Balloon Rocket Races

I’m a firm believer that balloons hold a special place in every child’s heart. They also have a tendency to bring the child out of every adult. There are usually at least one or two balloons floating around our house. Our little nugget loves hitting them up into the air, while we try our best to make sure that they don’t touch the ground. She also loves when I blow them up and then let them go (without tying them) as we watch them zoom erratically around the house. So when I came across a picture on Pinterest for Balloon Rockets, I was inspired to give them a try.

I gathered the necessary supplies: balloons, straws, yarn, and some packing tape (along with two dining room chairs) and set out to create our Balloon Rocket drag-race course.

To replicate this activity, all you need to do is set two chairs at opposing ends of a room. Tie a piece of yarn onto the left-side of one chair (leaving the right-side for the opposing piece of yarn).  Run your yarn straight across to the other chair, and before tying it tightly in place, slide the piece of yarn through a straw, so that the straw is elevated by the yarn, between the two chairs. Repeat this step with a second piece of yarn (and a second straw) on the right-side of the chairs.

Once your drag-race course is constructed, you’re ready to race some Balloon Rockets – so grab your balloons and your tape! I found the easiest way to get the balloons attached to the straws, was to inflate them first. Then, while holding the balloons directly under the straws, place two pieces of tape over the straws and onto the balloons, pressing down to secure the tape.

Since you cannot tie the balloons (once they are inflated) to do this activity…the more available hands you have, the easier this activity becomes…especially if you are racing with a toddler. It is hard for little toddler hands to grasp the end of the balloon tight enough to hold all of the air in before the bell signals the start of the race.

Although you can always just do one string. In fact, my daughter and I had a ton of fun just shooting one balloon across the room, before we decided to balloon battle.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching my little nugget’s face as she watched her balloon race forward, especially because the balloon emitted a little puff of air that blew her hair every time. Anything you can do to make your toddler giggle, is always worth the effort!

And once we had some practice under our belts…the Balloon Rocket Races began!