How to make a rocket ship

Early this week was the anniversary of the first man that walked in space - no, not Neil Armstrong (that was Isla’s guess too) but Alexey Leonov. Leonov walked around in space tethered to the space craft in 1965, 4 years before Armstrong’s moon walk. So in honour of this event and since Isla is learning about space at school I thought we should pull out the space ship we made a few months back.

This craft started since Isla was excited to have a Pringles tube in the kids craft’s recyclable stash since they are pretty rare in our house. I thought it would be fun to make it into a rocket ship. We glued on tin foil around it and I cut a hole for the astronaut window (I ended up using a steak knife for this). We used black craft foam to make the fins and top point. I glue gunned them to the tube. The top point was made with a foam cone that was glued to the lid of the tube so it can be removed for the astronaut to get in and out.

Isla got her Lalaloopsy mini doll - Dot Starlight, who was made from an astronaut spacesuit - to fly in the space ship. Then I realized that she needed a seat so she could look out the window. I used another piece of craft foam to make it. Cut a circle larger then the opening of the tube and cut slits around it and pull up and glue a stripe of foam to make a little dish - then push the dish inside the tube. The dish is a little bigger then the opening so it stays in place if it’s not pushed too much. Now Dot has somewhere to sit and see out the window.

To finish it up we decorated with a bit more craft foam and stickers and added red curling ribbon to the bottom for flames.

I think Dot likes her new ride.

Even the cat was curious.