Build a Rocket Ship – A Fun & Educational Kid Activity

With breaks from preschool or on weekends, come time to play and make believe and create! In making any little arts and crafts projects with your kids, there is so much that is being learned, as well as enjoyed. Make learning subtle and fun, with educational kid activity ideas such as the one here.

We find this one…Out of this world!

kid activity rocket ship

Build a Rocket Ship

Plan a trip to the moon or through the rings of Saturn while you and your child make a unique rocket ship. Fortunately, you don’t need a NASA budget to make this rocket a reality. This activity requires time and patience, but it’s a great way to sneak in some geometry while your child learns about construction and measurement. Get her fired up about outer space as she paints, decorates, and designs her very own rocket. The sky’s the only limit!
Note: This project requires a lot of cutting with a sharp utility knife. Make sure you do these steps yourself but encourage your child to help with measuring and assembling whenever she can.

What You Need

  • Large cardboard box (such as a cabinet box or a dishwasher box)
  • Additional corrugated cardboard
  • Utility knife (and an adult to use it)
  • Straight edge
  • Pencil
  • Packaging or duct tape
  • Tempera or other craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Optional decorations including glow-in-the-dark stickers

What You Do

  1. The large box is the base of the rocket. Start by cutting a door so that little astronauts can enter and leave their rocket ship. You can cut three sides of the door and fold it back so that it is “hinged” or simply cut it out entirely to leave an opening. For an especially big rocket, cut porthole windows as needed to light the interior.
  2. Nothing is worse than an unstable rocket. Cut several triangles from the extra pieces of cardboard and help your young astronaut tape these tail fins to the base of each corner.
  3. Now it’s time to make the nose of your rocket. This will require four corrugated cardboard triangles. Pick one side of the box and attach the triangle to it. The base of the triangle should be the same as the side of the box. Use the straight edge to add the remaining two sides of the triangle; make them equal in length and note this length for the remaining triangles. Repeat this step to make three more identical triangles.
  4. Tape the triangles together to form a pyramid. Then tape the pyramid to the top of your rocket.
  5. Help your astronauts decorate their rocket ship. They can use paint, glow-in-the-dark stickers or markers.

Once the rocket ship is all decorated, use it in some imaginary gameplay! For extra fun, make some mini marshmallow poppers. They’re the perfect alien defense system!

 

This article was provided by Elaine Chong of Education.com, a website full of activity ideas, resources, tools, and learning materials that are developed by educational experts.

 

*Images courtesy of Education.com and Shutterstock

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