Disclaimer: We were sent the Telescope kit from Build Your Own Kits for the purpose of this post. All words, opinions and images are my own and may not be copied without my permission.
The boys had an afternoon of STEM learning with Dad this week making the Build Your Own Telescope Kit which Albie was very excited about. He has been asking for a ‘star gazer’ for a while now so he was over the moon to get the opportunity to actually build one.
Build Your Own Kits
Regular readers may recall Build Your Own Kits from when the boys and I built the Build Your Own Marble Run in November. We had lots of fun building it and I am delighted to say that it is still standing firm despite being played with regularly.
Build Your Own Kits are fun educational STEM science kits from Paper Engine Ltd made out of high-quality, sustainable cardboard. Each kit contains all the components you need to build along with a detailed instruction sheet to follow. One thing that really appeals to me is that the kits are mess-free and glue-free, just slot the pieces together, and that’s it!
Build Your Own Telescope Kit
The boys spent about 2 hours making the telescope with Dad which made it a fun family-focused activity for a spot of father/sons bonding time. They each took it in turns to read instructions, pop out the pieces and slot them into place. Some of the more fiddly aspects were passed over to Dad to do, though I am sure the boys could have managed it without help if they had wanted to.
What’s in the box?
– 7 printed press out cardboard sheets
– x 1 eye lens
– x 1 glass optic lens
– Reflective mirror
– Instruction sheet
– Detailed video instructions available online at www.buildyourownkits.com
Building the Telescope
The boys followed the instructions much better this time and didn’t rush ahead popping out all components of the telescope before they were needed so our mistakes last time taught them well. The worked through the instructions one step at a time selecting the next piece they need according to the code on the instructions and matching it with the code on the cardboard sheet.
The aspect they found the most fiddly was slotting the two main parts of the focus tube together, but with patience and good teamwork they achieved it.
As you can see here, even Lillie couldn’t resist getting stuck in too, despite the fact she was working on her own slime science experiment at the other end of the kitchen!!
A fully working telescope
Once completed the telescope felt very sturdy and can withstand the rough handling of the boys. Albie was delighted when he spotted the moon in the sky one afternoon this week and was able to look more closely through the x16 magnification telescope. Unfortunately, it has been a very cloudy week though so by the time it has got dark, they haven’t been able to see very much (even without the telescope) so we are patiently waiting for clearer skies.
The Build Your Own Telescope kit costs £19.99 and is currently available with free delivery on Amazon Prime, perfect if you’re looking to send a gift owing to the current pandemic.
Also available in the series you can buy:
- Build Your Own Marble Run Kit
- Build Your Own Plane Launcher Kit
- Build Your Own Microscope Kit
how cute, and what a great way to get kids interested in our skies. I’ll never forget the time when my son was in 2nd grade, we were all outside looking at the stars, and he yelled out “OMG it’s Cassiopeia”. We all giggled, but it was so cool to see his interest in the stars. We bought a telescope after that. Great post – thank you.
Aw that’s lovely, I have been looking into starting astrophotography myself, the skies are so beautiful x
This sounds like an awesome set! I know my 10-year old would love it!
It’s lovely, it really fired up their enthusiasm x
Thanks for the review. It’s fun to do and so educational
It is such a great activity for kids.
So cool, I think my nephew would really love this!
This is a great way to to get kids interested in the skies, my neices would love it!
Definitely, it’s so interesting and a fun project too x
how neat is this!!! my little cousin would love this. totally gonna show him this!
It’s great, isn’t it? My boys love it.
These DIY kits have gone through a tremendous evolution. You can build anything from them. Just look them up and make your choice.
Awesome telecscope, guys!
This is so so cool!!! I would love to get this to my kids, they love DIY kits.
They are brilliant, especially at the moment as it’s learning and fun.