If you move your eye over this image, it will appear to move slightly.
Optical illusion games are like magic that occurs in the blink of the eye. There are many ways to trick the human eye, allowing us to see things in new or strange ways, and even to see things that are not there. Children in particular can enjoy optical illusions.
Finding the Best Illusions
Because of their visual nature, optical illusions are well-suited to the Internet and are widely available online. A quick search for optical illusions yields thousands of webpages offering optical illusion static images and animations. Kids can make a game of competing against each other (or against themselves) to find the most impressive optical illusions, and to understand the principles that describe how these illusions work. Provide the kids with pen and paper so that they can devise tests for the illusions they see on the computer as well as try out some of their own ideas.
Spotting Pictures in the Clouds
This is an ancient pastime. We have all looked up at the clouds and seen rocket ships, bears, dragons and other objects. Our evolution enables us to recognize objects by visual patterns that we already know. In particular, humans are good at recognizing faces. Sometimes this ability is a little too successful, however, and we see things that are not there. This is called "pareidolia." Puffy cumulus clouds are an excellent canvas for pareidolia because their uneven, ambiguous texture encourages us to see these kinds of false positive illusions. Just have the kids lie back, stare up at the sky, and talk about what they see.
Stereograms
Stereograms are computer generated images that look like patterns of noise, or repeating sequences of images. When you look at a stereogram just the right way, you will see a completely hidden 3D picture. It works by feeding a slightly different image into your left and right eyes, allowing you to see the illusion of depth on a flat page. The trick in looking at the stereogram is to shift the focus of your eyes as though you were looking at something farther away. By shifting your eyes to just the right position, the images coming into your left and right eyes will align, and you will see the hidden treat.
Stereograms are puzzle games, which kids are apt to enjoy because of the challenge of controlling the focus of their eyes and the reward of seeing a secret picture when they master the skill. Stereograms are published in large picture books available for sale in bookstores or online, and many websites offer free stereogram downloads. You can print a stereogram from a computer image onto a piece of paper and it will work, provided that your printer is functioning correctly.
Tags: optical illusions, into your, into your left, just right, left right, left right eyes, right eyes
