The magnifying glass die (AccuCut M1030J) may prove more versatile then you first thought. To have some "glass" in the middle, laminate the die cut. To make a butterfly net or fish net scoop, attach some netting between two die cuts.
Try making a pair of glasses. This will probably work better with the large size die, rather than the jumbo.
These opera glasses were made with the fold on the edge of the handle. Add a handle from another color of paper.
Fill the opening with a piece of shiny wrapping paper or foil to make a hand mirror.
Attach more handles to make a riverboat pilot's wheel. You might write different concepts on each handle and add the handles to the wheel as the concepts are presented.
Cut the ring portion from shiny paper and add a "gem" (AccuCut Pattern blocks - trapezoid PB350L).
Cut a handle, rotate it 180 degrees and cut again to create these bandages.
Make phases of the moon with the inner circle. The crescent moon was put through the die cutter twice to get the inner curve.
Don't waste the inside circles. Use them to make fraction circle pieces. A protractor can help you measure angles for thirds and sixths.
Cut the Olympic colors from the ring portion of the die. Make a cut in the green and yellow rings to link the five pieces together.
For a social studies unit about the former Soviet Union or the Communist party of China, trim the magnifying glass to make the sickle. For the hammer use the piece cut from the sickle handle to make the hammer head. Cut another handle and assemble.
To elongate the head of the racket, make a small fold at the middle of the lens. Glue a piece of graph paper to the racket head. If you would like a tennis or badminton racket, cut off the handle and reattach it to a long slender stem. (Thanks, R.S.)
