Levitating Lantern
Balance tension and gravity to make an "impossible" floating lamp! Build a lantern that floats above its base with the help of tension and rubber bands. Learn the science behind how it floats and engineer an electric circuit to make the lamp glow, then test the levitation with a series of “tricks” that are sure to impress!
Added
Why it’s awesome
"Impossible" levitation
Explore how physics and opposing forces help this lantern float.
Glow in color
Customize the lantern’s shade colors for a unique glow.
Surprisingly sturdy
Lift and turn your lantern without breaking the levitation illusion.
What’s included?
Topics explored
Floating illusions
Science of tension
Hands-on electronics
Additional details
From the desk of the product designer:
Behind the design
“What's cooler than building and customizing your own lantern? Making it float! I decided to use transparent rings to mimic how magicians create floating illusions — the harder the rings are to see, the more magical the illusion looks! ”
- KiwiCo Product Designer
By the numbers
15
Lantern prototypes built
10
Shades styles tested
many
O-rings accidentally fired across the workshop
Reviews
4.8
51 reviews
Customer images
Jodie
02/09/2024
This was one of my kids favorites. We still use it in there room.
Sigalas
04/10/2023
This project was so fun! Not too easy, not too hard, and now it has a place on our mantle. Lovely.
Niko
02/12/2023
10 year loved building it.
Lisa
02/09/2023
The "levitation" element really blew our minds. My nine year old and I giggled as we built this and watched the magic come alive.
Pavel
12/24/2022
Pretty interesting but a little wobby, hard to make the ballance.
momstinch
11/26/2022
I bought this for both my 10 year old and 16 year old. They both enjoyed putting their project together. My 10 year old was able to do it by herself and my 16 year old found it satisfying to occupy a little bit of time.
Added