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How to Make a Blinking Eye String Figure

Children in the Victorian era played with simple toys called "thaumatropes." These devices were disks with different images on the front and back and strings attached to each side of the disk. As the child spun the disk, the images appeared to move. Modern children can also find delight in these simple toys and make them at home. You can make a thaumatrope of a blinking eye by drawing a simple open eye on one side of a disk and a closed eye on the other side.

Things You'll Need

Card stock
Scissors
String
Hole punch
Markers

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a piece of card stock into a 4-inch oval.
- 2
  Use a hole punch to punch a hole in each long end of the oval.
- 3
  Draw a picture of an open eye on one side and a closed eye on the other, using markers.
- 4
  Cut two 6-inch pieces of string. Insert a piece into each hole in the oval, tying the string back on itself.
- 5
  Hold one string in each hand out in front of you with the strings taut. Turn the disk so that the strings wind up. Pull the strings apart to unwind them so that the disk spins rapidly and the eye appears to blink.

Kids Games