How to Assemble a Flap Jack Acrobat

Show your children images of jesters to inspire them.

A handmade flap jack acrobat makes a unique gift for children. It can teach them about force and movement and hone their coordination skills. A paper flap jack acrobat, or tumbling acrobat toy, uses weights to propel itself across a flat surface. These toys are simple to make and allow you and your children to get creative and have fun. You can draw a traditional jester-style acrobat on your flap jack or draw wizards, vampires or self-portraits.

Things You'll Need

• 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of card stock or heavy paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Tracing paper
• Magazines (optional)
• Paint, crayons or markers
• Glue
• 2 marbles

Instructions

1. Measure a 9-inch by 2-inch rectangle on a piece of card stock or heavy paper. Down the 9-inch side of the rectangle, mark the 2 3/4-inch, 7 1/8-inch and 8 3/4-inch points. Draw straight, light lines across the rectangle at each mark.

2. Extend the lines at the 2 3/4-inch point and the 7 1/8-inch point by 1 inch on either side of the rectangle. Draw a straight line connecting the outside of these two points to create two flaps. Round the corners of each flap by drawing a semi-circle, then erase the corner lines. Extend each flap with a 1/4-inch rectangle for gluing. Cut the pattern out.

3. Draw an acrobat in the largest, center rectangle of your pattern. If you have trouble drawing, use tracing paper to trace a picture out of a magazine or print one out from the Internet. Draw the hands of your acrobat above his head so they touch the 2 3/4-inch line. Draw his feet touching the 7 1/8-inch line.

4. Trace your acrobat onto tracing paper. Transfer the top of the acrobat into the first rectangle so that the hands touch the 2 3/4-inch line as well as the other acrobat's hands. Transfer the bottom of the acrobat into the third rectangle so his feet touch the 7 1/8-inch line as well as the feet of the other acrobat.

5. Color your acrobat in using paint, crayons or markers. Add designs or color to the two rounded flaps. Let the colors dry.

6. Fold the flaps of the acrobat behind the 9-inch by 2-inch rectangle. Fold over the rectangles on the ends of the flaps. Add a line of glue to the tab at the 8 3/4-inch point at the end of the pattern. Bend the pattern into a circle and tuck the tab inside to glue it together.

7. Apply a line of glue to one of the tabs at the end of a flap. Fold it into the acrobat loop and glue it. Let the glue dry. Put two marbles into the toy. Apply a line of glue to the tap at the end of the other flap and fold it into the acrobat loop to glue. Let the glue dry before you play with your flap jack acrobat toy.

References

• Victoria and Albert Museum: Moving Toys