17 Telescope Craft For Kids A telescope is a device that makes distant objects appear closer.
You can do this with binoculars, too, but telescopes are more powerful. They also have lenses that are bigger and more powerful than the ones in binoculars.
But both telescopes and binoculars let you see things up close. The best part about this project is that it’s so easy to make your own telescope!
Popsicle Stick Telescope
Materials, Popsicle sticks, paper towel rolls, and toilet paper tubes (optional)
Cut four popsicle sticks in half lengthwise, so you have a total of eight.
Use one piece to make the mirror at the end of the telescope by gluing it onto a popsicle stick that has been cut in half lengthwise; repeat this process with all four pieces.
The mirrors should be oriented vertically when viewed from above and horizontally when viewed from below (i.e., they should be aligned at 45°). This step can be done before or after making your telescope’s body part depending on preference and available materials/supplies.
Make two equal lengths using two long strips of cardboard or poster board to create your telescope body (one for each side). To do this, fold one strip in half widthwise so that it is roughly as thick as both ends combined when open flat again (or use two separate pieces if necessary).
Then attach them together by gluing along either side so that there is still enough room on either end for attaching telescopic lenses later on!
Paper Roll Telescope Craft
Materials,
- Paper towel roll
- Scissors
- Straws, or other objects to use as lenses and mirrors
Instructions.
Cut off the ends of the paper towel roll.
Cut the tube in half so you have two pieces of equal length (a longer one will be easier for younger kids).
Use a straw as a lens by poking it through one end of each tube, leaving about an inch sticking out of each piece; then carefully bend it into an arc shape so it can act like a lens when light passes through it!
You can also use other small objects like beads or buttons instead if you don’t have any straws lying around your house (or if they’re too big anyway). There are plenty of interesting things floating around at thrift stores that could work here too!
Easy DIY Top Secret Telescope for Kids
These telescopes are fun to make and use, and they’re sure to keep your kids busy for hours.
Pirate Telescope: Cut out the circle from a piece of cardboard then wrap it around an empty toilet paper or a paper towel roll. Glue the tube in place and decorate as desired!
Mini Pocket Telescope
Just cut out a round piece of cardboard and put it over the end of your child’s pointer finger—they will feel like they’re using a real telescope!
DIY Pirate Tube Binoculars
Use two toilet paper rolls glued together with one end cut off. Then add googly eyes, felt ears, and cotton balls for the stuffing before you paint them with pirate colors like red, white, black, or gold (depending on whichever ones you have on hand). Remember to leave room at each end so kids can look through both sides while holding onto each end with their thumbs sticking out from between them just like binoculars do in real life!
Space-Age View Finder
This one only requires scissors but it looks very impressive once completed because all you need is some construction paper that folds together into an accordion shape that makes up both sides of this mini telescope!
You could even make several different sizes by cutting different sized circles out before folding them up into accordions so everyone gets something unique when playing around outside during summer camp activities or even after school clubs where many children attend weekly activities.”
How to Make a Pirate Telescope
The pirate telescope is one of the most popular types of telescopes. It’s simple, inexpensive, and easy to make with your kids.
This is an excellent project for young astronomers who are just learning how to use a telescope. With a few household items and a little bit of elbow grease,
you can build a working model that will help your child learn about how telescopes work while having fun at home!
Telescope Craft
Telescopes are used to see objects in the sky like stars, planets, and galaxies. You can use a telescope to see details on the moon or other planets.
You can make a telescope out of paper or cardboard, like an empty toilet paper roll or an empty paper towel roll.
You can also make one out of popsicle sticks by stacking them together and gluing them at right angles to each other! If you want something more sturdy that won’t fall apart as easily, try using a paper roll as your base (like one from a ream of printer paper).
Simple Cardboard Tube Telescope Craft
- What you will need:
- Cardboard tube
- Tape
- Scissors
- Marker
- Glue (optional)
- Paper (you can use construction paper or a magazine)
String (optional) * Plastic lenses—find these at an art supply store. You can use real ones, but I have found that plastic ones work just as well and are less expensive. * Lens cleaner – apply this after each time you look at the sun through your telescope!
It comes with one of those little brushes for cleaning them off and it’s really easy to do! If you don’t have a lens cleaner yet, it’s probably best not to start looking at the sun until you buy some. Paper towels or tissues for cleaning off glasses/lenses before getting started on this craft project.
