Make Crazy Tops and Learn About Color

The Blackfoot Art Center has just published its Summer 2006 Class Schedule (PDF). If you live in the Blackfoot area you might want to have a look. If not, you can follow along with many of our exciting art activities by bookmarking the Art Center weblog and checking in every so often. I will be posting complete lesson plans including supply lists, instructions, and sample projects.

However, just this once I decided to post our most recent homeschoolers' Art Adventures class activity right here. This was really more of a science/art project anyway; and it was a lot of fun!

Before beginning this project, make a few Crazy Tops like the ones below and have the children predict how the tops will appear when they are spun. I guarantee that when you spin each top,
the sound you hear from your children will be "Whooooaa!" and that's because they won't believe their eyes! For example, who would predit that when you spin the primary colors (I also included green on mine) you will see WHITE? Well, of course you will. Have the children think about what colors they see in a dark room (maybe grey and black - the absence of color). So, the more light the more color. All colors = white! I know, I was amazed too.

After trying these out, let the kids go to town making their own Crazy Tops. Encourage them to use symetrical or circular designs, but if they don't, it's okay! Which colors seem to recede? Which stand out? What new designs do you see that aren't actually drawn on the top? Amazing! This "art experiment" is great fun.

Crazy Tops

Materials needed:

Color markers (broad tipped)
Cardboard tracing patterns (4-inch round) with small center hole (make in advance)
Stiff white and dark (or black) paper
Scissors
Dowel cut to 3-inch lengths
Hand-held pencil sharpener
Fine sandpaper
White and colored paper dots (from hole puncher)
Glue sticks
White glue
Sharp point to punch center holes; small Philips screw driver to enlarge it

Samples of crazy tops – (1) divided equally into four quadrants: red, blue, yellow, green (2) star design on outer and inner edge (any color) (3) black or very dark ground with a few series of white, yellow, and red dots near edge, near center, and in middle ground between each.

What to do:

1) Talk about color, why we see it, and how light affects it. What is white? (all colors combined) What is black? (absence of color)

2) Show the children the Crazy Top with all of the primary colors (plus green). What will they see when we spin it? (No one will likely guess white) Spin the top.

3) Show them the other samples, what will they see? Nearly any design will be a surprise. Why do we see white and red circles when we spin the black top? (the colors reflect the light, black does not)

4) On stiff paper, have each child trace two circles using one of the patterns. Make sure they mark the center dot.

5) Instruct them to design their own crazy tops, filling in with color. Encourage them to use repeating designs around the circumference of the disk. For the black or dark tops, stick on a few white or colored paper punch dots.

6) Have children sand both ends of a stick and sharpen one end to a dull point.

7) Punch center hole in disk, enlarge, then push stick half-way through the hole, point down.

8) What do they expect to see when they spin the top? Now SPIN it!!! "Whooooaaa!"

Note: After a few spins, it will be necessary to add a dab of white glue to the underside of the disk and smear it around the point where it meets the stick. This is because the hole stretches out and the disk becomes slightly loose; and then the top won't spin! Let the glue dry while the children make MORE Crazy Tops!
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