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In this activity, learners create a simple “top” from a CD, marble and bottle cap, and use it as a spinning platform for a variety of illusion-generating patterns.

In this activity, a lightbulb is placed in front of a concave mirror. The actual lightbulb is not visible to the viewer, but the viewer can see the mirror image of the lightbulb formed in space.

In this simple activity, learners investigate refraction by placing a picture of an arrow behind a glass of water.

In this optics activity, learners create flip books by drawing an image like an eye opening and closing on 24 small pages of paper.

In this activity about light and reflection, learners use a special device called a Mirage Maker™ to create an illusion.

In this activity, learners use a simple trick of perspective to dress friends in tiny cutout clothing. Learners make tiny pants out of card stock and tape them to the end of a stick.

In this activity, learners investigate visual perception as well as plan and conduct their own experiments.

How can you make one shade of gray look like two? By putting it against two different color backgrounds! This activity allows learners to perform this sleight of hand very easily.

In this activity, learners control the (apparent) size of a hole with their brain.

In this fun and interactive online exhibit, the straight lines of a tile wall appear to curve. The learner moves the rows of tiles and changes the color of the grout to achieve the intriguing effect.

In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Light and Color Activity), learners will see the illusion of colors produced by a rotating black and white image known as Benham’s Disk.

Do you have a hard time matching paint swatches with your furniture? When you consider human perception, color is context dependent.

We don't normally view people upside down and so our brains aren't accustomed to it.

In this activity about light and perception, learners discover how a flash of light can create a lingering image called an "afterimage" on the retina of the eye.

Known as the waterfall effect, this activity demonstrates adaptation in our visual system.

In this trick, hold your hand over a burning candle without getting burned, by reflecting and transmitting the light of two candles. This activity is best suited as a demonstration.

In this demonstration, amaze learners by performing simple tricks using mirrors. These tricks take advantage of how a mirror can reflect your right side so it appears to be your left side.

In this activity (13th on the page), learners complete a simple illusion trick to see through their own hand.

In this activity, learners create an optical illusion by spinning two attached cups. A round ball seems to magically appear when the cups spin.

In this activity, learners make a Benham Top to explore visual illusions and optics.