Sun sensitive paper gives you a unique way to help your child discover the wonder of plants and leaves. This fun activity will send you on a treasure hunt to discover leaves of every shape and color, then magically preserve their outlines sun sensitive paper. Once you have a design created, you can take the fun one step further and turn it into a colorful and unique greeting card for someone you love.
Supplies are Simple:
- Leaves in several shapes, sizes and colors
- Sun sensitive paper
- A sheet of clear acrylic to weigh leaves down (typically included with sun sensitive paper)
- Small rocks for weight
Go on a Nature Walk:
Every experienced gardener knows that one of the joys of gardening is adding lots of variety to your landscape. Flowers are the showpiece part we notice because of their color and fragrance, but the heavy lifting in a landscape is done by the foliage. If you pay close attention to any professionally-landscaped area, you are going to see a LOT of variety in the foliage of the landscape plants. If you haven’t looked closely at leaves in a while, prepare to be amazed!
Leaves and plants have so many different and unique shapes, it’s fun to take a closer look
Take a nature walk. Teach a child (and yourself) to slow down to take a close look at the patterns, designs and unique shapes of leaves (and blossoms). It will give you a renewed sense of wonder for the beautiful, amazing world we live in. You will collect 8-10 varieties of leaves on your field trip, or even more if the interest level is high. Look for leaves and plants with really unique leaf shapes. Since the photosensitive paper you’ll be working with is likely smaller than a typical sheet of paper, opt for some smaller leaves so you can fit more into your design. Or, choose several of the same kind of unique leaf for your design.
Select 4-5 of Your Favorite Leaf Specimens
Once you have a small collection of leaves, choose 4-5 specimens that you think have the most interesting shapes. Sun sensitive paper goes through a chemical change when exposed to light. It will work on both sunny and overcast days. Don’t remove your paper from the package until you are ready to make your print. Be sure to protect your paper from the wind. It will take 1-5 minutes to create a print.
Sun sensitive paper will help you make a photographic record of the shapes of the plants you are studying, and watching the paper change colors right before your eyes is a little bit magical!
Get Ready To Make a Sun Paper Leaf Print
- Once your plant specimens are ready, remove the sun sensitive paper from its protective envelope and lay it down on the ground blue side up. It may be helpful to put a sturdy piece of cardboard underneath.
- Lay your leaf or flower clippings on top of the paper in any design you choose.
- Place the clear plastic covering over the top.
- If your leaves won’t lay flat, you may need to weigh down the corners of the acrylic sheet with a heavy object like a rock.
- Leave the paper in the sun until it turns almost white. This will take 1-5 minutes. Don’t overexpose the paper!
If your specimens are not flat, you may need to place weights at the corners of your acrylic sheet to hold them flat while the UHV rays of the sun works their magic on the paper.
Gradually, the paper will fade until it is almost white. Then it will be ready for a water bath. Try not to over-expose the paper. Check package instructions for optimal exposure times.
Even if your paper isn’t completely white, it may be exposed well enough. Check the package your paper came in for recommendations. Remove the plants and get ready to soak your paper.
Rinse Sun Sensitive Paper in Water and Watch the Magic Happen
After your sun sensitive paper has been exposed to the light for a few minutes, rinse it in cool water. Just submerge your paper in a sink full of water. Lay it flat to dry.
As you soak the paper in water, the colors will change again, leaving the paper dark blue where it was exposed to light. The “negative” of your plant and leaf specimens will remain.
Ideas For Sun Sensitive Paper Print Crafts
Your sun sensitive print will be dry after 24 hours, so now how do you put it to use?
- Turn it into a greeting card by writing a message on the back
- Frame it for display
- Use it to make a unique gift tag for a present you plan to wrap
- Learn to make resin jewelry and use a small sample with an intricate leaf as background for your pendant or earrings.
- Make refrigerator magnets out of smaller designs
Send us photos of your sun sensitive paper prints! If you have great ideas for craft projects, we’d love to see those as well. Email your photos to us at customercare{at}playdatebox.com or tag us on Instagram @Playdate_box!
Do This Project Remotely
Order yourself a package of photosensitive paper and ship a few sheets to a grandchild. Schedule a time when both you and your grandchild can take simultaneous Nature Walks and share your discoveries via FaceTime.
A second option is to make a print for yourself and call your grandchild just as you are about to dip it in water so they can watch the paper change color. This is a fun way to get them excited about trying their own print, so make sure they have access to sun sensitive paper at their location as well. Once your sun-sensitive prints are completed, turn them into postcards by attaching them to heavy paper. Or, make a greeting card and mail it in an envelope.
Learn more about plants and try more plant-related playdates! Visit our Gardening Playdatebox page for lots of fun Playdates you can try related to plants and gardens.