Follow along with Durga, age 11, and learn how to make a thaumatrope, an optical toy that was popular in the 1800s. Roughly translated from Greek, the word thaumatrope means "wonder turn."<br /><br />Materials:<br /><br />--card stock<br />--pencil or pen<br />--roll of masking tape, plastic lid, or another circular shape to trace scissors<br />--hole punch<br />--two rubber bands<br /><br />Instructions:<br /><br />1. Think about what you want to draw on your thaumatrope. It needs to have two related elements—like a bird and a cage, or a fish and a bowl.<br />2. Draw a circle on a piece of card stock. You can trace something with a circular shape, like a roll of masking tape or plastic lid.<br />3. Cut out the circle and punch two holes opposite each other and at the edge.<br />4. Make sure the holes are horizontal. Then, draw an element on one side.<br />5. Now flip the circle over from bottom to top.<br />6. Draw the second element on the other side.<br />7. String a rubber band through one of the holes, and thread one end through the loop at the other end. Repeat on the other side.<br />8. Pull the rubber bands tight and use your forefingers and thumbs to spin the circle back and forth. Watch your two drawings become one!
