Do you remember looking through a kaleidoscope as a child and watching as the colors and patterns changed before your eyes? Did you ever stop to think about how they actually work, or were you just captivated by the ever changing colors and patterns.
Kaleidoscopes are fascinating. In their most simple form, kaleidoscopes that most of us are familiar with were children's toys constructed of two cardboard tubes. One of the tubes held mirrors and one held small pieces of colored glass. As you held the mirror end up to your eye and aimed the glass end toward a light source you would rotate the glass end to tumble the glass pieces and create an infinite variety of colored patterns. These toys generally had 8 sections, each a reflection of the original arrangement of glass pieces.
Kaleidoscopes can also be very delicate, complex creations made of stained glass, brass or wood tubes.
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Coloring your Kaleidoscopes
For coloring pages, we have taken the liberty of making some of the patterns in more than 8 sections just to add the the challenge and the beauty of the patterns created.
When coloring your kaleidoscope coloring pages, keep in mind that each section is actually a mirror reflection of the section next to it. To be authentic, color corresponding sections in the same color.
Color them brightly or in soft pastels. Keep in mind the mirror reflections of a true kaleidoscope and color them accordingly.
To create a stained glass look, consider printing your coloring pages on vellum (available in scrapbook stores) instead of regular printer paper.
If children will be coloring these, take the opportunity to explain and even demonstrated how a real kaleidoscope works.
Project Ideas for Kaleidoscope Coloring Sheets
Kaleidoscopes can be beautiful when finished. If you want to preserve your artwork consider doing one of the following:
Print the original coloring page on an archival paper with archival inks. Color with color pencils or art markers. Frame for display.
If your original was created in crayon, scan the original and have it printed as a photograph, then frame for display.
Scan your artwork and use it to print personalized note cards.
Scan your artwork, print it on an iron-on transfer. Transfer to a t-shirt or tote bag.
