Transform a Fairy Liquid bottle into a rocket

You can't send the children to space but with a little imagination and an empty Fairy Liquid bottle, you can create a fun rocket that will keep your intrepid explorers busy for an afternoon.

Suitable for children ages 3+

You will need:

• An empty Fairy Liquid bottle
• PVA glue
• Brush
• Coloured tissue paper
• Scissors
• Egg box
• Card
• Masking tape
• Double-sided tape
• Decorations of your choice (we used stars, tissue paper and foam numbers)
• A creative child

1. Using a brush, apply a generous amount of PVA glue to an empty Fairy Liquid bottle and begin to layer up shreds of tissue paper until the whole area – except the cap and base – are covered.

   

    

2. Leave the bottle to dry. In the meantime, take an egg box and cut off two segments leaving four remaining – this can be quite tough for younger children so you may need to help. Discard the two segments.

   

    

3. As step 1, cover the egg box with PVA glue and layer up tissue paper – this can be the same or a different colour than the tissue paper used for the bottle. This egg box will become the rocket boosters so, as pictured; you may want to opt for a metallic tissue paper.
    
4. Leave the boosters to dry beside the bottle and gather together the card – this will become the wings of the rocket so it doesn’t matter what colour it is. You could even use a cereal box and get your child to colour it in.
    
5. Cut out a simple triangle wing shape that will fit from the top of the bottle (before the curve) to the base of the boosters. Once you’re happy with the size of the wing, use it as a template to create another wing shape for the opposite side of the bottle.

   

    

6. Once you’ve made two wings, check that the bottle and boosters are dry and take two strips of masking tape and affix the boosters to the bottle securely. It helps to remove the cap and tuck the tape inside the neck of the bottle, replacing it to finish.

   

    

7. Take the two wings and create a fold to make a tab. Apply double-sided tape to these tabs and peel off to affix in the position you want the wings. It is probably best to place them over the masking tape to cover it up.

   

    

8. If you wish to, using the method in step 1, you can conceal the masking tape to create a smooth, well-covered surface. Of course, you could get the children to colour it in if that’s what they would rather do. It’s supposed to be fun – not neat!
    
9. Decorate the rocket with stars, foam numbers, glitter or anything else that captures your child’s imagination.

   

    

10. Shred some tissue to create the rocket’s fire – any colour can be used – red, yellow and orange look effective but you can use old magazines too. With plenty of PVA glue, stick the ‘fire’ into the base of the boosters – you can also add some glittery flames, if you wish.

    

The rocket is now ready for its first mission, so with that in mind...

5,4,3,2,1 – we have lift off!