Thursday, February 28, 2019

DIY Homemade Spirograph

Ever play with a spirograph toy?  We LOVE them and the other day I got to wondering.... could we make a DIY version using materials around our home?  Well, the answer is... YES!  Today I'm sharing this artsy- science craftIt got a big two-thumbs up from my eldest. He really loved trying it out with me.

Let's Make a DIY Homemade Spirograph Toy!


diy homemade spirograph toy- such a fun STEAM project for kids

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The inspiration for today's craft came from this really fun book of St. Patrick's Day Crafts.   It contains other fun holiday crafts, so definitely check it out!

Materials Needed:


  • Plastic Lids (Clear ones seemed to be too thin. We found the colorful ones to work better.)
  • Scissors
  • Thin Markers
  • Hole Punch
  • Paper
  • Masking Tape

How to Make a DIY Homemade Spirograph with kids:

1.  Cut out circular shapes from plastic lids.

Note: 

  • We tried making these disks with thin cereal box cardboard and styrofoam as well.  Neither worked.  We didn't try thicker cardboard though...
  • Try cutting out different sized circles for different results!


2.  Punch holes in your lids.

Note:

  • This is a great opportunity for some science-y STEAM-y thinking.  The location of the holes will affect how your spirograph works.  We found that holes punched in the middle just created circles.  We also found that holes punched near the edge were harder to maneuver.  



diy homemade spirograph toy- such a fun STEAM project for kids

3.  Place your disk inside masking tape opening and try out your homemade spirograph! 

Note: 
Our toy worked 1/2 of the time and 1/2 of the time it slipped.  Holes cut closer to the center worked better than holes cut closer to the edge. Different plastic lids also resulted in different results.  Thinner, flimsier plastic didn't work as well as thicker plastic.  My eldest didn't mind though.  He just really enjoyed the entire creating process!


diy homemade spirograph toy- such a fun STEAM project for kids

If you enjoyed this craft, check out my two books for more creative, STEAM filled fun!



Or, check out these awesome science craft posts:

More Science-y Crafts for Kids!


diy homemade spirograph toy- such a fun STEAM project for kids