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Depth Spinner
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Experience a spinning spiral...you won't be hypnotized, but you'll see what happens when you look away. It's like getting off a merry-go-round and everything keeps moving.
Fading Dot
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In this activity, learners play with a fuzzy-colored dot that has no distinct edges seems to disappear. As learners stare at the dot, its color appears to blend with the colors surrounding it.
Peripheral Vision
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In this optics activity, learners conduct an experiment to explore peripheral vision. Learners collect data about their ability to see shapes, colors, or letters using their peripheral vision.
Lateral Inhibition
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Which one of your eyes are dominant? Do they act independently or are they equally "in control?" This activity explores how your eyes work (or don't work) together.
Reaction Time
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In this activity, learners conduct an experiment to test how fast they can react. Learners try to catch a piece of paper with a ruler printed on it (or a ruler) as quickly as they can.
Motion Picture
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During this hands-on activity, learners are briefly exposed to moviemaking and animation, when they create their own thaumatropes.
Color Spy
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In this activity (16th on the page), learners play a variation of the "I Spy" game to explore color. Learners work in teams with each team assigned a color.
Phenakistascope
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In this optics activity, learners build an animation tool to make mini movies. When you spin a phenakistascope, the pictures move so quickly that your eyes and brain can't separate the images.
Thaumatrope Illusion
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Design and create an optical illusion toy that makes two pictures appear to become one. This is called a thaumatrope and will allow the learner to investigate the phenomenon of persistence of vision.
Depth Perception
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In this easy demonstration (3rd on the page), learners explore depth perception by conducting a test with two pencils.
Seeing in the Dark
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In this activity (17th on the page), learners investigate why you cannot see colors in dim light.
Shifting Backgrounds, Shifting Images
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In this quick activity/demonstration (5th on the page), learners explore depth perception.
Thaumatrope
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In this activity, learners make an optical illusion toy from the 1800s to explore persistence of vision.
Pinhole Magnifier
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In this activity related to light and perception, learners use a pinhole in an index card as a magnifying glass to help their eye focus on a nearby object.
Thaumatropes
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In this activity, learners will make a thaumatrope, an old-fashioned optical illusion that dates back to the 1820s.
Disappearing Act
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Make a camouflage cut-out animal! Using patterned paper or magazine pictures from around the house, use your craft skills to make a paper animal that blends into its background.
Spinning Cylinder: Make a triangle appear on a spinning wheel
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Spin a short piece of PVC pipe that's been marked up, and watch a triangle appear. Enjoy this optical illusion from the Exploratorium's Science Snack series.
Seeing Is Believing
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This activity is designed to accompany the PBS documentary about African-American chemist "Percy Julian: Forgotten Genius." Learners look through two cups with small holes in them to simulate what it'
Mix-N-Match Light
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This is an online exhibit about color perception. Learners set a random background color and then try to mix red, blue, and green light to match.
Periscope
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In this optics activity, learners build a spy tool to secretly view things over walls or around corners.