Today, we had a lot of fun making Halloween versions of our basic optical illusion. What do you think of our pumpkin? Just roll the pencil or straw between your hands to see the face appear in the pumpkin.
The best thing about this activity is that you can be as creative as you like. Make a hat appear on a witch, a face appear on a ghost, or a bat hanging from a tree!
New for this year is a FREE optical illusion template!
What you need for an optical illusion craft
- white cardboard/paper
- pencils and colouring pens
- scissors
- glue/sellotape
- straw
Or, use my handy template!
How to make a simple optical illusion
- Cut out two shapes from a sheet of white cardboard.
- Draw whatever you want. If you don’t fancy a pumpkin, how about a haunted mansion on one piece and a ghost on the other? Half of the illusion should be on one piece of card and the other half on the other side.
- Glue or sellotape a pencil in between the two pictures.
- Hold the pencil between your palms and rub your hands to make the picture spin around.
- You should find the face that appears on the pumpkin.
If you design your own version, I’d love to see it.
Download a free experiment instruction sheet by clicking the image below.
If you want to learn more about optical illusions, check out Optics4kids. It will blow your mind!
More Halloween Experiments for Kids
Learn about shadows with our easy shadow puppets. These are fun decorations for Halloween and can be scary or fun and cute!
We’ve also got an easy recipe for Halloween slime and lots of witches’ potion recipes.
Keep the whole family entertained with our Halloween science quiz!
You might also like my book Gross Science! It’s full of disgustingly gruesome science experiments perfect for Halloween.
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Last Updated on September 30, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
