Content

• Tips
• What do you need

1 Take a cylindrical box or lid. You can make two zootropes from the box and the lid separately, or make a thaumatrope from the second part.

2 Cut a square out of the masking tape with a side of 3-4 cm (approximately 1.5-2 inches).

3 Make a hole in the bottom of the box. The hole should be such that a small toy ball (glass, wood, etc.) does not fully pass through. The hole should be made in the center of the bottom of the box.

4 Cover the hole with duct tape from the outside and cut a hole in the tape from the inside.

5 Glue the toy ball from the inside so that it protrudes from the bottom of the box to the outside. Then remove the sticky tape from the balloon as shown in the video. This can be done in various ways, the main idea is to have the box rotate on a ball.

6 Draw something on a strip of paper, the same as for the cinematographer. The length of the strip should be equal to the circumference of the box (or exceed it, then the excess paper will simply be sealed with a top layer). Remember that the box will rotate, so it is better to make a cyclic sequence of drawings (so that the latter repeats the first).

7 Make cutouts in a strip of black paper as shown in the video. The distance between them should correspond to the distance between the drawings made earlier. The length of the black paper should be slightly less than the circumference of the box.

8 Apply a strip of black paper on the edge of the box.

9 Place the patterned strip inside black stripe so that the drawings are located between the slots.

10 To make the pictures come to life, unwind the box on the ball, while looking through the slots in the black paper at the far wall of the box.

Tips

• You can use small strips of tape to secure the strips of paper to the box, but be careful not to upset the overall balance of the design.
• If you want, you can decorate the outside of the box by writing, for example, the title of an animated film. Use wavy and spiral lines that will look nice when you rotate the box.
• Many animated films can be made for one zootrope. Just cut some paper strips and paint them with new pictures. Remember to keep the distance between the pictures the same as the distance between the cutouts on the black paper.
• If you don't have a toy ball on hand, take any nut or stud with a round head and thread it through the box lid.
• The boxes vary in size, so find the one that works for you.

What do you need

• Cylindrical cardboard box, e.g. cheese packaging (with body and lid)
• Heavy black paper or cardboard
• White paper (carbon paper)
• Toy ball (glass, wood, etc.)
• Wide adhesive tape
• Marker
• Scissors
• Retractable Blade Knife or Carving Knife