Crafts & activities

How to make a rocket ship

Make your own rocket ship using this easy to follow, step-by-step video tutorial, inspired by star-gazing Alex from See You in the Cosmos. Are you ready to blast off?

Puffin team
Rocket Ship

You will need:

•  A plastic bottle

•  Some cardboard

•  Some coloured paper

•  Acrylic paints

•  Superglue

•  Paintbrushes

•  Scissors

•  4 leftover toilet rolls

•  PVA glue

•  The downloadable templates for the nose, window and fins

Paint, Scissors

How to make:

1. Carefully cut the bottle about two-thirds of the way down.

2. Using the template (or freestyle) draw one fin on a piece of cardboard and cut it out. Use the first fin as a template to trace and cut out three more.

3. On the cardboard, trace a medium-sized circle with a smaller circle inside. Cut it out and then cut out the middle too.

4. Using the circle you just cut out trace a circle on your coloured card and cut it out.

5. Next, draw a large circle on another sheet of coloured card and cut it out – you can use the template or a large bowl for this.

Cardboard, Bottle

6. Now, get your painting shirt on and be prepared to get messy! Paint the fins, window and the bottle in some intergalactic colours. Paint your thrusters and add a go-faster stripe to the rocket, so it looks super speedy.

Cardboard, Paint

7. Let’s put everything together. Cut a wedge from your larger circle and join it together in a cone shape, sticking the edges together with PVA glue. Hold in place until dry.

8. Grab an adult and stick your window on with some super glue, and add your thrusters by inserting inside the bottle.

9. Now add your fins using superglue too.

10. Add some PVA to the top and stick it to the bottle to form the nose.

Your out of this world rocket is now complete. Good work space cadet! 

3… 2… 1… BLAST-OFF!

Watch the video tutorial

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