Join us virtually for STEAM activities that you can do at home!
Today we are making a colorful spinner! What happens when the spinner spins? Depending on the colors on the spinner and the spacing of the bands of color, your eyes may see a different color completely or what looks like concentric rings of color. By spinning the disc quickly, the eyes see all the colors together – this optical illusion is called persistence of vision. Basically, your brain processes information from the eyes at a slower rate than the constant stream of light your eyes receive. With a rapidly changing image, like one that is spinning, your brain compensates for this lag time by creating shortcuts to simplify what you are seeing. The results can be very interesting! Why not make a few spinners to color differently and note the different effects when spinning?
Let’s start creating so we can start spinning!
Paper Plate Penny Spinner
Supplies:
Paper Plate
Round Cup
Pen
Ruler
Markers / Colors
Scissors
Penny
Directions:
1. Trace around the outside of a cup to create a template.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Use a ruler to find the center of the circle, and mark it with a pen.
4. Place the ruler on the center of the circle and draw a line to
create halves, then quarters and then eighths.
5. Use markers, crayons, or colored pencils to draw patterns in each section.
6. Cut a slit in the center of the circle slightly smaller than a penny.
(I used the edge of a tip of a scissors for this part.)
7. Push the penny through the slit.
8. Holding the penny in your fingers, spin the penny spinner on a flat surface.
AGE GROUP: | Family | Children |
EVENT TYPE: | Youth Program/Class | Online |
TAGS: | STEM | STEAM | Science | Critical Thinking |
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