Easy Solar Prints

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

25 Feb 2008 06:59 PM

Today's wonderful sunshine reminded me of a fun craft project that takes advantage of a sunny day.

Solar prints are easy, quick and fascinating. You'll need to make a trip to an office supply store for blueprint paper. You can also buy it online at Amazon, or buy kits like the Solar Print Kit or the Sunlight Print Kit that do the same thing. When blueprint paper is exposed to sunlight it turns a rich, deep blue.

While you are still inside, put your blueprint paper on a tray, or clip it to a clipboard. Arrange all kinds of objects on the paper. You can use car keys, flowers, leaves, paperclips, a fork, toys, or rocks. You can also use cut out shapes or letters to spell names or occasions. The reason for a tray is that you need something to hold your objects steady as you take them outside. If you end up rearranging the objects in the sunlight, the effect will not be as clear. Take the paper and objects outside and leave them in direct sunlight for a few minutes. When you bring your paper back inside you'll have silhouette prints of your objects, surrounded by a beautiful blue background.

These look very pretty framed, particularly prints of leaves and ferns. You can turn them into cards, or just hang them on the refrigerator.

This project also works with construction paper, but it's a lot less impressive. It also takes a few hours in the sun, and it produces dark silhouettes surrounded by faded paper.

It's also fun to do an interesting experiment with your sunscreens. Spread a few drops of different exposures on different parts of the paper. After a few minutes you can see how well they block the sun compared to one another.

Solar prints fit in well with lessons on shape and nature.

Also See:

Easy Paper Dolls and Paper Shapes

Crayon Rubbings - Easy Art Project

Thumbprint Art - Easy Crafts for Children

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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