Books, crafts, etc. for a kid obsessed with spinning toys?

June 23, 2018 5:32 AM

My 7 year old has moved from being obsessed with Beyblades to a bigger interest in tops and spinning toys generally - making them, reading about them, and looking at pictures of them. Looking for suggestions of interesting / niche / small-manufacturer / historic reproductions / etc. of cool related toys and books that I might have missed.
posted by ryanshepard to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

My kids used to be fascinated by the rattleback. I still am.
posted by evilmomlady at 6:08 AM on June 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

How to make your own thaumatrope, a video from The Kid Should See This. Related: other videos on the site tagged with Spinning.
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:25 AM on June 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

Making yarn with a spindle might be fun. Bit of a learning curve. Can make thin or chunky yarns. Can add ‘stuff’ to the yarn like pom poms or tinsel.

There’s definitely a lot of history in spinning. A spindle can be handmade from all kinds of things. Many people have collections.

Additionally, workshop safety could be fun to learn with a turning lathe. All kinds of great spinning there. Electric or human powered may be available in your community!
posted by bilabial at 8:06 AM on June 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

The game “Skittles” (sorry no link I’m on my phone).
posted by Sassyfras at 8:16 AM on June 23, 2018

Best answer: Beyblades are an adaptation of bei-goma, a Japanese top game. There's zillions of videos online, here's an example. I think as a game a kid might find it too simple / awkward compared to modern manufactured toys, but it might be a fun avenue to explore historical crafts.
posted by Nelson at 8:29 AM on June 23, 2018

The fidget spinner craze seemed to have ended about a year ago, so I bet you could buy a crap-ton of them for very cheap, if only to deconstruct them to see their inner workings?
posted by kuanes at 10:31 AM on June 23, 2018

I loved having a gyroscope as a kid, and still give them to nieces and nephews, who are equally amazed. You can do tricks with them and string.
posted by pdxhiker at 11:38 AM on June 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

I've seen a precision top that'll spin for 15 minutes, iirc. It sits in its own little mirrored saucer, with you balance beforehand with little spacers and a laser pointer.

Those gyroscope toys are cool.

As are whee-lo toys. I've seen some cheap ones that are too light and flimsy.

It can be quite difficult to get the timing to keep these things spinning. I can do it with my dominant hand, but not my off hand.
posted by at at 3:14 PM on June 25, 2018