Hello everyone!
My name is Ana from Toronto Public Library.
Welcome to Mini Makers at Home.
Mini Makers at Home is an online library program
where each week, kids and families will explore
STEM concepts through fun, hands on activities.
STEM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math.
Learning about STEM is really important because
these concepts are all around us, and help
us discover, explore and innovate, and it
can be really fun!
For today’s challenge we will be creating
straw rockets and learning about the physics
of motion.
Summer is great time for stargazing, but sometimes
when you are looking at the night sky you
see a light that appears to be moving very
slowly.
These lights are often satellites circling
our planet in orbit.
They orbit our earth collecting information
about weather patterns, geographic features
like glaciers, and information about space.
But how do satellites get up into space?
Through a rocket!
Zoom!
A rocket is a flying device that burns fuel
to create enough energy to push itself into
space.
When fuel burns it creates hot gases, that
are released from its engine as exhaust.
When this exhaust is released it pushes down
on the ground.
This push downward is called an action force
and it causes the rocket to move upward in
the opposite direction, this is called a reaction
force.
Today’s STEM challenge explores these two
forces that act opposite to one another.
Another way that you can see them in action
is by sitting on a wheeled chair and pushing
against a wall.
Be sure to ask a grown up if it’s okay to
test this out.
Even though you pushed on the wall, you moved
away from it.
That’s because for every action there is
an equal and opposite reaction.
This is called Newton’s third law of Physics
and it can be a super fun!
Weeee!
Engineers developing new rockets need to think
of ways to control the rocket’s speed, accuracy
and ability to fly long distances.
They do this by changing variables on a rocket.
A variable is a feature that can be changed
such as fin size, number of fins, shape and
the angles of the rocket’s design.
By changing one variable at a time, engineers
can determine if that change leads to an improvement
in the performance of the rocket.
Other factors that can affect a rocket’s
success in getting into space are drag, gravity
and weight.
Drag is a resistance force that can slow a
rocket down.
Gravity, is a force pulling the rocket down
toward earth, and the more a rocket weighs
the more force is needed for lift off.
The lighter a rocket is the less drag it has,
the further and faster it will go, and the
easier it will be able to enter earth’s
orbit.
For this week, we are going to build a straw
rocket, and you will see the physics of motion
in action!
So, lets get started!
For this activity you will need:
• paper
• scissors
• clear tape or a glue stick
• straws
• a ruler or measuring tape
• pencil
• markers, crayons or pencil crayons to
decorate your rocket
Using these materials, we will build a straw
rocket.
We will begin by measuring a strip of paper
that is 2inches by 4 inches in size and cutting
it out of our paper.
You can use your markers, crayons or pencil
crayons to decorate this strip of paper as
it will be the body of the rocket.
Next, roll the strip of paper loosely around
the straw lengthwise.
If your straw and pencil are around the same
width you can also roll the paper around your
pencil.
Tape the paper roll along the long edge to
secure the tube shape.
This may be a little tricky to hold and tape
together so you may want to work together
with your grown up.
Remember to keep your paper tube a little
loose around your straw.
If you roll it too tightly, there will be
too much friction between the paper and the
straw and your rocket will not launch.
Once you’ve secured your paper tube around
your straw, use the sharpened end of the pencil
to twist the top of the rocket body into a
nose cone.
Be careful not to jab yourself as you do this
step.
Many rockets have fins to help them stay on
course and soar smoothly through the air.
Fins provide stability as a rocket moves through
the air very quickly.
You can add fins to your rocket by measuring
a square 2 inches by 2 inches, then drawing
a line from one corner to the opposite corner
so that you end up with four triangles.
You don’t have to add fins to your rocket
if you don’t want to, but if you do don’t
forget to decorate your fins before you cut
them out.
This will create your fin shapes for your
rocket.
You can add them on with tape or glue.
Be sure to place your fins on opposite sides
of your rocket so they can work together to
add stability to your ship.
Now onto the fun part—you get to test your
rocket!
Before you begin check with your grown up
to find a safe place to launch your rockets.
Remember safety first!
Never point your rocket at another person.
When you are ready to launch place your paper
rocket onto your straw, take a deep breath
and 3-2-1…Blast off!
What did you see?
Did your rocket go far?
You can change the variables of your rocket
or make many different rockets to test out.
You can make rockets with one fin, you make
rockets with no fins at all.
You can make one with a cone tip or with a
flat tip, one that is tightly wrapped around
the straw or one that is even more loosely
wrapped around the straw.
You can also experiment with different straw
types like milkshake straws, silicone straws
or metal straws.
Try making your own chart at home to track
how changing each of these variables affects
your straw rocket.
I made one here to show you.
There’s a column where I can describe the
type of rocket I’m launching, like so, and
another column where I can record the distance
each rocket travelled.
You can try this too.
As you launch your rocket multiple times use
measuring tape or a ruler to record how far
it travels during each launch.
Earlier we talked about weight and shape as
different variables that engineers consider
when designing a rocket.
Try adding some weight such as cotton balls
to your rocket.
How does it affect its performance?
You can also experiment with different rocket
shapes or fin sizes to test out new designs.
Parents and caregivers, you play an important
role in supporting your child’s learning
by participating and engaging with them in
everyday activities.
I hope you enjoyed todays Mini Makers at Home
program.
Check back soon for more Toronto Public Library
Mini Makers at Home programs.
Bye for now!
