Coloring meets funhouse mirror magic

Coloring meets funhouse mirror magic
I'm not going to lie to you: When I opened the Morph-O-Scopes Kit box my daughter received for her birthday one year, I was unimpressed. Some crayons. A shiny cup. And a bunch of coloring pages with a hole in the center, the images all stretched out and weird looking.

Honestly I expected to find it all discarded on the floor within 10 minutes.
Color me surprised (with or without a shiny cup!) when this optical illusion activity and art kit kept both children happily occupied for days. You put the paper over the reflective cup in the center, where it's held in place and then you can view the "normal" reflected image so you can see what the distorted outline on the paper can become. I know that sounds complicated - just look at the website and it all becomes clear.

The kids just think it's cool and nifty, but the setup of checking out the reflection and then working on the original paper is actually honing their fine motor skills and spatial reasoning. And that's aside from keeping them busy and out of your hair for hours on end. -Mir

You can purchase Morph-O-Scopes kits directly from manufacturer OOZ & OZ, or from our affiliate, Amazon.

More in KidsView all picks →

Avenleur Climbing Wall

Avenlur climbing wall: An indoor adventure course for kids

A holiday gift that encourages active, adventurous play for kids • Described as a larger, more substantial Christmas gift • An indoor play space that brings playground energy into the home • Open-ended design encourages imaginative play in different scenarios

A Q&A with author Jamie Sumner about her new book Wish You Well

Q&A with middle grade author Jamie Sumner

Jamie Sumner is a best-selling middle grade author who often writes about the disability experience. • Wish You Well follows three kids who feign friendship to scam a wish-granting foundation.

shannon hale princess in black book and author

Q&A with children’s book author Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the bestselling author behind The Princess in Black series. It's a favorite early chapter book series for kids ages 5–8 and boys love it as much as girls do. Her newest book, Princess in Black and the Trick or Treating Trouble, comes out just in time for Halloween. We talked with her about it as part of our Q&A author series and asked about a few of her favorite things too.