Make an Easy Tubescope

What You Need:

• Scrap paper
• Pencil
• Cardboard tube
• Waxed paper
• Scraps of colored tissue paper
• White glue thinned with water
• Paintbrush
• Two rubber bands
• Plastic wrap

What You Do:

1. Help your child decide what design she wants to make. Because this is a stained-glass or mosaic-style project, explain that a picture with a simple shape will be easier to make. A flower, a heart or a star will all work well.
2. Trace the cardboard tube on a piece of scrap paper so that your child knows how big to make her artwork.
3. Have her tear or cut small pieces of the tissue paper and lay them out to create her design within this circle.
4. Cut a piece of waxed paper that is approximately 2 inches larger than the cardboard tube. Use the pencil to lightly trace the tube in the center of the waxed paper. Note: The pencil line won’t show but it will leave a visible etched line.
5. Brush a thin layer of the glue mixture onto the waxed paper.
6. Help your child transfer her masterpiece onto this gluey paper.
7. Allow to dry overnight.
8. When the glue is completely dry, rubber band the artwork over the end of the tube. Next, rubber band a piece of plastic wrap over the waxed paper to protect it from moisture and punctures. 
9. Hold it up to the light and let the show begin!