Unplugged Project: Making 3D Drawings!
Feb 3rd, 2009 by Alicia
This week’s theme at Unplug Your Kids was color and it fit perfectly in with an activity that the kids did.
Stores have been giving away 3D glasses to promote an upcoming movie and an ad that was supposed to play during the Superbowl yesterday. We had several pairs and the kids anxiously waited for the big show.
It finally was time. We all put on our glasses. And… it was a 30 second commercial for a movie, followed by another commercial for a soft drink or something. Not quite the thrill they were hoping for.
So Victoria made better use of the glasses and taught the others how to make 3D drawings to view with their glasses!
Daryl had taught her how to do this years ago and it’s very easy. You draw simple images in red and blue (close to whatever colors your lenses are), making the lines very close to each other. One color is invisible in one eye and the other in the other eye, and your eyes blend the images to create a wobbly sort of 3D effect where the image seems to float on the page. I believe the red will appear closer, while the blue part seems farther away. It’s not quite up to Hollywood levels, but it’s pretty neat.
If you don’t have any 3D glasses and would like some for your kiddos, check at local stores. They often carry them for promotions at places like Walmart. Last month we found them at the gas station and grocery store. We have a few extras and I’d be happy to pop them in the mail if you send a SASE (leave a comment with a link to your email and I’ll give you our mailing address). You can also find cheap ones for less than a dollar online, plus shipping.
I was going to give you a bunch of links about how it all works but I can’t find any good pages online. They’re all veeeeeery long and complicated and I’m very tired! We have a book where we found our explanation, called Extreme 3D: Your Body by Silver Dolphin books. It even comes with a free pair of the glasses. 
What a cool drawing project! I had no idea that making 3D pictures was that easy.
My son has those same Incredibles pajamas.
My picklets were also disappointed with the commercials. They definitely weren’t what they thought they would be. I am sure, after showing them this post, that they will be making their own drawings today! Great idea!
If people don’t have 3D glass they can make thier own at home. http://terraweb.wr.usgs.gov/kids/glasses.html shows how. We have done this occasionally in the past.
Gerky
Oh neat, I didn’t realize you could use them that way!
My son would love this. Very good for pen skills too!
neat idea i have ours leftover from the superbowl commercial my oldest would love to make 3d pictures
We are thrilled to see that our product has multiple uses. It is always great to hear that one of our kits is being enjoyed by kids over and over again. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding any of our products. Visit our website and check out the array of products we have that are great for home schooling and general education and fun. –Silver Dolphin Books.
I did that in high school for art. My teacher never got it, but I thought it was fun.
That is a great idea for a project!
I saw the Super Bowl and those ads. I wondered where people got the glasses. I didn’t see any available here. It sounds like we didn’t miss anything though.
I think this is a wonderful project idea. Thanks!
Cool idea!