Watch how a kaleidoscope is made (then make your own)

Here’s a little Friday fodder: if you’ve ever wondered how a kaleidoscope is made, take five minutes and watch the above video.

Posted by Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” YouTube Page, the clip above details the craftsmanship of what goes into creating a kaleidoscope. In short, it’s a bunch of triangular mirrors aligned to reflect limitless reflections of whatever it’s looking at, plus an art department that puts together trinkets into an “object cell” to create a mandala.

The process is complex yet seems simple enough that you might want to build your own (and you can!) – the fun part is creating the cell which holds all the random toys you can throw in there to form your own trippy design. 

As the narrator puts it, “it may not be YouTube, but it’s your tube.” Now you have a little project for the weekend – especially if you have a kid who needs a Mother’s Day present to gift.