A paper rocket is a fun way to blow off some steam or simply enjoy the experience of making something. There are many ways to make paper rockets, and they are most commonly made using printer cartridges as propellant.
Printer cartridge propellant can come in many forms. Some options are plain white glue, cereal boxes, and packages of mixed colors of craft materials. Using glue or cereal boxes is the easiest method, but if you have limited creative abilities then you can use that.
The last method we will discuss is using mixed colored printer cartridges. While this may sound complicated, it is actually quite easy. All you really need to do is match up the inner and outer rings of the cartridge!
How to Make Paper Rocket will take you step-by-step through the process of making a rocket out of cereal box crinkles, glue, and colorful printer cartridges.
Contents:
Make a cone shape
When you put your paper together, you fold the two edges in together 90 degrees, then unfold them.
Now, you have to fold one edge in again and this time pin it to the opposite edge to create the cone shape. This is where your glue comes in!
Glue the paper rocket to the top and let dry. Try firing your rocket just before dark as mosquitoes are their most active during this time of the year!
Bullet point away! Now that you know how to make a paper rocket, try making some firework rockets or making some model rockets.
Fold the paper in half
Now, fold the paper in half lengthwise, leaving a short end. Do not unfold the paper yet-this is for the next part.
Then, walk your feet out and push up with your hands to form an arced rocket shape. Repeat this process once more to make a series of rockets.
Dismissed? If so, let’s get started! First, we will make our tapered tip. Draw a line along one edge of your rocket to give it some strength, then draw another line parallel to the first to create a tapered end.
Fold the paper in half again
Now, fold in half again to create a tube-like shape. This will make the rocket go up in a circle pattern.
Mock up of how the paper rocket will look once it is built
How to Make a Paper Rocket The first step in making a paper rocket is to fold the white paper in half again. This time, however, put your hands on the outside and inside of the folded piece of paper and roll out the medium length piece of paper into an upright shape. Now, draw a line down the middle of the rocket and bring one end of the rocket up. Then, pull one end down and across as shown above. You are done! Principally, you want to concentrate on creating your launch pad and launching your rocket.
Barbara Bach is an expert at teaching children how to make crafts using technology like computers or phones as well as letting them get their own ideas.
Make a smaller cone shape
When you reach the peak of the paper rocket, you have to make a small change. You can do this by making a smaller cone shape shape of the launch pad.
Traditionally, people made these shapes by diving into a pool and creating large underwater platforms that looked like rockets were launching. These platforms increased the thickness of the paper and required more time to fold and roll it.
You can also fold and roll the paper thinner by making a smaller launch pad. This can be easier to do if you use thicker paper, so use your own judgment on how thick you want your rocket to look!
Either way, they are cute! Try some different shapes and sizes out to make sure you do not lose anyone on your team.
Roll the larger cone shape into a tube shape
Once you have the basic shape of the paper rocket, roll it into a tube shape. This will make it much easier to create the launch effect.
To roll, use a rolling pin to place a mark at one end and gently wrap the tube shape end to end until it is full. Now draw a line along one side and flip the tube over to match the new line.
Voila! You have your paper rocket! Make some quick enough that your friends will want to try them out right away.
How long will your rocket stay aloft? How many shots can you make? Why don’t more people make rockets out of paper? We have some bad news: making your own rockets isn’t for everyone.
Flatten the small cone shape
Now that your rocket is hollow, let’s add the propellant!
Using your ruler, measure down to the bottom of the cone shape. Add about an inch for de- measurement.
Then, measure up to the top of the cone shape. This will determine how much propellant you have left!
Now that we have our amount of propellant, let’s make our rocket!
Using a cereal box as our base, cut out two equal sizes of the cone shape. Place one powder into the center and mix well. Add more if needed! Now tie off the end and let dry before putting in an oven or fire place.
Wrap the flat piece of paper around the small cone shape
Now, place the large piece of paper over the top of the small cone shape.
You can now push down on the rocket to fire it!
This process will take some time, so be patient. Once you have made a few rockets, try firing several in quick succession to test your skills.
If you are having difficulty firing your rockets quickly, reduce the decrease in height of your hands or increase thickness of paper you use to create the rocket. Both of these may help boost your speed even more!
To check how well you are improving your skill, fire a few and see if you can land it on one foot! If so, great! You have made some good progress.
Tape together tightly
When you’re ready to make your rocket, it’s time to tape together the two sheets of paper. You can use regular double-sided tape, or one of the specialty tapes listed below.
Regular double-sided tape can be used for many things: hanging pictures, makingograms, etc. Specialty tapes are designed for paper: Bristol board, rice paper, etc. These do not work for many crafts as the surface must be joined in order for it to function correctly.
Reactive dyeing materials like rice paper and Bristol board do not work with regular tape because it gets stuck on one side when pulling it free. The other side has wet dye running on it and no way to remove it!
Hanging decorations or patterns on a craft project is a better way to use reactive dyeing materials.