Sun Pictures Tutorial

August in Seattle offers some of the nicest weather all year. The sun finally makes it's appearance you start to see everyone taking advantage! That's one thing Washingtonians don't do - we don't take the sun for granted. So, I thought I'd do a quick tutorial on one of the simplest things you can do with your kids to show the power of the sun! This project takes very little preparation and can be done with things you probably have around the house!

Materials needed:

• Construction paper - brighter, darker colors are best
• Various shaped objects - we used beads and buttons because they were handy, leaves twigs, toys, etc work well also.
• The sun!

Step 1 - Give each child their own piece of construction paper. I like to tape it to the surface we are using so that the wind doesn't blow it away. I normally tape it on the back side so that it doesn't affect the picture.

Step 2 - Allow your kids to arrange a their items on the paper.

Step 3 - Leave the paper and objects alone in a sunny location for at least 30 minutes. The longer you allow it to sit, the more defined your objects will be.

You can also experiment by removing items at various times to vary the color saturation. Try various items as well - cut cardboard shapes, use alphabet stickers (don't press them down real hard because you will want to remove them), string, the possibilities are endless!

After the sun is done with the picture - use your paper to make a card to make to send a family member, wrap a present, make bookmarks or use it in your scrapbook (you will want to use acid free paper if you plan on doing this). Ask your kids to come with ideas as well - their creativity often produces the best ideas!