Straw Rockets

Topic: Air Takes up Space, Air Can Move Objects, Air Pressure

Project: Straw Rockets!

Academic Area/Skills: Science, Art

Grades: K-1

Materials: Paper pre-cut into 7″x1.5″ rectangles, thin markers, clear tape, straws

We began our lesson by filling out our Know/Want to Know Chart. I choose not to include Learned because I knew that for our 30 minute lesson, we wouldn’t have time at the end to return to our chart. However, if you have a longer session, this would be beneficial. Students discussed what they knew about air. Answers varied from “Air is invisible” to “Air helps things float.” We then took a minute to ask a few questions about air. Next, I asked the class two of my own questions; “Does air take up space?” and “Can air move objects?”

To demonstrate how air takes up space, we all took in a deep breath and blew out the air. Many students said no, air doesn’t take up space. Next, I took a balloon and filed it with air. I asked again, and students visually could now see, that yes, air does take up space. We next talked about how air can move objects. I demonstrated the straw rockets with students, and explained why and how the air pressure shoots the paper off the straw.

Students grabbed paper and began decorating their rockets. Next, they added tape to a long edge of the paper and rolled the paper around a pencil to make it a cylinder. They taped the tube tight on the long end and one short end and slipped the pencil out from the cylinder. From here, the paper tube fit over a straw just right. We then took our rockets outside for some launching!