EASY SUN PRINTS

Who doesn’t love a simple activity with supplies you already have? Watch how the sun changes the color of your paper. This is a perfect outdoor activity and mess free!

Materials:

• construction paper
• Small items of various sizes (plastic animals/insects/frogs, puzzle pieces, coins, jewelry, leaves, flowers, buttons (try to use objects with a flat side)
• tape
• baking sheet
• sunscreen
• paintbrush
• paper plates (to put sunscreen on)

Option #1: Object Prints

Have all of your supplies ready before you begin. On a sunny morning, place your construction paper on top of a baking sheet. Put tape under the paper to secure it to the baking sheet. Find a flat surface outside in the sun (avoid shaded areas.) Arrange the objects quickly on the construction paper. You can create a pattern, scene or just place randomly. Wait several hours and then remove your objects to see the power of the sun! The longer your project is out in the sun, the more contract you’ll see in your paper’s color.

About after an hour make some observations about your project. Does your paper look darker or lighter? What do you think is happening underneath the objects? Are the objects warm or cold (careful not to move)?

Conclusion:The objects on the paper blocked the UV rays of the sun- leaving the paper under them the original color. Where the objects were not, the paper faded because of the sun’s strong UV rays.

Move the white circle with arrows to see the before and after image below. We used pool toys & rocks for Example #1 and plastic insects for Example #2 (from the dollar store).

Example #1:

Example #2

Option #2: Sunscreen as Paint!

Place construction paper onto baking sheet and secure with tape on the bottom. Using a paint brush, paint an image onto the construction paper. Create an abstract image or draw a certain object. Then, place into the sun for several hours.

About after an hour again- observe what you see. Has the suntan lotion dried? Still white? Has the paper changed colors? Any other observations?

Conclusion: The area where you placed the suntan lotion did not change in color because the suntan lotion protected it. But, where there was no suntan lotion, the sun’s strong UV rays faded it.

Time exposure is really fast in the sun. You can see by the photo on the left the original color of the paper vs. paper after several hours in the sun.

This is a great example of how suntan lotion protects you from the sun too. Next time your child refused to wear it, remind them of the sun’s power in this activity.

You can also buy sunprint paper where the results are even more vivid.