Bird In A Cage

Challenge

How can you get the bird to appear in the cage or the flowers in the vase?

Supplies

• • 4" Square piece of heavy paper or card stock

  • Pencil

  • Markers

  • Hole punch

  • 2 x 3' String

What to do

• • Decorate one side of the paper with a bird

  • Decorate the other side with a cage larger than the bird

    • • Make sure the cage is upside down so it will look correct when flipped

  • Punch a hole in center of the left and right edge of the square

  • Tie one loop of string to each of the holes

  • Spin the thaumatrope while holding the strings to wind them

  • Pull the strings and watch the thaumatrope

What’s happening?

This optical illusion uses persistence of vision to work. What that means is that the image changes rapidly enough that our minds will merge the images which causes us to see the flowers in the vase or the bird in the cage.