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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 activity, learners explore their eye pupils and how they change.

In this activity, learners observe what happens when they give a light source like a neon glow lamp a "Bronx Cheer." The lights appear to wiggle back and forth and flicker when learners blow air throu

In this activity, learners create a cylindrical mirror to see themselves as others see them.

In this activity about light and refraction, learners make a lens and magnifying glass by filling a bowl with water.

In this quick optics activity, learners use a dim point of light (a disassembled Mini MagLite and dowel set-up) to cast a shadow of the blood supply in their retina onto the retina itself.

In this activity about light and perception, learners create pictures in thin air.

Create an illusion where it appears that your hand has a hole in it. You'll see the results from when one eye gets conflicting information.

In this activity (1st on the page), learners find their blind spot--the area on the retina without receptors that respond to light.

In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to view 2-D images in 3-D.

This is a quick activity/demonstration that introduces learners to the concept of index of refraction. Learners place stirring rods in a jar of water and notice they can see them clearly.

This fun activity uses simple materials such as milk cartons and mirrors to introduce the ideas of optics and visual perception.

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

In this activity (posted on March 27, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a mini zoetrope, a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures.

In this activity, learners make a photographic image—without a camera!

In this activity about light and reflection, learners discover that what you see is often affected by what you expect to see.

If you had a long tube with a 5 millimeter wide slit, would you see the entire Golden Gate Bridge?

In this activity about light and refraction, learners discover how a lens creates an image that hangs in midair.

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