Summer Boost
Activity:
DIY Jetpack
Help your child rocket off for some high-flying fun with a jetpack you make from recycled materials and a few odds and ends. Unlike many other jetpack craft tutorials, this one does not require spray paint which can make the craft difficult to complete if you're an apartment dweller. Your child can also do much more of this spray paint-free project himself for a greater sense of accomplishment.
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What You Need:
- Two 2-liter soda bottles with lids
- Corrugated cardboard
- Felt or polar fleece
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Orange, red or yellow tissue paper
- Aluminum foil
- Scotch tape
- Painters tape
What You Do:
- The first three steps are for the adult to do: Cut a square piece of corrugated cardboard approximately 8 inches by 8 inches. This is the base onto which you will staple the shoulder straps and tape the jets. It should be small enough not to be seen behind two soda bottles lying side by side.
- Cut two strips of felt, long enough to be shoulder straps so that your child can comfortably wear his jetpack. Make each strap approximately 1 inch wide.
- Staple these straps onto the top and bottom of the corrugated cardboard square.
- Now it's time to get your child involved. Have him cut strips of tissue paper to be the flames. They don’t have to be over an inch wide and can vary in length. They can also be jagged on the bottom so that they look a bit more flame-like.
- Help him make two stacks out of these strips, fanning them out slightly. Staple each stack.
- Tear off two large pieces of aluminum foil and use one to cover each of the soda bottles, carefully fitting the foil to each bottle. Tape the long seam of the foil with small pieces of scotch tape.
- Use one long piece of painters tape to tape the soda bottle jets to the cardboard base.
- With smaller pieces of tape, fix the flames to the bottle lids.
- Now turn your child loose for some high-flying fun!
Host an outer space themed birthday party with jetpack building as a craft activity. Then your astronauts can stage races of various kinds to see which jetpack is the fastest.
