1+2+3 Ten-Second Stomp Rocket
Make a juice-bag-powered rocket in less time than it takes to drink it.
You will need: An empty Capri Sun (or other foil-lined juice bag with a straw), a marker, some tape, and a foot
Make it.
When my dad and I became frustrated building a complicated model rocket, we took a snack break and I had a Capri Sun. After I drank the juice bag dry, I figured out that I could make a stomp rocket in about ten seconds. I folded over one end of the straw that came with the juice and taped it closed. Then I blew air into the bag to inflate it and inserted the straw back into the hole. I put it on the floor, and “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … blast off!” I stomped on the bag and the straw shot across the room. It was way faster than building our rocket and just as cool.
TIP: It helps to mark the straw about 1" from the insertion end, so you don’t put it in too far. This prevents the stomping foot from stepping on the straw rocket.
Illustration by Tim Lillis
Emma Wagstaff, now age 9, is a fourth-grader at Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto, Calif. She loves sports, including soccer, baseball, surfing, and windsurfing, and she loves reading and doing all kinds of projects.
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