Blast Off with a Homemade Rocket Ship!

What You Need:

• Paper towel rolls
• Aluminum foil
• Scissors
• White construction paper
• Pencil
• Stapler
• Tissue paper (red, yellow or orange – or all three!)
• Glue

What You Do:

1. Begin to construct your space shuttle by covering a paper towel roll using aluminum foil and tape. Be sure to leave both ends open and tuck any extra foil down into the roll.
2. Using white construction paper, have your child draw a circle about six inches in diameter. See if she can cut the circle out. If you need to help with this step, that's okay!
3. Fold the circle in half and then form it into a cone shape. Staple the bottom of the two ends together. The cone should have a nice point on top!
4. Dab glue all around the top edge of the toilet paper roll. Place the cone on top of the glue, with the point side facing away from the toilet paper roll. Press gently and let it dry.
5. While the cone is drying, give your child a few colors of tissue paper in red, yellow and/or orange. Have her either cut strips or rip strips of the tissue paper to use as the rocket's flames. The more flames the better!
6. Dab a little glue on each piece of tissue and glue them to the inside of the bottom of the roll. Make sure they are long enough so the strips stick out of the roll and look like flames.
7. For added touches, have your child decorate the body of the roll by gluing cut outs all over it. Encourage her to use her imagination, or to look at a book about rocket ships for ideas. Maybe she wants to name her rocket or put an American flag on it. Whatever she decides, her very own rocket ship is now ready for take off!