Welcome to Cub Scout Pack 122!
Our scouts gathered on a dark and spooky night in their Halloween costumes and participated in various activity stations including some spooky-themed STEM activities like ghost rockets and monster toothpaste! We had a treat decorating station and a sensory activity!
If you'd like to try out making a ghost rocket at home, you'll need:
a film canister (with the lid)
corn starch (1 teaspoon)
water (1-3 teaspoons)
alka seltzer tablets
sharpie or markers (to decorate the film canister)
stirring stick (lolly sticks work great!)
safety goggles!
Once you have the materials, you begin the project with your scout:
Put on your safety goggles!
Have your scout decorate the film canister with the sharpie or markers. They can draw a ghost or they can draw anything they want.
Put 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into the film canister.
Pour 1 teaspoon of water into the film canister.
Stir the cornstarch and water together. You can add more water if the mixture is a little thick. You want it to be thin enough that the alka seltzer will be able to react with the cornstarch.
As quickly as you can, take a quarter (or a half) of an alka seltzer tablet and drop it into the film canister into the mixture of cornstarch and water. Put the lid onto the film canister quickly and tightly.
Give the film canister a quick shake to make sure the ingredients are mixed together well.
Place the film canister upside down on the ground.
Wait!
Eventually, the alka seltzer and cornstarch mix will create so much gas inside of the canister that the pressure will build up enough to pop the canister off the lid. Sometimes the canister can launch 10-20 feet into the air. You can experiment with different amounts and ratios of cornstarch, water, and alkaseltzer!