DIY: Christmas Projector | Tinkerer Box Blog

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DIY Christmas Projector

Stem Activities

Ages: 3-5

30 minutes

Grownup needed

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Want to know how to transform ordinary patterns into magical shadows on your wall? This activity will show you how to create a projector using paper cups, bringing Christmas shadow magic to every corner of your home. Let's make the Christmas atmosphere even more enchanting!

Materials Needed

Four paper cups
clear tape
marker pens
googly eyes
paintbrushes
paint
paint palette
craft knife

A paper cup, markers, a paintbrush, a utility knife, a paint palette, small tubes of paint, a roll of clear tape, and googly eyes are arranged on a light wood-grain surface.

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1

Take four cups and paint them in your favourite colours using the paint and brushes.

Two hands paint a small paper cup orange using a paintbrush on a light wood-grain surface.

Step 2

Once the cups are dry, carefully cut out the bottom of each cup using the craft knife.

Two hands use a red and black utility knife to cut the rim of a small, orange paper cup on a light wood-grain surface.

Step 3

With the cup openings facing down, stick on the googly eyes. If you don't have googly eyes, you can draw them on instead.

Four small paper cups, painted green, orange, red, and yellow, and decorated with googly eyes, are arranged in a row on a light wood-grain surface.

Step 4

With the cup openings still facing down, attach clear tape across the top (where you cut out the bottom).

Two hands hold a piece of clear plastic wrap over a small, yellow paper cup with googly eyes on a light wood-grain surface.

Step 5

Now take your marker pens and draw your favourite patterns on the clear tape!

A hand uses a green marker to colour a drawing of a Christmas tree on plastic wrap covering a small, red paper cup with googly eyes, with three other similar cups, decorated with drawings of Santa Claus, a present, and a Christmas stocking, in the background on a light wood-grain surface.

Step 6

Turn off the lights, place a torch at the cup opening, and point the cup towards a wall. Your projector is now complete.

A hand holds a smartphone with a yellow attachment projecting a circular image of a Christmas present onto a dark surface, with another hand partially visible in the foreground.

The Science Behind It:

The projector works using the principle of light travelling in straight lines. When light shines through the transparent bottom (now covered with clear tape), it continues travelling in a straight line. When it hits the patterns we've drawn, the light cannot pass through these areas, creating shadows on the wall that match our patterns.

Try moving the light source closer to and further from the object - what happens?

Who Are We?

We’re a passionate team of scientists, engineers, and educators dedicated to delivering hands-on fun. Our mission is to inspire creativity and confidence in the next generation of young innovators.