optical toys

Available in-person or online

(ages 4-9)

Optical Toys workshops will allow kids to gain a fundamental understanding of how to animate an image, using hands-on learning activities. Kids will build historic animated toys used in the early 19th century, which will help guide them to understand how individual pictures can come to life and make a motion picture. Using paper, markers and string, they will create their own Thaumatropes and Phenakistiscopes. This will allow kids to use their imagination and artistic skills to make their own creative ideas spring into life! They will also have the opportunity to create a aper character and to animate it against one of our backgrounds using a small desktop camera and a laptop.

This workshop features a series of short activities, ideal for a younger audience. It is perfect for daycares, as well as kindergarten and early elementary classes.

Who: students from kindergarten to grade 3

Where: at your school, day care or community centreFor a larger group, please inquire if you will need a second facilitator (this will mean a higher fee)

When: Year-round

Half-day Workshops
(2-3 hrs)
In-person (up to 20 participants): $200
Online: $150

For a larger group, please inquire if you will need a second facilitator (this will mean a higher fee)