How cool is this King Charles Thaumatrope Printable? It would be perfect for making in celebration of the coronation or as a topical science and art lesson. I have always been obsessed with thaumatrope’s since I was little and my grandpa used to make them.
What is a Thaumatrope?
The Thaumatrope is a toy that was popular in the 19th century and roughly translated from Greek, the word thaumatrope means “wonder turn.”. It’s origin can be traced back to 1826 when this optical illusion was invested by English physician John Ayrton Paris. This simple toy consists of two images on opposite sides of a card; the images seem to merge when the card is twirled using lengths of string. The thaumatrope is sometimes called the great-grandfather of the modern cartoon.
How Does a Thaumatrope Work?
When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to blend into one due to something called persistence of vision, which is the retention of the first image by the brain long enough to superimpose it on the other, making the two parts of the image appear together.
Even though the two pictures are on different sides of the disk, when you spin them quickly, your brain does not process the two sides as separate images, it merges the visual information together to create one drawing! This is also known as an Illusion of Motion. A thaumatrope is a very simple form of animation. When static images are moved so quickly, it gives the illusion of apparent motion in the images. Your eyes (or better put… your brain) see it as one continuous stream of motion. The reason our brains do this is to help us understand movement. When you watch a person walk, you do not see every tiny movement that person makes as they walk. Instead, you see a continuous, smooth motion.
King Charles Thaumatrope
With the coronation, I had the idea of making a thaumatrope of the king on one side and his crown on the other, so that when you spin it he ends up wearing the crown. I made two options, one to spring with string or elastic bands or one that you can spin with a straw (which I find much easier)between the palm of your hands.
Materials and Equipment Required
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I always print my printables directly onto 160 gsm cardstock using my Epson Ecotank Printer rather than regular paper, this way they are a little more durable and the pens do not bleed through to the other side.
I always print my printables directly onto 160 gsm cardstock using my Epson Ecotank Printer rather than regular paper, this way they are a little more durable and the pens do not bleed through to the other side. However, if you do not have a home printer then just pop to a library and use theirs.
- Cardboard circle
- Glue – I used a glue stick
- Hole punch
- Crayons, markers or pencils
- Paper straw or skewer
- String or rubber bands
- Scissors
- Printer
- Light Cardstock
- King Charles Thaumatrope Printable
How to Download this Thaumatrope Printable
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How to make a Thaumatrope
Start by printing out the string thaumatrope template (we have a silhouette one and one that you can colour in) in both of the options, so straw or string options. You can print onto a piece of paper or alternately onto light cardstock which means you do not need to strengthen it with additional cardboard.
Tip: String thaumatropes need one picture to be placed upside down for you to see the correct image when it spins.
Colour in as you wish.
Cut out the paper circles and punch with an eighth-inch hole punch as marked on opposite sides of the circle—left and right.
Glue the circles together.
Attach the strings by cutting two lengths of string about 25cm long. Thread a piece of string through one hole and tie the ends together to form a loop. Repeat for the other hole.
Spin the disk by twirling the strings between the thumb and index finger of each hand.
Alternative Straw Method
Start by printing out the staw thaumatrope template (we have a silhouette one and one that you can colour in). You can print onto a piece of paper or alternately onto light cardstock which means you do not need to strengthen it with additional cardboard.
Cut out the paper circles.
Attach the straw. If you look closely there is a small mark showing the bottom marking where to place the straw.
Glue the card circles together.
Spin the straw in your palms and focus on the spinning circles and the king will be wearing the crown.
Tip: If using a paper straw you can reinforce it with a skewer
Once you understand how the Thaumatrope works, why not try designing your own? If you are stuck for ideas, then try:
- goldfish and a bowl
- a bird and cage
- Catapiller and leaf
- Spider and web
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