Sunshine prints: Make art from the sun

May 02, 2011 11:15 AM by Cyndi Mathews

Posted in Parenting / Family Fun / Crafts

Art From The Sun

If you have sun and have kids, here's a cool craft project to try (though if you just want to get a set just for yourself, we won't tell)!

Sunprint kits - art from the sun

The smart folks at the UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science invented a special photographic paper that's perfect for creating works of art. Best of all, there's no mess and hardly any equipment required. (My sister and I used to love this stuff!)

A simple & fun nature craft kit

To make a sun print, all you need to provide is a little sunshine, water and nature. Everything else you need (special photographic paper and plexiglass) comes in the kit.

So, send the kids out to the yard to collect leaves, ferns, flowers -- or even coins or stencils -- and then use it to create art. Just set the object(s) on the special paper, cover it with the plexiglass -- to hold it in place and keep it clean -- and set it in the sun for a few minutes.

When you rinse the paper, you'll see the imprint of your object as the paper "tans" to a beautiful blue hue. Frame them for your kids or use them as cards, scrapbooking elements or even gifts! (See a gallery of some Sunprints here.)

For just $13.95, you get 15 sheets of the special paper and the Plexiglass overlay -- and reprint kits are available, too. Find out more at Sunprints.org.