Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite books so I’m very excited about a new mini series of Alice themed science experiments and activities. My first activity is super simple. All you need is pen, paper and a mirror!
Alice encounters many strange things in Wonderland including reversed time and a backwards clock. The idea behind this activity is to write backwards using a mirror. It might be harder than you think.
Mirror Writing
You’ll need
Mirror
Pen
Paper
Instructions
Try to write a short word backwards using the hand you normally write with. Use a mirror to check you’ve done it correctly. Try again with different words.
Is it easier to write some letters than others? What happens if you try to use the hand that isn’t the one you write with? As an extra challenge can you write backwards with one hand and forwards with the other?
How do mirrors work?
If you look into a mirror you see an image of yourself reflected back. The image appears to be behind the mirror, is the right way up, but reversed.
Mirrors flip images front to back. If you write a word on a piece of paper and hold it up to a mirror the letters are backwards but still the right way up. We call this a mirror image. Only mirrors that are perfectly flat ( plane mirrors ) give a mirror image.
More Science in Stories
I have an ever growing collection of science activities related to stories you might like.
Reverse directions for Alice using refraction.
These fairy tale science ideas are a great place to start, or take a look through my full collection of ideas for science from stories.
Last Updated on February 8, 2022 by Emma Vanstone
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