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Father’s Day is a time where dads across the world are showered with the love and attention they deserve. Here’s a craft for kids that’ll make Daddy feel extra special this Father’s Day. It’s super easy to make, and guaranteed to put a twinkle (cough) in Daddy’s eye. Onwards!
All you need is:
• A kitchen roll
• A paper cup
• Acetate
• Paint
• Posca / felt pens
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Masking tape
• Sellotape
Shoot for the stars
Prepare your materials
Line them up as if they’re marching in a procession! (You don’t actually have to do this, just make sure you have everything ready).
Step 1
Use your craft knife to cut the bottom out of a paper cup. Moms: watch out for little fingers. This bit’s for you! (Warning: the cup won’t be quite so beverage-ready afterwards.)
Step 2
Stick the cup to the kitchen roll with a smidge of masking tape on the inside. Ta-da! You’ve got the structure of your telescope.
Step 3
Paint the telescope a base color, inside and out. We went for a color that epitomises love, ‘galactic black’. But feel free to experiment.
Step 4
Time to prepare the lens. Using the end of your telescope as a guide, cut a circle out of acetate. Trim a tiny bit off the edge of the circle so it’s slightly smaller than the end of the telescope. (It needs to fit snugly inside – think of the telescope as the big spoon and the acetate as the little spoon.)
Step 5
Now it’s time for little ones to write their miniature star-crossed love note on the acetate circle. (Posca pens work best for this but felt pens will do, too.)
Step 6
Put little bits of sticky tape on the sides of the acetate and stick it to the cup end of the telescope. Make sure the side with writing on is facing the eyepiece so it’ll be the right way round when the target of their affections looks down the telescope. (‘yddad uoy evol I’ doesn’t have quite the same effect.)
Step 7
Use the pens to give your telescope a final flourish. Top tip: add four gold rings with metallic paint to make it look extra professional.
Step 8
It’s time to give Daddy an astronomical Father’s Day surprise. Hand the telescope over and ask them to look through the eyepiece. Cue much swooning and gooey gazes. And maybe watery eyes.
Looking for more inspiration on what to gift daddy?
Personalised Father’s Day books to make his day.