Building a Kaleidoscope

Create kaleidoscope and experience beautiful and symmetrical forms

Have you ever looked inside a kaleidoscope?
You can see different, yet amazing patterns with a kaleidoscope.

During the Life Science course, our students made their own kaleidoscopes using mirrors and beads.
Students saw for themselves that kaleidoscopes create different patterns like the one below.

<Photo 1> Kaleidoscope Reflection

Students learn the principle of multiple reflection by building kaleidoscope and experimenting it. 

How do kaleidoscopes continuously make different patterns?

Tinker students learned that this is possible because kaleidoscopes use the principle of light and reflection.
The mirrors inside the kaleidoscope keep reflecting light rays between them.
Because the objects in the kaleidoscope move, they never are arranged exactly the same way a second time.

Students shine the flashlight into the kaleidoscope they made and saw a change in patterns each time they shook it.
By making their own kaleidoscopes, students learned about the scientific principle in a fun way!

 
<Photo 2> Experimenting kaleidoscope