SKU: G2 EYEL 001

Eyelusions

Build a motorized thaumatrope, design image pairs, and discover how motion can fool the eye.
Grades
K-5th Grade
Activity Time
30-45 min
Prep Time
5-10 min
Concepts
Optical Illusions Color Energy

Select the pack size that matches your use case

Learners build

A motorized optical illusion that blends two drawings into one surprising image as it spins.

Learners start by building a small motorized spinner, then design paired images that appear to merge through motion.

From there, they can test timing, alignment, color, contrast, and new image combinations to create their own visual illusions.

Learner-made machines showing different motion experiments

Build

Learners assemble the core design and see how the parts work together.

Test

They try it, notice what happens, and compare the result with their goal.

Redesign

They make changes, add their own ideas, and improve the build through iteration.

Learners explore

Optical Illusions

Explore images and motion that trick your eyes and brain.

Color

Mix, blend, and layer colors to create surprising visual effects.

Energy

Use stored energy to spin, launch, roll, or move a design.

Ready to run with learners

Student-facing slides introduce the concepts, guide the activity, and help learners reflect on what changed. Educator materials support setup, pacing, discussion, and extensions so this can work in classrooms, libraries, homeschool groups, clubs, or makerspaces.

View Eyelusions teaching materials
1

Student Slides

Introduce concepts, guide build moments, and give learners reflection prompts.

2

Educator Guide

Setup notes, pacing help, facilitation prompts, and extension ideas.

3

Flexible Facilitation

Works for classrooms, homeschool groups, libraries, clubs, and makerspaces.

What's included

Choose a pack size to see how the component quantities change for one learner, a small group, or a full class.