Paper Magic!
This project was super creative and fun for the kids! Piggybacking our last lesson about hydrophobic/hydrophilic substances, this project was a perfect combo of science and art! GOOD FOR ALL AGES!
Materials
cardstock (thick paper)
shaving cream
food dye
toothpicks
scissors
food tray (I bought a bunch from costco)
spatula
Directions
1. Hand cardstock to each child. Allow them to cut desired shapes (hearts, stars, circles, humans, etc.). I recommend demonstrating how, if you fold the paper in half, you can make symmetrical shapes.
2. Spray the shaving cream into the food tray. Using a spatula, evenly spread the shaving cream throughout the tray so it's about 0.5 inches thick.
3. Put a few drops of food dye (of the desired color) in the tray. Make sure to spread out each food dye drop. A little goes a long way.
4. Using a toothpick, create marble swirls in the shaving cream. Make sure to tell the youth not to overdo it, or else their colors might turn brown or lose it's marble-ness.
5. Lightly press the cardstock onto the shaving cream so that the entire paper comes into contact.
6. Remove the paper from the tray. Using a spatula, lightly scrape the shaving cream from the paper.
7. Wah-lah! Marble paper! Allow the paper to dry on a table.
Science
Shaving cream contains soap, which is both hydrophilic and hydrophobic—it attracts and repels water. And food coloring is water, plus a little dye. That means that the dye will remain mostly suspended in the shaving cream. Adding paper is when the real action happens. Paper contains cellulose, a material that is hydrophilic (attracts water), so the dye will transfer from the shaving cream to the paper easily.
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