Fizz-Pop Canister Rockets

Professor O will help you learn: Builds paper rockets around small snap-lid canisters that blast upwards when fizzing tablets make gas inside. Children learn that the reaction releases carbon dioxide, pressure builds until the lid pops off, and the rocket shoots the other way, showing Newton's third law. It is a fire-free way to enjoy the excitement of a rocket launch.
⚠️ Launch outdoors only, on a hard surface, and wear safety glasses or sunglasses. Never lean over a rocket after it is loaded; step back at least two metres straight away. If it doesn't launch within 30 seconds, wait a full minute before an adult approaches it. The canister needs a lid that fits inside the rim and snaps on; screw lids can build too much pressure and must not be used. Effervescent tablets are not sweets, so an adult should keep and hand out the tablets.
Steps
- Decorate a sheet of paper with bright firework stripes and stars.
- Wrap the paper around the canister, with the lid end sticking out at the bottom, and tape it into a tube.
🔒
7 more steps with Premium
Unlock this project and every other Premium project — with the step-by-step pictures and the narrated play-through.
You might also like

Crackly Bonfire Toffee Apples
Makes the traditional Bonfire Night treat of apples coated in shiny red toffee. Children see how heating sugar and water boils the water away until the sugar reaches the 'hard crack' stage and sets into a glassy solid, and practise reading a thermometer.

Firework in a Jar
Drops of food colouring are stirred into oil and floated on top of warm water, where they sink and burst into silent, swirling firework trails. Children learn that oil and water do not mix, and that water-based food colouring stays in little beads in the oil until it reaches the water and spreads out.

Shake-and-Burst Firework Bottle
A calming sensory bottle where glitter and star sequins burst and swirl like fireworks, then slowly drift down. Young children explore how glue makes water thicker so things sink more slowly, and it is a gentle way to talk about loud fireworks if they feel worried on Bonfire Night.