At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, we encourage you and your child to tap into the arts and do crafts together. A great bonding opportunity, this DIY guide shows your child how to make a homemade telescope craft with just a few easy steps and simple materials. Teach her all about birds, trees, and the sky with this crafty device.
What You’ll Need
This DIY project calls for just a few materials you may already have in your home:
Two empty paper towel tubes
Masking tape
Scissors
Markers, paint, or crayons
Stickers
Two convex lenses
Utilize an old pair of glasses or buy convex lenses online.
What to Do
Give your child the opportunity to create and work independently with these simple steps:
Step 1: One of the tubes will be the inner tube. Start by cutting the tube lengthwise — all the way up the side of it. Your child will wrap one edge of the side that has been cut gently over the other edge and hold it in place.
Step 2: Next, she will insert the cut tube into the other tube. Allow the inner tube to expand inside the outer one.
Step 3: Using the markets and stickers, allow your child to decorate her telescope however she would like!
Step 4: Tape one of the lenses to the outer edge of the inner tube. The lens's curve should be facing inward.
Step 5: The second lens will be added to the outer edge of the second tube. This time, the curve will face outside of the tube. Tape only the rim of the lenses.
Step 6: Let your child explore! She will place her eye up to the lens of the inner tube and aim the telescope at animals and trees in the distance. To focus, she will slide the inner tube in and out. Remember not to point the telescope at the sun!
Benefits of Telescope
With her first telescope, your child will be able to learn so much! She will have the opportunity to explore and understand the world around her — from nature to the solar system. She’ll learn about animals, planets, stars, the moon, and the sun. Make it fun by playing i-Spy with her! Such a great science lesson! We know your child loves her new toy, but be sure to avoid eyestrain by having her take short breaks.
At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, the faculty, staff, and families work as a team. Our service-oriented approach builds Christian leaders who think deeply, choose wisely, create beauty, and use their dreams to solve problems. Want to learn more about what makes us different? Contact us today.