Earlier this week, Roy was very interested to learn about the history of kaleidoscopes and how they work. He loves the kaleidoscopes in the Tingle Factor Box collection, and it occurred to him that some children might not have a kaleidoscope of their own. He thought this was very sad, because watching the patterns is something he loves to do. He decided he would like to teach the children to make one so that they can enjoy making their own patterns. So this week, Roy Creates A Kaleidoscope.
You Will Need:
- 2 toilet rolls or a paper towel roll
- Firm cardboard
- aluminium foil
- Scissors or a craft knife
- Sticky tape
- A ruler
- Cling wrap
- Baking paper
- Shiny objects (sequins, confetti, beads etc)
- A piece of paper
Optional: Wrapping paper, white paper, stickers, pens, pencils, glue.
Method:
- First, you will make the 'mirrors' for inside your kaleidoscope. Measure how long one of your toilet rolls is. Cut your piece of cardboard to be the same length (you can make them a few millimetres shorter, but no longer). Now, you need to cut the piece of cardboard into three lengths, each 3 centimetres wide. Make sure three, put together into a triangle, will fit inside the toilet roll and if it is too tight, cut them down a little!
- Carefully cover each piece of cardboard with the aluminium foil (shiny side out) making sure not to wrinkle the foil. Use the sticky tape to hold the foil in place
- Now, use the sticky tape to secure your three mirrors together. You will be shaping them like a long triangle, as Roy has done above. You want the 'mirror' sides to face inward.
- Trace around the circular end of your toilet roll onto your piece of paper. Cut the circle out, slightly bigger than the end of the toilet roll and cut slits in from the edge, to the circle you traced.
- Use the sticky tape to stick your circle of paper over one end of one of the toilet rolls. Fold the flaps you made over the edge of the toilet roll and stick them down.
- Carefully cut a small hole in the centre of the circle over the end of the toilet roll. Remember, you can always make it bigger, but you can't make it shrink!
- Slide your mirrors inside the toilet roll.
- Use the craft knife to cut a piece off the other toilet roll as Roy is doing above. You want to have a piece of toilet roll 1/2 centimetre long.
- Put the piece of plastic (Roy used cling wrap) over the end of your toilet roll (so make sure your mirrors are inside or you will have to take the plastic off again) and pull it tight. Use the rubber band to hold it in place. Trim the ends and sticky tape it in place. You can remove the rubber band now.
- Put the piece of toilet roll you cut off on top of the plastic wrap and use the sticky tape to hold it firmly in place.
- Put some of your shiny objects inside the piece of toilet roll. The plastic will keep them from falling down into the mirrors.
- Cover the end of your kaleidoscope with the baking paper, as you did with the other end and then sticky tape it down.
- Hold your kaleidoscope up to the light and look through the hole in the end. Turn the kaleidoscope to change the patterns you can see. If you can't see anything, make the hole a little bit bigger.
- You can decorate the outside of your kaleidoscope with wrapping paper or white paper, stickers, pens and pencils if you like, as Roy did.
