LIFTOFF
A straw Rocket experiment
LIFTOFF KIT
LIFTOFF will have your students shooting for the stars!! The LIFTOFF kit provides materials for your students to build AND launch their very own straw rockets!
Your students can channel their inner Elon Musk as they decide what they want their rocket’s fins to look like, where to place them, and of course how to decorate it! Finally, they’ll get to watch their rocket soar after they decide what angle to set the launcher and how much “thrust” or push they want it to have, similar to a stomp rocket!
So what’s the lesson in all this? Designing their rocket invigorates the students’ minds as they use their creativity to think of all the options and decide what is best. Also, as your students learn about thrust and trajectory, even if not by name, they can play with these variables to fine-tune their flight to hit a target or accomplish a goal!
Provided Materials
- Straws
- Earplugs (rocket nozzles)
- Tape
- Index cards
- 2 Straw Rocket Launchers
- Safety Glasses
What you NEED to Provide
- Scissors
- Phone or Camera to take pictures
What you CAN provide
NOT REQUIRED!!!!!
- Extra straws, tape, earplugs, and index cards if you want the students to make more than one rocket each
- A handmade or bought target for them to aim their rockets at
- Items for the students to decorate their rocket like stickers, glitter, markers, etc.
- A prize if you want the students to compete to accomplish some goal like hitting a target
- Any resources listed on this page such as relevant books
RampUp Kit Resources
LIFTOFF Kit Guide
Teacher Curated Lesson Plans
All Lesson Plans
3-2-1 LIFTOFF! Learning about the Forces of Push and Pull (Grade K) Anonymous Author
Ready, Set, Blast-Off! – Utilizing Straw Rockets to Learn about Engineering Design (Grade 1) Anonymous Author
Collecting and Analyxing Data with Straw Rockets (Grade 2) Anonymous Author
Measuring and Graphing Distances Using Straw Rockets (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Erin from Julian Harris Elementary School
Zooming Through the Skies: Exploring Forces of Flight with Straw Rockets (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Heather from Leon Sheffield Magnet School
Energy Investigators: Conducting Energy Experiments with Straw Rockets (Grade 4) Anonymous Author
3-2-1 LIFTOFF! (Grade K)
3-2-1 LIFTOFF! Learning about the Forces of Push and Pull (Grade K) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Books
- Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow by Darlene R. Stille | Read Aloud Video
Videos
Ready, Set, Blast-Off! (Grade 1)
Ready, Set, Blast-Off! – Utilizing Straw Rockets to Learn about Engineering Design (Grade 1) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Books
- Incredible Inventions by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Videos
Collecting and Analyzing Data (Grade 2)
Collecting and Analyzing Data with Straw Rockets (Grade 2) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Videos
Handouts
Website
Measuring and Graphic Distances (Grade 3)
Measuring and Graphing Distances Using Straw Rockets (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Erin from Julian Harris Elementary School
Digital Materials:
Videos
Handouts
Zooming Through the Skies (Grade 3)
Zooming Through the Skies: Exploring Forces of Flight with Straw Rockets (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Heather from Leon Sheffield Magnet School
Digital Materials:
Videos
Handouts
Energy Investigators (Grade 4)
Energy Investigators: Conducting Energy Experiments with Straw Rockets (Grade 4) Anonymous Authorol
Digital Materials:
Videos
- Energy | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos for Kids
- STS-135 Space Shuttle Launch
- How Can We Transfer Energy? | MightyOwl Science | 4th Grade
Website
Supplementary Materials
Hands On Activities
- Add a “payload” to the rocket (example: taping some paper clips to it)
- Does the weight change how far the rocket goes?
- Is it better to place the weight up high by the nose cone, in the middle, or near the fins
- Set targets at different distances from the launchers and have the students try to hit them with their rockets.
- Have the students name their rockets and write the names on the body of the rocket.
- Have students predict how far their rockets will travel. Create a poster with each prediction and how far it actually went.
- Have students measure the distance their rockets traveled.
Handouts
Books
NOTE: The following books have not been pre-screened.
Grades PK-2:
Grades PK-3:
Grades K-1:
Grades K-2:
Grades K-3:
Grades K-4:
Grades 1-2:
Grades 1-5:
Grades 2-7:
Videos
Book Readthroughs
Grades PK-1:
Grades PK-2:
Grades K-4:
Grades 1-2:
Other Videos
- Space Shuttle Launch (~4 minutes)
- How Do Rockets Fly? | Let’s Explore Mars! | SciShow Kids (~5 minutes)
- Angles: measuring angles and their names! | Educational Videos for Kids (~ 4 minutes)
- Force and Motion | Science for Kids (~5 minutes)
- The Engineer Song (~4 minutes)
- Potential and Kinetic Energy – Law of Conservation of Energy – Video for Kids (~4 minutes)
- Hokey Pokey Song (~4 minutes)
- Different Things Move in Different Ways | Jack Hartmann (~4 minutes)
- Rockets 101 | National Geographic (~5 minutes)
- Why Do Rockets Have Fins? (~7 minutes)
- How Do Rockets Fly? | Let’s Explore Mars! | SciShow Kids (~5 minutes)
- Energy | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids (~4 minutes)
- STS-135 Space Shuttle Launch (~ 26 minutes)
Educational Sites
Kids Britannica – Rockets
DK Find Out! – Forces and Motion
RAMP UP is supported by the Missile Defence Agency. All materials are free.