You'll need

  • A printout of the example zoetrope design on white A4 paper
  • 2 black sheets of A4 paper
  • A glue stick
  • Scissors
  • Something round for a circle template, like a plastic cup or small plastic plate. You could also use a compass
  • A pencil or pen

What to do

Warning!

Scissors are sharp. Be careful when using them.

  1. Gather your materials on a flat surface.
  2. Glue the design printout to one sheet of black paper. Make sure it lines up on all 4 sides.
  3. Cut the paper in half along the middle dotted line so the green Qs are on one sheet and the red question marks are on another.
  4. Fold each piece of paper along the fold line.
  5. Cut along all the dotted lines where it says cut lines.
  6. The cut lines will make some narrow strips of paper that need to be cut off.
  7. Put some glue near the end of the white paper on one side. Curve the paper around and overlap the ends to make a circle. The black paper must be on the outside of the circle.
  8. On the other sheet of black paper, draw 4 circles using your circle template. Cut them out.
  9. On one of the half sheets of paper, fold the top bits over (not the part with the design on it) and glue one of the circles to the outside. Glue another black circle to the inside. Watch the video to see how to do this.
  10. Spin your zoetrope and watch it from the side. What can you see?
  11. Repeat the experiment with the other half of the design template and the other 2 black circles.

Questions to ask

Can you see an animation? Try both the red and the green zoetropes. If you have trouble seeing the animation, make the room a bit darker.

Can you create your own animation? Use the template to help you draw your own objects. Can you draw stick figures and make it look like someone is going for a walk? What else can you animate?

Download

Zoetrope template (PDF)
 PDF · 24.64 kb · Last modified 19 May 2021

What's happening

The zoetrope is an old animation technique. Today’s animated movies use the same basic idea.

Animation and movies rely on still images being flashed quickly in front of our eyes. This creates an illusion of motion for the human brain. The name zoetrope comes from the Greek words zoe meaning life and tropos meaning turning.

In this zoetrope, the illusion uses objects drawn on a background. The object you’re looking at will be replaced by a second object when it passes behind the black paper. This will make it look like the first object has changed into the second one when you watch it through the slots in the paper.

If you like electric motors (or you know an adult who does), you can make a 3D zoetrope.