A Window in the Deep

If you could pilot a submarine, what would you see? This clever viewer features a scrolling underwater scene!

What you need:

• A small cardboard box (a mini cereal box is ideal)
• Coloured card and paper
• Small buttons
• Two round, wooden lolly sticks or pencils
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Glue
• Coloured pens, pencils or paints

What to do:

1. Flatten your cardboard box. Cut out a round window. It may help to draw around a small jar or other circular object (ask an adult to help if you find it tricky).
2. Make four small holes – two in the top of the box and two in the bottom at either end. Paint the box and, when dry, add buttons.
   

3. Cut a strip of blue paper measuring approximately 40cm long. Make sure it is slightly taller than your round window but not as tall as your cardboard box. Draw or paint an underwater scene along the length of the strip.

   

4. Place your box on the table so the window is face down. Fold the sides back up and thread both sticks through the holes, top and bottom. These will be your winders. Making sure your artwork is also face down, use a short length of sticky tape to secure one end of the long strip to the left-hand stick. Wind the strip around the stick by turning it in a clockwise direction. Tape the opposite end of the strip to the right-hand stick.

5. Add a rectangle of thin card to help keep your scene in place. Glue it carefully to the inside of the box, because the strip should move freely under the card.

6. Reassemble the box, securing with glue.

7. Wind the right-hand stick in a clockwise direction and your scene will move in front of your window. Turn the left-hand stick in an anti-clockwise direction to rewind. Enjoy your underwater journey!