The Carousel Is Here

The earliest references to carousels can be found around 500 A.D. as an Arabian game adapted by Spanish crusaders and carried with them on their quests. Carousels can be toys, games, or the more popular machine that can carry individuals into their own fantasy worlds. Carousels have become indispensible resources to their communities.

Now you can make your own carousel and see the joy in the eyes of your own students as this colorful project takes shape.

MATERIALS

60 TO 80 ...15 inch paper CHINETTE (or other brand of heavy duty plates)
200 STRIPED PLASTIC straws (ASK LOCAL FAST FOOD FOR DONATIONS)
30-40 Copies of each page of carousel animals and carousel parts.. (It is important to run copies on light-weight card stock which is needed for the stability of your carousel)
6 TO 8 Sets of thin point colored pens
Glitter glue in tube applicators (CRAYOLA and ROSS CRAFT are two possible sources for this glue in 3 packs)
White glue (Elmers)
Heavy duty tape (Regular tape does not adhere well to paper plates)
Clear or colored beads to decorate tops of straws and other parts of carousel
Clothes pins and rubber bands to hold columns and top while glue dries

ADVANCE PREPARATION

Download a complete set of animal blackline masters:
It is important to prepunch holes in plates for straws and to use an Exacto to cut slits for central column tabs and top tabs to go through. The straw holes are only punched in the top plate, this gives the straws a base to sit on (some stained glass stores have a duel blade for the Exacto knife so that the tab slits are easily achieved) You may prefer to make two rows of holes in the top plate to better display the nine animals.

PROCEDURE

Hand out carousel animal pages one at a time making sure that their names appear on them somewhere (You may prefer to make carousel folders for each student as there are several pages to be colored)
Hand out ditto of central column and top piece for coloring.
Have students carefully cut out their animals.
Have students use glitter glue to decorate saddles, bridles, hooves and anything else they want on the animals.
Have students carefully use glitter glue to decorate central column and top as desired.
When glue is dry have students cut along dotted line forming tabs then glue your central column and top together. Use clothes pins and or rubber bands to hold column and top together until glue is completely dry.
Hand out paper plates (one top and one bottom) and have the children decorate them while allowing all glued areas to THOROUGHLY dry.
Place tabs for top center piece (tabs A,B, & C) through respective slits on top plate folding tabs toward center and either tape or glue in place.
Place TOP Tabs (D,E, & F) for central column through remaining slits and make sure that they go toward inside of top decoration and tape or glue in place.
Place BOTTOM tabs (H,I, & J) through slits in bottom plate and either tape or glue in place.
Let body of carousel sit and allow glue to dry is necessary.
Place straws on table then place animals onto them at different levels and carefully lift and tape to secure animals onto their respective straw.
Carefully push straws with animals attached up through holes in top plate and arrange them animals so that they show to the best advantage then glue straws in place at top and bottom.
Glue colored or clear beads onto top of straws for added decoration if desired.
Set carousel aside and allow glue to dry thoroughly.

REFERENCES

Painted Ponies by William Manns; ZON INTERNATIONAL, Santa Fe,NM 87502 (505)995-0102 ISBN 0-9395-01-8
The Carousel Animal by Tobin Farley; Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Distributed by Raincoast books Vancouver,B.C.