You might also want to keep some eye drops nearby in case someone gets something in their eyes during assembly! And make sure everyone wears sunglasses while making this project so their eyes aren’t exposed unnecessarily when working inside with no natural light coming through windows or skylights overhead!
How to Make a Mini Pocket Telescope
Materials
- 1 small cardboard tube (you can use a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll)
- 2 pieces of clear tape
- A ruler or yardstick
Directions
Measure the diameter of the cardboard tube, then mark and cut it down to an appropriate size. If you are using a toilet paper roll, you can measure its diameter by placing it on top of another piece of similar-sized cardboard and marking where they touch
(or simply cut off the excess length from one end). If using a paper towel roll, you might want to leave more than half an inch extra on each side for stability when making observations later on.
Marking guidelines for cutting should be about one inch apart from each other so that when folded over at the top there will be enough room inside for your eye level but not too much space that could make viewing difficult after attaching binoculars later on in this project’s steps!
DIY Pirate Tube Binoculars
- Materials:
- A few empty cereal boxes
- Scissors
- Tape (optional)
- Two pencils (or any other straight, wooden sticks)
Mini Telescopes Made from Toilet Paper Rolls
- To make a mini telescope, you’ll need:
- One toilet paper roll (the bigger the better)
- Two craft sticks, one shorter than the other by 1 inch to 1 ½ inch
Cut off the bottom 1/3 of your toilet paper roll. Make sure not to cut all the way down so that there are still 2 layers of cardboard left at the bottom of your tube! You can also save this piece and use it as part of another craft project later on!
Take both ends of your toilet paper roll and push them into each other until they form a cylinder shape. This part may take some effort depending on how thick or thin your cardboard is! If you’re having trouble getting these two pieces together, try using glue or tape on one side so that it sticks together easier when you’re pressing them together
Paper Plate Pirate Telescope
Materials to Make a Paper Plate Pirate Telescope
- Paper plate
- Black marker
- Scissors or knife (adult only)
How to Make a Paper Plate Pirate Telescope
Use scissors or a knife to make small holes at the center of the paper plate.
Trace around the bottom rim of your eyeglasses and cut out two identical circles from your paper plate using the same method as before.
These will serve as your lenses for magnification when using your telescope! Remember that if you don’t have glasses, this step doesn’t apply—but making sure you have good vision is always important!
You’ll want everyone in your family or classroom who’s going to be looking through these telescopes not just able to see but also able to see well! So whether they’re real eyeglasses or not doesn’t matter too much; what matters is having a clear vision while trying out these crafts together with others 🙂
How to Make a Space-Age View Finder
Materials
- One paper towel roll, or one toilet paper roll.
- One piece of string.
- One empty CD/DVD case, the CD itself, or another round object (like a small ball). It should be about 1-2 inches in diameter and about 3 inches long.
Instructions
Using the string and a pencil, use the center of the toilet paper roll as your circle guide for marking off even circles around it until you have made six equal parts of space between each circle (or 10 if you’re using a CD).
Cut out five circles from each section of rolled cardboard with scissors or an X-ACTO knife; this will make your viewfinder holes big enough so that they’re easy to see through but not so big that they let too much light in when you look through them! 3) Put two pieces together by pressing them together like sandwich cookies—one at either end—and tape over that part if necessary so nothing falls out later on! You’re done with Step 3 now! Congratulations!!
Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars
This is a fun and easy project to make a pair of binoculars out of recycled materials. The main material you will need for this craft is the toilet paper tube.
If your child does not have access to one, you can use another cardboard tube like those found in cereal boxes.
To make sure that your child can easily hold the binoculars without them slipping from their hands, it’s important that you have something secure the two halves together while they are building them.
You can use a paper clip or rubber band as well as a drinking straw if needed.
Cardboard Tubes and Recycled Snack
Spaced Out Rocketship (and Astronaut) Binoculars Tutorial… Made From Containers.
- Tubes (a.k.a. cardboard cylinders) from drink boxes or paper towel rolls are perfect for this project!
- Craft knife, scissors, ruler, and pencil to cut out your tubes, and glue to stick them together
- Scissors or craft knife to cut out your astronaut’s face from the food container lid
- An old pair of sunnies for the astronaut’s eyes
- diy pirate telescope
- easy telescope craft
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of telescope crafts for kids. I know how hard it can be to come up with new ideas, so I wanted to share some of my favorites with you. Please let me know if there are any other ones that you think would be great for kids.
