Today’s at home activity involves a $10 word: thaumatrope.
What’s a thaumatrope, you ask?
It’s an optical toy with a picture on each side that, when spun fast enough, appear to blend into one because of persistence of vision.
What’s persistence of vision, you ask?
It’s the ability of the human eye to retain an image for 1/20 of a second and blend it with another image.
In other words, it’s a simple way to have tons of fun while utilizing some very fancy words and concepts. At Chicago Children’s Museum, we call them Whirl Its, and it’s one of our favorite Great Hall programs.
Plus, when you and your little ones make your own thaumatropes, you’ll practice spatial learning, and experience first-hand the fun of optical illusions.
Whirl Its AKA Thaumatropes
What you’ll need:
Paper that’s thick enough to be stiff but thin enough to see through when held up to a lighted window or screen (printer paper will probably work)
Small can
Colored pencils or crayons
Scissors
Tape
Straw, pencil, pen, chopstick, or something similar
How to:
Draw a circle on the paper by tracing around a can (15 oz or less size). Your circle should be no bigger than 3 inches across. Cut out the circle.
Think of a picture that has at least two parts, for example: a face and a mask, a tree trunk and the leaves, a stick figure with arms, a cake with candles.
Draw the first part of your picture on one side of the circle. Make sure the outline of your drawing is pretty dark.
Turn the paper over and hold it against a window or computer so you can still see the outline of what you drew. Sketch in the second part so that it lines up with the first part. Once you have the drawings lined up, add more colors.
Put your paper on the table and position the stick so it overlaps the circle by about 1 inch (or a third of the diameter). Tape the stick to the paper. Add a piece of tape that goes all the way across the stick and the circle.
Hold the stick between your hands and twirl it as fast as you can. Watch the pictures blend together!
HINTS: Hold the picture high—so it’s right in front of your eyes. If you have trouble seeing the pictures blend, ask someone else to turn your toy by rubbing it between their hands—either back-and-forth or in one direction will work.