Art at home: Making a kaleidoscope!

March 19, 2020 | Stéphane Simard

It’s a rainy day outside and you are staying indoors? It is the perfect time to do arts and crafts. Discover how to make a beautiful and colourful kaleidoscope, thanks to our arts and crafts professional Stéphane Simard.

Art at home: Making a kaleidoscope!

It’s a rainy day outside and you are staying indoors? It is the perfect time to do arts and crafts. Discover how to make a beautiful and colourful kaleidoscope, thanks to our arts and crafts professional Stéphane Simard.

Required material

• Cardboard tubes, pack of 8 (1201292)

• Cardboard rolls, pack of 12 (1193549)

• Flexible mirrors, pack of 3 (2088425)

• Acetate (3131414)

• Masking tape 18mm (3391943)

• Permanent markers, 12 colours (3297132)

• Stringing rings 113g (2311157)

• Donvale cardboard - Black (3102043)

• Wax paper

Instructions

• Cut a 21 cm cylinder in a cardboard tube.
• Cut a 21 cm by 10 cm rectangle in the mirror cardboard and on the back of it, draw two lines 3.3 cm apart lengthwise.
• With a knife, pass over the lines, pressing hard.
• Form a triangular prism with masking tape and insert in the tube.
• On a black cardboard, draw the diameter of the cylinder and cut 1 cm larger. Cut out rays to the marked diameter and drill a hole in its center.
• Affix the black cardboard circle to one of the cylinder’s extremities.
• In a cylinder with a slightly larger diameter, cut a 5 cm strip and 2 more strips of 2 cm.
• In the two 2 cm cylinders, cut a 1 cm strip and insert a 2 cm strip in the 5 cm cylinder.
• On a waxed paper, draw the diameter of the cylinder and cut 1 cm larger, then cut out rays to the marked diameter.
• Affix the waxed paper to one of the extremities of the 5 cm cylinder. Insert translucent elements at the bottom of the 5 cm cylinder.
• On an acetate, cut a circle that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the 5 cm cylinder and use the circle to close the compartment containing the translucent elements.
• Insert the 21 cm cylinder into the 5 cm cylinder, use the second 2 cm strip as a retaining ring.
• Observe the magic of patterns and colours by rotating the small cylinder. Decorate your creation to your liking!