Solar Print Fairies

Has anyone ever seen an image of a real fairy?  Well now you can create one!   We used a solar kit to make a fairy, but you could do a mermaid, a dragon, a city, vehicles, animals or whatever lies in your imagination! 

Materials

• Solar print kit (You can find these online, in science centre shops etc.)
• Found and nature objects
• Water
• Drying rack
• Dowel or stick/ Beads/Glue stick or glue gun/coloured paper/ scissors or paper cutter *

*Optional for display

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Using items from around your home and in nature, create an image of fairy.  It is good to plan it out before you lie it out on your solar print paper.

• Follow the directions on your solar print kit (laying your paper in a tray in a dark/shaded area- we used a box in the video to illustrate this, quickly and carefully arranging your items to create your fairy, exposing it in sunlight according to the time suggested and then stopping the exposure by placing it a shallow tray of water.).  Be sure to chose a calm (not windy) day to do this project.  Some kits will include a cover with a transparent window to hold down your items or you may need to tape them down if there is a slight breeze.

• Allow your sun print to dry overnight on a drying rack.  If you find that it is crinkled, you can flatten it under a stack of books overnight.

• We then mounted the print on some coloured paper, trimmed it to create a border and then glued that to a dowel with beads that we secured to the ends to make it easy to hang up!

Pin this idea for later:

Purpose

• Understanding that exposure to light can create a negative image.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors, a paper cutter and/or glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.