One of the occupational hazards of being a ‘science mom’ that walks around town in a tie dye lab coat is that when your kids have friends over the first thing they ask is “What kind of science are we going to do today?”. This is especially tricky if you are fresh out of science supplies from hosting a STEM Stories event held at our favorite local bookstore Village Books. (This is one of my favorite pictures from that evening…💕)
But as luck would have it, I saved some special science for just an occasion that needed to be easy and could be completed in the scorching hot sun. Say hello to my little friend, Sun Art.
What’s the science? Sun Art paper is coated with a photosensitive chemical that reacts with UV light. If you cover the paper with an object then place it into the sun, it leaves an impression of the object’s shadow. The photo sensitive reaction occurs within 5 minutes (especially on bright sunny days) and after you rinse the paper and let it dry some very cool images appear.
So the kids excitedly gathered objects from this summer and arranged them on the paper and honestly the finished art became a sweet way to reflect over the last few months of summer vacation.
This sun print reminded me of our time in Alabama on my birthday digging holes and find a ton of seashells.
This one reminds me of the flowers and plants we are trying to keep from being scorched in the 109F temperatures and boating on Lake Conroe to try and escape the heat ourselves.
And finally, this daisy from our garden reminds me of all the things that life brings with raising kids – braces, bubbles, birthdays…
So, it really has been a memorable summer – one where we are trying our best to soak up the memories before heading back to school. We hope you enjoy making your own sun art and the memories it brings back for you.
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