Learn Simple and Fun Ways of Making a Telescope
A telescope is an expensive gadget. So, buying a telescope is different from buying a baby’s toy. But you can surely make your own telescope to provide a better view of the treetops, night sky, and birds.
If your kids are interested in making gadgets or indulging in scientific experiments, you can show them how to make a telescope. You do not have to use expensive parts to make a telescope for kids. Instead, you can follow plenty of simple ways to build a telescope. We suggest you make telescopes with your kids because such activities help kids to build their motor skills while growing a close bond with their parents. So, in this blog, we have mentioned various ways of making telescopes at home. Read along to choose the way you prefer.
How to Make a Telescope Using Paper Towel Tubes?
Required Materials
Two canvas lenses
Two paper towel tubes
A pair of scissors
Masking tape
Markers to decorate the telescope
How to Make the Telescope?
If you want to know how to make a telescope using paper towel tubes, then follow the steps mentioned below:
To know how to make a telescope, firstly, you need to choose one of the tubes to be the inner one.
Now, cut the tube, wrap one of its edges, and hold it with one of your hands.
Now, release the inner tube so it can expand inside.
Insert the cut tube into another one. If the inner tube faces difficulty sliding, wrap its edges a little more tightly. Then insert the tube again and set it properly.
Take your masking tape and attach one of the lenses to the edge of the inner tube. Make sure that the curve of the tape is facing the inside of the tube it has been attached to.
Now, by using the masking tape, attach the second lens to the outer edge of another tube.
Lastly, place your eye against the lens used in the telescope to see if you can see the faraway objects. You can slide the inner tube in and out to focus on the object you want to see. That is how the image becomes clear and this is indeed one of the easiest ways of making a toy telescope for your kids.
How to Make a Cardboard Telescope?
If you don’t want to go through all the hassle of buying paper towel tubes and making a telescope using all the ingredients available at home, then a cardboard telescope is the best choice for making a telescope for kids. Here are the steps you need to follow to make a cardboard telescope:
Required Materials
Cardboard Tubes (an important part of any cardboard telescopes making kit)
Paintbrush
Craft knife
Paint
Stickers, glitter, whatever you like to decorate the telescope
Tape
A pair of scissors
Paper fasteners
How to Make the Telescope?
To make a telescope for kids, first, take a cardboard tube and cut a slide from the edge using a craft knife.
Now, insert a pin through the cut to create a smooth rail.
Take any colour and paint the cardboard tube using a paintbrush. Once the painting is complete, leave the tube to dry.
The next step to make your own telescope is to cut one of the tubes into equal half pieces using scissors.
Now roll the tube a little to make it look smaller than the other one and once it is done, fix it on a place with tape.
Insert the smaller tube into the bigger one. You can also use tape to fix it a little tightly.
Lastly, you can decorate the telescope with glitter or anything else. Though the number of lenses used in telescopes such as this is zero, it is a great toy for kids.
You can make this type of telescope with your kids very easily. It will not take you more than half an hour, and most importantly, it will be a good entertainment for your kids.
Making a Telescope Using Magnifying Glass
How to Make a Telescope Using Magnifying Glasses?
If you are quite serious about making a telescope for your kids and showing them how to work with telescopes, then let us find out how to make a telescope using magnifying glasses. Moreover, if your kids have an interest in science or like to observe the night sky, then this step-by-step guide to telescope-making can help you make a telescope for them.
Required Materials
Corrugated paper
Two magnifying glasses
A pair of scissors
Glue
Pencil
How to Make the Telescope?
To know how to make telescopes at home, firstly, you need to check the size of the magnifying glasses you are about to use to make your telescope. Make sure that the size of both magnifying glasses is not the same because the telescope will not work properly if they are the same size.
Now, you need to wrap the corrugated paper around one of the magnifying glasses. This is one of the most important of all the telescope parts.
Once you have wrapped the paper around, draw the diameter on the paper with a pencil by pulling it tightly.
The next step is to measure the paper. You need to measure with a scale along the edge of the paper but leave at least 1 or ½ inches from the mark. You will need this extra space to glue the magnifying glasses.
To make proper use of a telescope, you need to attach the magnifying glasses properly. To do that, cut the marked line on the paper.
Place the two magnifying glasses after cutting off the papers and attach them tightly with tape.
Attach the first length of the paper around one of the magnifying glasses using glue.
Now, create the second magnifying glass tube and insert the first one into the second one. Now, you can use this telescope to see faraway objects.
Conclusion
You might have seen people using telescopes in television programmes or online videos to observe faraway animals or objects. Of course, buying those telescopes is no joke. But just because you cannot buy one for your kids to have a real adventure, it does not mean that you cannot help them make a telescope at home. Follow any of the above mentioned ways to make a telescope for your kids. It will not only help them to learn about science, but will also make them capable enough to work on new ideas in the future.
