Tea Bag Rocket – The Updated Version of the Classic Ditto Paper Rocket
The Tea Bag Rocket is really an adaptation of a classic science demonstration called the Ditto Paper Rocket. If you’re old enough to have experienced Ditto paper, you’ll recall the bluish-purple ink and that unforgettable smell of freshly printed copies. (Come to find out… both the Ditto machine solvent and the ink were highly toxic, but no one seemed to care back then.) Each piece of Ditto paper had a sheet of tissue paper that separated the two-part form, and it was this discarded piece of paper that kids used to make the “rocket.” Since Ditto paper is a thing of the past, science teachers found a simple replacement – a tea bag.
It’s 2 am and I had to try this experiment–it’s really “cool”! You have to be sure to get the flow through teabags, though. It’s a little bit of a balancing act to keep the bag upright, but it’s awesome when the little puff takes off!
I’m going to use this in class today.
Thanks, Steve…
The Science Lady of Walsh Elementary School
I think you are a pretty good guy and i like your website a lot.And i may come and get some stuff from your store.
i like your products a lot. i would like to see more of products.
We are very please that you are enjoying our products. Unfortunately we do not have a store, but we would be happy to assist you in a purchase from our website or catalog.
I love this science experiment, yet when I try it, it doesn’t work. I have tried Lipton tea bags, Bigalow green tea bags and even safeway brand black tea bags and none of them work! What am I doing wrong??
It is a tricky demonstration. I seem to have the most success when the tea bag stands up on it’s open end like a column. Good Luck!
I know i love this experiment too. But few years back I did this experiment and it worked perfectly, I used lipton. But know when i tried it with Lipton tea bags , it didn’t work at all. I don’t know why this happened, the first try there was heating in my house. But the second try i switched it off. Can someone help me?