Thaumatrope

Bird in a cage
A thaumatrope is a toy that was very popular in the Victorian period.
This type of toy is something that most children could make.

Materials
A4 piece of card

Hole Punch

String

Glue

Scissors

Pencils and pens

Method

1. Draw two circles onto the A4

piece of card. Make sure they
are the same size.

4. Glue the two pieces of card

together. Make sure the
drawings are on the outside.

2. Draw a bird cage on the one

circle and a bird in the other.
Make sure that the drawings
are in the centre of the circle.

5. Using the hole punch, make

two holes. Make sure these
holes are on the edge of the
circle and are in line with
each other.

3. Using the scissors cut the

circles out carefully.

6. Cut the string into two pieces

and thread through each hole.

Now your thaumatrope is complete wind the toy up by twisting the

string. Let the toy unwind quickly and see if the two drawings form one
image. Now try a new design.

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