When I first learned about this idea over at Superheroes and Princesses, I sent myself an email (I do that a lot!) to use this activity during the first week of school. It was SO MUCH FUN! It was also EASY and something my children did INDEPENDENTLY! After further investigation, it actually has lots of scientific merit. Lo and behold, Steve Spangler has an article on his blog about this very activity. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember Steve Spangler's Color Changing Milk experiment we did last year. Everything he suggests is fun!
Here's the video:
Supplies:
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| Does it get any better? 24 colors of Sharpies! |
White Bandanas (ours were purchased at Hobby Lobby for $.99 each)
Sharpies (I got a huge pack of them at Sam's - we love Sharpies!)
Rubbing Alcohol
Large plastic cups
Rubber Bands
Medicine Dropper
Spread your bandana over nine plastic cups, and put a rubber band around each cup -- making 9 circles (you will draw your designs in these!)
Draw a design in each circle -- it's fun to experiment with what kinds of designs work better. I would recommend buying several bandanas if you really have crafty kids! My daughter cut up an old dust ruffle to make more of these so she could keep having fun.
Drop a few drops of rubbing alcohol on each circle and watch the magic happen!
Let dry for about 30 minutes, then you can put them in a warm dryer to set the color. You can wash them easily -- remember, water doesn't remove Sharpies!
It was so much fun that my husband did it again with the kids while I was at a meeting the next day. It's not very often that daddy gets pulled into a craft project like that. :-)
You can use them to put on your head (Miss B said that Laura Ingalls wore them when she was working!), or you can use them to cover up your daddy's eyes when you're having a blind fudge taste-test! (that's another blog post, too!)
For the fun of it, check out lots of other things you can do with Sharpies at 100 Ways To Start Something With Sharpie. (I realize the thought of Sharpies may spark fear in some homeschooling mamas, but if you're brave, go for it!)
Has there been an activity in your homeschool recently that just "worked"? I love it when that happens!!
*Linking up today with Science Sunday - a great place to get more ideas!
