Learn how to create a kaleidoscope for summer STEAM. This STEAM activity for young kids encourages the sense of sight! We spent a fun morning designing and crafting our DIY kaleidoscope for kids. This kid’s kaleidoscope uses every component of STEAM to create a cool, homemade science toy.
HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE KALEIDOSCOPE FOR KIDS!
WHAT IS STEAM?
Everyone is buzzing about STEAM! That is… Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. These 5 areas of learning are so wonderfully intertwined and offer amazing learning opportunities for kids of all ages. Read more about it here.
STEAM encourages kids to think bigger, do bigger, create bigger, and imagine bigger. Really to think outside the box, test drive the world, and solve problems. This DIY kaleidoscope activity does just that!
DIY KALEIDOSCOPE
I chose to make a kaleidoscope for the sense of sight, but I had no idea where to begin. A bit of searching led me to find several ideas where I would need to purchase items like prisms, glass, plastic etc. Hmm, not going to work for us!
I wanted to use what I had for a simple kaleidoscope perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and even early elementary age kids. I found a very helpful idea here that served as a guide. You can find simple step by step directions similar but slightly different from mine below.
HOW TO MAKE A KALEIDOSCOPE
YOU WILL NEED:
- Pringles can {without chips}
- Shimmery scrap-book paper or aluminum foil
- Hammer and nail
- Clear glue
- Tissue paper, glitter, and sequins
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INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1: Get started on your simple kaleidoscope right away! If you are going to make a Pringles can kaleidoscope, remove chips {eat of necessary}, rinse, and dry the can!
STEP 2: Roll a piece of shimmery silver paper and put it inside the can. Mark and cut off excess. I did not have to tack it down as it uncurled nicely to fit the inside the can.
STEP 3: Cover the outside of the can with a colored paper. We used a shimmery purple paper {or you can paint it!} and secured it with tape. Decorate if you like with markers, stickers, tape, and other embellishments!
STEP 4: Use a hammer and nail to punch an eye hole in the sealed end of the can.
STEP 5: Glue sequins on the inside of the Pringle’s can lid. Then add glitter and colorful paper or other embellishments.
I mixed clear glue with a bit of water and glitter, lots of glitter. We tore and cut tissue paper to glue to the outside of the lid.
Your simple kaleidoscope needs one more thing, A second colorful lens!
STEP 6: For this you want to use clear contact paper. I cut a square and taped it sticky side up to the table. He added a little bit of everything. I pressed another piece of contact paper over the top to seal it.
STEP 7: Use scissors and cut the contact paper to fit your can. You will be putting the lid on over this, so make sure it is a close fit.
Next you want to glue it to the top of can. Our regular Elmer’s glue worked fine.
It’s very important to let everything dry really well. Put the lid on your simple kaleidoscope and head outside.
USING YOUR HOMEMADE KALEIDOSCOPE
Twist the lid as you point the kaleidoscope up towards the sun. The fixed lens underneath the lid stays in place while the outside lid spins around it mixing all sorts of shimmering colors! The brighter the light the cooler it looks. We tested this of course!
NOTE: Please help your child and never encourage looking directly into the sun.
KALEIDOSCOPE FOR KIDS
Since we didn’t have a prism or mirrors for our kaleidoscope, our science lesson was pretty basic. We discussed the reflection of light. When the light comes in, it bounces off the shimmery paper and is reflected back out in the direction it came in. This creates the colors and patterns. He pointed out all the colors he could see as he twisted the lid.
EASY DIY KALEIDOSCOPE KIDS CAN MAKE FROM THE RECYCLING BIN!
Simple ways to take STEM outdoors. Click on the link or on the photo below.
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Sue Lively
June 5, 2015 at 12:48 pmSo cool Sarah! I love the spinning lid idea and we just happen to have a pringles can at home. I think this is our project for today (it’s raining – perfect!)
littlebins
June 5, 2015 at 2:49 pmThank you! It works out pretty well. I am not crafty and even I could show my son how to do it!
Emma
June 5, 2015 at 1:44 pmI had no idea it could be so easy to make a kaleidoscope!
littlebins
June 5, 2015 at 2:49 pmI know right Emma. I had no idea either. Although I would love to try one with a prism but this is still so cool.
Ana
June 5, 2015 at 2:50 pmI love it!
Anne
June 5, 2015 at 3:01 pmLove the process for adding the sparkle to the kaleidoscope. We made these at preschool the other day and this tutorial would have made them so much better!
Leslie
June 6, 2015 at 6:03 amSuch a cool, cool idea! 🙂 Love how colorful and fun it turned out!
Pat Mersch
June 7, 2015 at 12:45 pmI want ideas for retired residents for crafting projects, that stimulate and encourage them to think out of the box.
Dr Darren Garside
May 22, 2016 at 3:10 pmI have to point out that this is a potentially dangerous concept. Pointing objects at the sun and exposing young retinas to direct light is risky with huge potential downsides. Even if well-made the object is risky; if poorly constructed it could be downright dangerous. The site’s owners need to have very high public liability insurance!
littlebins
May 23, 2016 at 7:31 amThank you for your feedback. It is noted that kids should not look directly into the sun.
Shreya
June 1, 2016 at 9:31 amThis helped my young brother a lot and made him interested in doing more such projects developing his skills and knowledge
Ayush
December 28, 2016 at 9:48 pmVery easy to make
Roberta McLean
January 16, 2018 at 5:56 pmI do summer crafts with kids at my church. I have been looking for a project just like this for them. Age perfect!
littlebins
January 17, 2018 at 10:43 amAwesome! Have fun!