::: spinning tops
We introduced the children to some old fashioned spinning tops – the ones where you have to make your fingers do the work.
It is a lot easier said than done, particularly on a cold morning!
Then we gave them the opportunity to make their own with card, pastels and matchsticks.
First we asked them to draw around the base of a round water pot to make a circle which they could then cut out.
We actually found that they didn’t need to be a circle, which is lucky as it is not the easiest shape to cut out.
When they had done that they coloured them …
or drew patterns on them.
They then needed a little adult help to get a small hole in the centre. Not too big or the matchstick, which you slip in here will spin around without any cargo! If the hole IS too big, a bit of sticky tape or Blu Tak on the underside works wonders.
Then it was time to get those fingers to work.
They could see how different they looked when spinning at a mad rate …
and how the colours blended.
We were fascinated by them all …
but were particularly intrigued by the spiral drawings …
Tags: card, circles, match sticks, pastels, spinning tops
Cool! I just saw in FamilyFun magazine how to make these with an old CD, a marble, a plastic bottle top, and some glue! I was going to try it today with my five-year-old!
::: That sounds really cool Monica please let us know all about it!
I’ve never seen completely homemade tops like this! I’ve always used kits thinking they had to be perfectly round.