A Homemade Kaleidoscope Will Change How You See the World

Reader Contribution by Adam Lafferty

Here’s a do-it-yourself project that will change the way you look at things — literally! Since their invention in 1816, kaleidoscopes have never failed to mesmerize people of all ages with their ability to make incredible optical patterns of color and light from something as simple as mirrors reflecting mirrors.

With a long cardboard or plastic pipe, a few small mirrors or other reflective surfaces and a simple wooden reflector to put them in, you can build your own homemade kaleidoscope without wasting money on a fancy, expensive model or a crudely made one from a dollar store. It works just as well as the store-bought models, plus it’s a dual-optic viewer –you can create interesting patterns by pointing it at a 90-degree angle towards any object or by placing bits of colored glass or plastic on a special tray atop the reflector to create unique kaleidoscopic designs.

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