Make a Dancing Button
The dancing button trick is easy to create from a few simple materials available in every household. It is a fun craft for kids to make on a rainy afternoon at home.
Steps
- Take a piece of thread or thin string about 60cm (2 feet) long and thread it through a button that has two eyes. (One end should go through each eye.)
- Tie a knot at the end of the string so that it forms a circle.
- Slide the button into the middle, giving you room to place your fingers on either side.
- Holding the string loosely, swing the button around in a circle to wind up the string.
- Pull outwards with your fingers and let the spinning button pull them in again. It may take you a while to get the rhythm, but soon you'll see the button dance and bounce for your entertainment. You may even hear a delightful hum as the button spins and dances.
Tips
- This can also be done with disks cut out of cardboard or heavy paper (tracing a drinking glass onto old cereal boxes works well). This allows the disk to be customized with colored patterns, decals or glued on bits of foil, etc. Two holes must be poked for the string. Be creative with disk sizes, colored patterns and hole placement and see what happens!
- If you put two big buttons on the string they will clap together as they spin. This adds more excitement to this easy old time toy.
- A big, colorful button works best.
- Thread two short pieces of plastic drinking straw onto the string so they end up on either side of the button/disk. Use as "handles" when pulling on the string to keep it from cutting into your fingers.
Warnings
- Don't hold the button up to someone's hair. This causes the hair to knot up with the string, and the button will have to be cut out.
- Don't pull too hard, or it will break.
- Scissors are sharp. Be careful with small children!
Things You'll Need
- A button with two or four holes through it.
- A bit of thread or string.
- Scissors to cut the thread or string to length.
- Optional: Plastic drinking straw; something circular for a tracing template; cardboard or heavy paper; crayons, etc. for decorating.
