) & tape the straw to a balloon or set of balloons, feed fishing line through the straw, hold the loose end of the fishing line & let go. NASA recommends “524 balloons” that are 5” wide and 24” long when blown up. I have had difficulty finding them. Mostly I find longer, narrower ones (like 260), maybe Party City has some (there is a Malaysian company that distributes airship balloons? I did find 350Q & 321Q on amazon, and some people like the “rocket balloons” (they make noise).
Foam
Even Oriental Trading Company sells a variety of “rocket flyers” https://www.orientaltrading.com/web/search/searchMain?keyword=rocket%20flyers . But you can make your own, NASA has a guide https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/foam-rocket.html
Materials
foam tube (yes , pool noodles or insulation)(20-30 cm for each rocket)
material for fins (foam food tray, cardboard, cardstock, feathers…)
rubber band (good ones, thick, long – NASA says size 64)
duct tape
scissors
measuring tape to get distances
You could print out a protractor and experiment with launch angle impact on distance (instructions in NASA guide)
Get two strips of tape longer than the foam is wide and put 1 strip on top of another.
Put through the rubber band and tape the rubber band to the top of the rocket, coming down the sides a little.
Use another strip of tape to wrap around the top sides of the rocket, securing the rubber band strips of tape in place
Cut 2 rectangles that are 4-6 cm wider than the rocket. Notch the top of one and the bottom of the other so they fit together (form a plus sign). You could cut an angle into the edge of these fins
Cut 4 slits in the bottom of the rocket and slide the rectangle plus sign into them
Tape them in place
Stomp rockets (paper)
I use ½” pvc for the launcher (5 pieces), along with 1 – 4 way connector, 1 – 90 degree elbow , and 2 end caps. I also have several 12” pieces of ½” pvc wrapped with a couple layers of duct tape to wrap the paper around for the rocket body (needs to be larger diameter than the ½” launcher).
I do not glue mine together because I need to take them apart to transport in a tote, you might want to.
Half litre or 20 ounce pop bottles work fine
There are several templates on the Internet. Basically you wrap about 2/3 sheet of paper (hot dog) around the 12” pvc (it should overlap a little) and tape the seam ; tape on some triangular fins (that you can cut out of the other 1/3 of paper, do they have to be triangles???) ; a cone actually comes from a pie shaped section of a circle (called a sector) (think pac man), you just have to figure out how to roll it into a cone. Often, I don’t utilize an actual nose cone, I just tape the top shut.
Here are two ways from NASA to attach fins :
Materials :
paper (magazines?), scissors, tape, coloring pencils/crayons. You should color the paper rocket before you build it. You need a bunch of pop bottles because they soon cant be forced back into “shape”
stomp rocket template v2-3.pdf
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/stomp-rockets/
https://www.msichicago.org/science-at-home/hands-on-science/stomp-rocket/
https://www.instructables.com/Stomp-Rockets-1/
https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Stomp-Rockets-1/
https://www.instructables.com/Better-magazine-stomp-rockets/
stomp rocket template v2-3.pdf
Rockets don’t HAVE to be circular. NASA has a nice triangular template to cut out and tape the three sides together…be sure to fold the fins “out” first. (p. 77 of https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/rockets-educator-guide-20.pdf
Water rockets (pop bottle)
Turn a pop bottle (any size) into a rocket, fill it part way with water, put on a launcher, pressurize it with air – let it fly. 
Pitsco has a launcher (https://www.pitsco.com/Shop/Aerospace/Rockets/Water-Rockets/Aquaport-II-Water-Rocket-Launcher ) or a starter kit (minus the pop bottles) ( https://www.pitsco.com/Shop/Aerospace/Rockets/Water-Rockets/Water-Rockets-Getting-Started-Package ). Other science supply companies also have kits (Flinn ; Fischer ; Apogee)
Amazon has a variety of options also (search water rockets)
NASA has instructions for a launcher https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/water-rocket-launcher-directions.html
This is a great one to get in some experimentation.
Do fins really matter? You definitely want to launch a couple of bottles without fins.
Does bottle size matter?
Does weight distribution matter?
How much water?
Do we really need a nosecone?
Can you carry a payload?
I like doing this streamlined, only fins on the bottle (after seeing it without any fins). I also like a simple, home-made, J shaped launcher. One partner has to hold the rocket on the launcher while the other one pumps – let go when you cant hold on any longer (you really don’t get wet).
Materials for rockets :
pop bottles
(lesson learned, cant use recycled content water bottles, they are thinner and don’t hold pressure)
cardboard, foam, cardstock, thin wood
hot glue & hot glue guns
duct tape
scissors/knives to cut fins
launcher
bicycle pump
DIY launcher
5’ of ½” PVC
2 – 90 degree elbows
1 end cap
valve stem (TR413 or 414 )
PVC glue
1) Drill hole in end cap to fit the valve stem (it should seat in the hole)
2) Cut PVC into 3 pieces that will form a “J”
3) glue together
4) possibly need duct tape towards top to help seal for some bottles
Solid fuel
There are several brands of solid fuel rockets, Estes being the leader, and tons of individual rocket kits that you can buy, at multiple levels of difficulty. You can get them from science supply vendors or amazon
https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-model-rockets
https://kelvin.com/trsrer/
https://www.pitsco.com/Shop/Aerospace/Rockets/Solid-Fuel-Rockets
https://www.amazon.com/Estes-AVG-Rocket-Bulk-Pack/dp/B009EZPBTC
You might want to buy some “fin alignment guides” to help students put those in the right place https://www.amazon.com/Estes-Fin-Alignment-Guide-Model/dp/B004LGXCLI
(3 fin only https://www.pitsco.com/Shop/Aerospace/Rockets/Water-Rockets/Rocket-Fin-Holder . One trick I learned for marking fin location is to use the jamb of a door to draw vertical lines
Engines are about $3 each
C6-5 24 for $66 https://www.amazon.com/United-Model-Engine-Rocket-Engines/dp/B08Y5BLCPH
A8-3 24 for $66 https://www.amazon.com/Estes-Motor-Flight-Pack-Motors/dp/B00DT8ED9Y
ALWAYS buy extra igniters.
You will need a launcher and battery pack https://www.amazon.com/Estes-Rockets-Porta-Pad-Electron-Controller/dp/B075V79LKX?th=1 . I have used a simple metal rod (the correct diameter) stuck into a board. For the power, I have used D batteries held in my hand and speaker wire with alligator clips on the end at the rocket (to connect to the igniter wire)
After a couple of times with pre-cut kits, I went to building our own starting with this DIY kit from Pitsco https://www.pitsco.com/Shop/Aerospace/Rockets/Solid-Fuel-Rockets/Solid-Fuel-Rocket-Refill-Pack . You use a plastic tube as a guide, wrapping paper around it, then wrapping that with gummed tape. The paper allows you to slide the rocket body off the plastic tube. You get to make different size rockets, you get to try wrapping in different directions. Since we had a 3D printer, several students designed their own nose cones. (though I am not seeing the gummed tape in the picture of that kit???)(gummed tape https://www.amazon.com/XFasten-Reinforced-Gummed-Kraft-Inches/dp/B06ZYN1Y8V )
These rockets are always the most exciting because they can go SOOOO high and they make a cool sound when launching
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