Illusion & Deception Lesson
Use this fun, hands-on lesson or "play date" activity to explore deception and illusions in art, magic tricks, literature, and more! I created this "lesson" to do as a two hour "play date" with my young children and some of their friends. Use this fun lesson with your class, family, preschool, or or homeschool co-op group!
Please DO NOT copy this elsewhere without giving proper credit: http://iijuan12.hubpages.com/hub/illusion-lesson
Deception and Illusion
1. Pray. Read and discuss Deuteronomy 18:9-11. Ask what how God protects us from getting deceived/tricked.
2. Reading about Daniel in lion's den and then briefly talk about how the advisers were being deceptive.
3. Illusion in art: Use pictures from M.C. Escher or optical illusion pictures and talk about how they trick the eye.
YOU WILL NEED: pictures from M.C. Escher
Illusions in Magic
4. Optical illusion: Show a pen in a glass half-filled with water. Talk about why it looks broken.
YOU WILL NEED: a pen an a glass half-filled with water
5. Illusion in magic: Teach the children 2 simple magic tricks and have the each child perform them for us.
a. Show how to push a penny through your elbow. Hide one penny in your right hand. Take a second penny, show it to the audience, and then act like you're pushing it hard into your elbow. While you do that, position the penny between 2 fingers, move your arm up and drop the penny down the back of your shirt. Then open your right hand and pretend like it was the same one.
b. Make a pen "disappear" by hitting it against your hand and tapping down dramatically while counting, "One, Two, Three." After the count of 2 toss the pen behind your back but still pretend like you have it when you're counting, "Three."
YOU WILL NEED: 2 pennies per child, 1 pen per child, & a magician hat (optional)
Illusions and Miracles
6. Illusion vs. Miracle: Read the story of Jesus changing water to wine and discuss illusion vs. miracle.
7. Deception: Ask who the "great deceiver" is in Bible and ask who he deceived and how. Remind the children of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Mention how we are disobeying God when we are deceptive like Satan and we lie.
Deception in Literature: Snow White and Aesop's Fables
8. Read "Snow White" and ask who deceived and who was deceived. Note how God judged queen by sending her to a quick death. God will judge and destroy those who disobey Him.
9. Read Aesop's Fable "The Fox and the Crow." If desired, make a lapbook using this free set of lapbook pages on Aesop's Fables.
10. Snack: Cheese (like crow had) and crackers.
YOU WILL NEED: cheese, crackers, napkins, & cups for water
11. Make paper bag puppets of the fox and crow. You can use this image for the fox puppet and this image for the crow puppet. Have each child perform "The Fox and the Crow" with their puppets.
YOU WILL NEED: 2 paper bags per child, construction paper, markers, & scissors
12. Review what we learned.
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Konos Curriculum
Would you like to teach this way every day?
I use Konos Curriculum as a springboard from which to plan my lessons. It's a wonderful Christian curriculum and was created by moms with active children! You can even watch free on-line videos as Jessica, one of the co-authors of Konos, walks you through a unit. (Look for the Explanation Videos tab.)
If you're new to homeschooling or in need of some fresh guidance, I highly recommend Konos' HomeSchoolMentor.com program! Watch videos on-line of what to do each day and how to teach it in this great hands-on format!