Make this spyglass telescope and you
will be the first to discover the new world from your make
believe perch in the crowsnest of the Santa Maria or spot
pirates roaming the seven seas.
This spyglass is a little more difficult than the easy
spyglass version and would be appropriate for ages 6+ but
will require adult assistance/ supervision.
Materials:
Two paper tubes, one which will fit inside the other.
-- we painted one of ours (the thinner one) purple
before we started
Construction paper
Wooden sticks (stir sticks or popsicle sticks)
scotch tape
x-acto knife
OPTIONAL: plastic wrap
Instructions:
You should have two paper tubes that will slide
together. We used two toilet paper tubes but you
could use paper towel or gift wrap tubes for a longer
spyglass.
OPTIONAL: Take a small square of plastic wrap and
cover one end of the outer tube. Secure the
plastic wrap with tape. This is the glass lens for
your spyglass Don't worry if it is not neat
because you will be covering the edges of the plastic
wrap in the next step.
Cover the outside of your paper tubes with
construction paper. (You choose the colors)
On the outer tube, add a narrow strip of yellow around
the end that has the glass (plastic wrap).
Put one tube completely inside the other and use a
little bit of tape over one end to keep them together.
Note that the tubes we used are not covered to make it
easier to see what we have done in the next steps.
Make four marks at equal distances around the outside
of the tube.
Using the a book as a straight edge and the marks you
just made, draw four lines down the length of the tube
starting and ending about a half inch from the ends.
ADULT: Stand the tube up (with the plastic wrap end down) and
very carefully cut four slits along the lines you just
drew. Make sure that your knife goes through both
paper tubes.
Push a wooden stick into one of the slits and pull it
out of either one of the slits next to it. Do the
same for the other side.
Trim the wooden sticks so that there is only a little
more than a quarter inch exposed on each end.
Slide the inner tube out as far as you can. Make
sure the the sticks are positioned at the end of the
outer tube that is opposite from the glass (plastic
wrap).
Put a piece of tape beside each stick on the outer
tube to close the slit. This will prevent the
sticks from moving when you are extending your
telescope.
Initially, the tubes will not slide very easily.
As you use your spyglass it may loosen up and allow the
sticks to fall out. To prevent this, you may want
to put a small ball of play dough or play clay on the
ends of each stick to prevent them from falling out.
