Bottle Rockets – Epic Blast Offs! (Revisited and Powered Up!)

ByShelley Brewer Posted: Updated:

So a couple of weeks ago I posted about the bottle rockets the boys and I created one afternoon when they were bored. It was a great activity that involved engineering and chemistry for some STEAM powered summer fun! But we knew we could go bigger and better.

Bottle Rockets Powered Up

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It was fun and super easy using what I had on hand, but it lacked a bit of intensity. I even mentioned in that first article that I thought a proper cork (rather than the pool noodle piece I used originally) would work better.

And guess what? It REALLY worked better!

Using the exact same process as last time, but set up in an area where we had more space, we set off our bottle rockets this time using a proper wine cork.

The results were amazing!

Bottle Rockets Powered Up

Check out the video!

With our pool noodle corks we had about 4 to 5 feet of lift off. With the bottle rockets we shot “into the clouds” according to Preston! Now I don’t think we pierced any clouds but we went much, much higher than the roof of our very tall two story home.

It was so much fun setting off these rockets, but be careful, they have a lot of power behind them. So make sure you keep kids and pets far away from the blast zone (we set ours on a high table). It took up to a minute for a few of the rockets to take off, so be patient!

By doing this experiment a second time using the different types of corks, the kids were able to learn about pressure and how greater pressure gave us more force and lift!

It was a fun and successful revisit of a really fun activity.

To find out all the details on how to make bottle rockets with items you have around the house (an amazing way to entertain the kids on a summer day), check out my original bottle rockets post. I share all the steps there. Enjoy!

Bottle Rockets Powered Up

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Shelley is the owner and creator of STEAM Powered Family, which she started in 2015 as a way to share her passion for how brains work, plus education and learning. She has a BSc Psychology Specialization, with post grad research and studies in memory, cognition, learning and childhood mental health. She is passionate about exploring educational approaches that promote positive children's mental health practices, and inclusive practices that encourage a love of learning in all students. Most of all she loves research and figuring out how things work, and sharing that knowledge with others. Shelley also loves reading, writing, hiking and traveling with her family.