Kid Science: Making binoculars

I decided that I had to make these super easy binoculars this summer but I put my own twist on the craft.  I was giving the neighbors a break while they were trying to level their pool in the yard (long story but they set it all up and filled it and then the pump wouldn't work because it wasn't leveled and they had to empty the whole thing out and start over).  Who doesn't like a summer craft so I had them all hooked!

We started by painting the toilet paper tubes outside (so that the mess would be easier to clean up).  I forgot to put a smock on my little guy and he got the permanent paint on him and I had to clean him up as quickly as possible so that we didn't ruin his shirt!

After they were done painting, I brought out a water bin and they washed their hands outside and wiped up with the towel left on the table.  Then, I brought them out Popsicles.  They ate them outside but they decided to come in  so they sat on the couch in a line to finish them while the tubes were drying.

They decorated them with stickers.  Since there were three kids, some were eager to decorate and others were still working on the Popsicles.  This was the ones from my son.  He decorated only the one side with stickers even though he was really interested in the stickers.  I was expecting more.

They picked out yarn that I would use from our huge pile (my leftover knitting yarn which is now in the arts and crafts tub).

I used the hot glue gun to glue a line between the two tubes and held them while they were drying.  Then, the kids had a popcorn break..  You can see that my neighbors daughter also put stickers on her shirt.  She was the only one to put stickers on both sides.

I used a ballpoint pen to poke through the tube and then insert the yarn.  If I weren't so lazy, I would have gotten the needle to pull it through the hole but it was easy enough to push through with the pen. I knotted the yarn inside the tube twice and trimmed the extra yarn to clean it up.

They now had a set of binoculars each so they could go investigating the outside world together.  Aren't they beautiful?  They were wearing them around the house and very proud of their creations.  With Popsicle and snack breaks, it was a good afternoon activity that entertained them.

I hope that you have a great time making your own binoculars with your little ones. 

The adventure that follows is up to you!!  I suggest a nature journal or walking through a park to see what they can see.  Make sure you have a book to look up bugs or leaves that you might find along the way!!  Start saving your toilet paper rolls.  Happy Trails :)

Shared on Eco-kids Tuesday