Have you ever looked over a fence, around a corner or peeked into your backyard from your window? Have you ever made believe that you were Captain Nemo on his submarine “The Nautilus”? It was fun when I was young. The wonders of childhood I shared by making a periscope for my children many years ago and they enjoyed it too. Access to better materials has allowed for improvements and better durability. My grandchildren now have use of the new model.

Start by purchasing or finding the following (household) items:

2 or 3 foot piece of 3 inch PVC pipe

2- 90 degree PVC elbows that fit the pipe

2 mirrors that can fit in the inside of the elbows ( I used the mirrors from 2 Make-up Compacts purchased at a Dollar Store)

Adhesive to position and hold the mirrors in place ( I used a Construction sealant)

A piece of 1/8 inch thick, clear, rigid plastic or plexiglass big enough to cut two circles as big as the outside of the pipe

Small short self-tapping screws long enough to attach the elbows to the pipe

If you are mounting the periscope:

2 Handles (Jump rope wooden handles also purchased at the Dollar Store)

2 Carriage bolts (with nuts) long enough and small enough in diameter to connect the handles to the pipe

Hangers to hold the pipe in place

Cut two rings 1/2 inch thick from one end of pipe and glue them to the clear plastic. Be very careful not to get glue on the clear plastic inside the rings. When the glue has dried, cut the clear plastic around the outside of the rings so that it is flush with the outside of the rings. Next, apply adhesive to the outside curve on the inside of the elbows and position the mirrors at 45 degrees. You can check this to some extent by placing the elbows temporary on the pipe and looking into one elbow to ensure that you can see the other mirror and when you see an object in the mirror it should not appear to be leaning. Adjust mirrors to correct any problems. If you are not going to mount the periscope to anything, you can attach the elbows to the pipe with the self-tapping screws and press fit the two rings into open ends of the periscope with the clear plastic on the inside.

If you wish to mount the periscope, please continue.

Once the adhesive has set, mark locations on the pipe for the handles and remove the closest elbow. Drill holes at the two locations. Make sure to drill a big enough hole for the carriage bolt and make sure that it is straight. Drill second hole opposite the first. Slide hangers onto the pipe. Attach handles with the carriage bolts, tightening the nuts on the inside. Seat the elbows firmly in place and attach with the self-tapping screws. Press fit the rings into the open ends with the clear plastic on the inside, DO NOT GLUE! Removal may be needed for cleaning or maintenance of mirrors, clear plastic or handles. Mount in the desired location. Let the children play too!