Solar prints for kids (and cub scouts)

One of the Bear Cub Scout requirments is to make solar prints of three kinds of leaves.

It is part of the group of activities for the Nature Crafts elective.  Other requirments include making a display of eight different animal tracks, collecting and pressing ten kinds of leaves, eight kinds of plant seeds and mounting and labeling ten kinds of rocks and five kinds of shells, building a bird caller and building a waterscope.  As you can see this really does give them a good introduction to the variety in nature.  I thought I would show what the solar prints looks like.  If I was a bit more of a dilligent unschooler I guess I could have gone into the chemistry behind it all, but I haven't...yet. 

You are supposed to be able to buy special light-sensitive paper from hobby shops or nature centers, but since I live out in the boonies, I ordered it online (I love the internet!).  Alternatively you can always use dark construction paper, but your wait time goes from 5 minutes to a day or two.

You put the leaves onto the paper, cover them with plastic or glass to hold them down, leave them in the sun for about 5 minutes or until it changes color, place them in water (to "fix") the image for a couple of minutes then lay them flat to dry. 

It is really neat to watch the paper fade, then get bright again in the water, and to watch the image change from negative to positive and back.  Of course, given a free hand the kids would have used up the entire packet.  The paper cost about $20 for sheets.

Well worth it for the experience, and neat outcome.  Of course, with digital cameras and printing photos from your home printer, this younger generation normally have no knowledge of what a negatvie is in the 1970s-90s "non digital camera" sense.  This is an activity which makes chemistry look like magic and is lots of fun.

Aussie Kim

Comments

[heather]

I had forgotten this--once the snow melts we will have to try it. Somewhere ve a book that tells how to make your own paper for it--will have to look and see if I can find it.

[Aussie Kim]

Yes! Please do find it - that sounds like a real chemistry lesson!

[Chicago Plumbers]

Great Information ! It is part of the group of activities for the Nature Crafts elective. I have got the most reliable information for kids about the activity books which are helpful to build self esteem in kids.