Bird Thaumatrope

I've wanted to try making a thaumatrope spinner for awhile, and when I recently saw these on the Made in Me blog, I had to give it a try. I just finished a bird painting for a commission, so I used it for the design. When spinning, it almost looks like the bird is flapping its wings. The kids were really excited to see the illusion, and the act of spinning it was just as exciting.

If you want to try it out, I made two templates. One like in the photos, and one to color in. Just cut out the circles and find a stick or drinking straw and tape or glue the circles onto the end of the stick. (Use the small gray line at the bottom to line up both sides with the stick.) Then start spinning!

Click on the templates below, then print. (Each template makes two thaumatropes.)