During this reaction the products are sodium acetate ( C 2H 3NaO 2 ). Baking soda is a base also known as Sodium Bicarbonate and has the chemical formula ‎NaHCO 3. Vinegar or Acetic Acid has the chemical formula CH 3COOH. This activity explores the popular baking soda and vinegar reaction, which is a simple acid-base chemical reaction.

Then we learned about physics and how when you trap that gas from the chemical reaction pressure builds up and when finally released it has enough force to cause thrust, therefore launching our rocket “into the clouds!”.

We learned about how this particular chemical reaction has one important product: Carbon Dioxide Gas.

Chemical reactions with our all time favourite reaction: baking soda and vinegar (base and acid).

Engineering, measurements (math) and some physics to create a base that is functional, strong and stable.

With this Bottle Rocket project we learned about: This is an incredible STEM activity but can easily be turned into a STEAM activity. Flip the bottle over, place it in the launchpad and move back quickly! You need to move quickly for this next part. Insert a wine cork into the mouth of the pop bottle, make sure it is in there tightly. Fold up the paper towel so the baking soda is wrapped up inside and it fits snugly inside the mouth of the bottle. Place about a tablespoon (we used a HEAPING tablespoon… my teens love a BIG blast off!) of baking soda in the centre of the paper towel. Take a piece of paper towel and cut it to about 4 inches square. Place approximately 1 – 2 cups of vinegar in the bottle. Set your launchpad in a nice big open area, on nice solid ground. Feel free to decorate it and make it really look like a rocket. Our rockets hit anywhere from 30 to 50 feet in height (as a rough estimate based on the height of our house), and the wind can pick it up and cause it to fly pretty far sideways too. You will want to do this in a fairly open area.

To do this you will need the following supplies:Īn empty, rinsed pop bottle (I believe my American friends call it soda!)Ī cork (or substitute something like a pool noodle piece, a cork will give more power to your launch!)Ī nice big open space Preparing for Launch

3, 2, 1… Blast off the fun!īuilding the launchpad works on both math skills (measurements and fitting a round thing in a square hole), and engineering (stability and strength in the construction are key). If you are still having issues, please check the STEAM Powered Family YouTube Channel and find the video there. If you can’t see the video of this fun activity in action, ensure you have turned off your adblockers as they also block our video feed. But even though my kids are teens now, they still LOVE setting off rockets in the backyard! Check out our Bottle Rockets video! I have now updated it with better pictures and video. In fact this is one of the very first activities we shared at STEAM Powered Family. What is it about making big epic reactions that makes all kids REALLY love science? We have done bottle rockets so many times during the years. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there.

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Water bottle rocket