Can You Design A Kaleidoscope?

Today we are learning all about how to make a kaleidoscope using math and art! Let’s start with the basics...what is a kaleidoscope? It’s an instrument that contains loose bits of colored material between two flat plates and two plane mirrors so placed that changes of position of the bits of material are reflected in an endless variety of patterns. 

For this challenge, students will create their own kaleidoscope using math and art.

What you need...

• Can You Design A Kaleidoscope? Creator Sheet
• 2 Square Pieces Of Paper (The Same Size)
• Pencil & Eraser
• Scissors
• Black Sharpie
• Colored Pencils Or Markers

What you need to do...

• Fold both pieces of paper in half diagonally, then in half again. Unfold both of them and put one to the side.
• Cut out a triangle from only one of the pieces that was folded.
• With the long edge along the bottom and the point facing up, write your name with large letters so that it fills the entire triangle.
• Draw an outline around your stick letters, and make the letters thick and have them touch all three sides of your triangle. Trace over your pencil lines with Sharpie.
• Take the triangle with your name and put it under the other paper, match triangle for triangle. Trace your outline letters with pencil onto the new paper.
• Continue tracing your name onto each section, flipping your name over each time you trace it to achieve a “mirror image”. (Flipping your name over each time you trace it is essential to achieving a mirror image, so don’t forget this important step!!)
• Trace over all your pencil lines with Sharpie.
• Color with markers or colored pencils.
• Want to be challenged? Follow the same directions above, but fold your paper one more time in step 1, so that you have 8 triangles instead of 4 when you unfold your paper.Then line up your triangles for tracing so that each corner is made up of a mirror image of your name. Outline with Sharpie and color.

We would love to see you try this STEM challenge. Share your results with us through social media!

Happy Making,

Maker Maven