Optical Art for Kids

Optical art is art that plays tricks with the viewer's perception. It is art that sets up a small battle between what the eyes see and what the brain thinks it sees. The connection between our eyes and our brain is not as purely objective as that of a cameral and its photograph. When we "see," our brain works hard to make sense of images based upon what it has seen before—and sometimes in order to do so, it fills in what's not there. We see curved lines where there are only straight lies, depth in flat images, or objects that float to the front or sink to the back. This video is a collection of optical illusion art projects that kids from 8 year old on up can construct using pencil, ruler, and sometimes a compass. Each project has a page of simple directions at the end of its animation. As interesting as this video might be to watch, it's even more fun to do these Optical Art projects your self, and better yet, share these projects with children.