GHOST ROCKETS

Halloween is right around the corner and we have two family members who are counting down the days. Alexis and Kelly have formed a strong bond over ghosts, goblins and all things scary. While it is not even October yet we decided to embark on a science experiment that involved Ghosts rocketing into the sky.

Do you know any kids who don’t like things exploding? We don’t either!

 
 
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Supplies:

  • Film Containers (these are a must and cannot be replaced with anything else - see below)

  • Corn Starch

  • Alka-Seltzer

  • Water

  • Black Marker or Silver Pen (not pictured)

  • Optional: Food Coloring

 

STEP ONE:

Start by drawing ghost faces on the film canisters. On the black canister we used a silver pen.

 

Step TWO:

Fill each container 1/3 full with water.

 

step three:

Add corn starch to the water and mix. The consistency should be smooth and the thickness of kids paint. Combine the mixture by putting the cap on and shaking it.

If you want to make your ghost orange add red and yellow food coloring. Feel free to get creative with the colors.

 

step four:

Break the Alka-Seltzer into 3-4 pieces. Drop a few of the pieces into the canister, cap the lid, flip over and step back! In no time the canister will explode sending your ghost soaring through the air. Sometimes it takes a little time for the bubbles to form and the explosion to occur, so be patient.

After you have your first explosion begin to experiment with the mixture. What happens when you add less corn starch or alka-seltzer? What happens if you add more?

Check out the last picture - the explosion took a little while and scared me.

I was only able to get a picture of the bits of mixture throughout the air. Can you see the orange specks?

As you can see Jameson loved every aspect of this experiment. Breckin was watching from the house. We love seeing their different personalities come out with every new adventure.

 

MISTAKES:

Originally we thought that any canister would work. We tried travel containers and it was a major fail. First, we didn’t know the top was an essential part. When we flipped the containers over the mixture ran down into the turf. Then we tried a hard surface and the mixture still spilled out as soon as we put them upside down. Our last attempt was putting it in Alexis’ hand. Please do NOT do this because the mixture turns into an acid and she got burned a little bit.