There’s a small thrill in lifting a leaf off a sheet of sun-print paper and finding a ghost-white leaf on a deep blue background. Kids ask to do it again and again, and the only equipment is a tub of water and a sunny spot.
The idea came from a muggy summer afternoon when the house was too warm and the kids needed somewhere else to be. Cooling trouble comes in all sizes, from a system that works hard to one that stops, and a local company such as Steadfast Mechanical IN has a page for emergency service when it’s the second kind. While that gets sorted out, the grown-ups can take the kids outside and make something.
What you’ll need
- Sun-print paper from a craft store (a sun-print kit, with its own instructions)
- Flat things to print: leaves, ferns, a feather, a piece of lace (paper cutouts, if the yard is bare)
- A piece of stiff cardboard to work on (a clipboard)
- A clear plastic sheet to hold things flat (the plastic cover from a cheap picture frame)
- Binder clips or clothespins
- A shallow tub of cool water for rinsing (a baking pan)
- Kid-safe scissors and a few sheets of scrap paper for cutouts
- A dark folder or box to keep the paper in before use
- Towels, a tray and old shirts for the wipe-down station
- Sunhats, a water jug and a shady spot to wait
Set up your space
You need two places: a shady spot for getting ready and a sunny one for the printing. A porch or a patio table in the shade is ideal, with a sunny patch of ground or a deck a few steps away. Sun-print paper reacts to light, so open the folder only when everything else is ready.
Put a tray on the table with the leaves, the plastic sheet and the clips. Set the rinse tub on a towel, and keep a second towel for hands. When it’s hot, build in breaks: hats on, water close, and a rule that anyone who feels dizzy or headachy goes to the shade right away.
Humidity matters here too. On a muggy day, rinsed prints dry slowly and the paper likes to curl, so plan for a cool, shaded drying place with some air moving. If a cooling system is down, a shaded porch with a fan is a fair substitute. Anything involving the equipment itself, such as the outdoor unit, the wiring or the refrigerant, is work for a licensed technician. Leave it alone and let the kids make blue prints.
Read the instructions on your paper before you start. Exposure times differ between kits, and the rinse instructions on the package win over anything here. Wash hands after rinsing, keep the paper away from small mouths, and keep the kit away from eyes.
Step by step
Step 1: Hunt for flat things (about ten minutes)
Send the kids out to collect leaves, ferns, grass blades and anything else flat. When it’s right, the pile has a mix of shapes: some broad, some feathery, a few with holes. The common slip is picking thick things like acorns, which leave blurry halos. Put those back, or press the leaves in a heavy book for a few minutes.
With kids: Turn it into a scavenger list: something round, something spiky, something with a hole in it. Older kids can sort their finds by shape and plan the layout.
Step 2: Cut a few paper shapes (about ten minutes)
While the leaves wait, cut stars, hearts, fish and zigzags from scrap paper. Paper shapes give you crisp white outlines, which look wonderful beside the soft edges of the leaves. If the scissors are dull, a fold in the paper makes cutting easier. Keep the shapes simple, because tiny cutouts are hard to lift off without smudging.
Step 3: Prepare the print in the shade (about five minutes)
Set the cardboard on the shaded table and take one sheet of paper out of the folder, closing the folder right away. Lay the paper on the cardboard, blue side up. When it’s right, the sheet is flat and the folder is shut. Keep the folder closed until your objects are ready, because the paper starts reacting to light as soon as it’s out.
Step 4: Arrange and cover (about five minutes)
Lay leaves and shapes on the paper, then place the plastic sheet over everything and clip it at the sides. When it’s right, nothing can lift or slide, and the objects touch the paper everywhere. The slip is a breeze that flips a leaf, so clip the plastic firmly and work with your back to the wind.
With kids: Grown-ups handle the clips and the plastic. Kids arrange the leaves, and each child gets one sheet to design before it goes into the sun.
Step 5: Expose it to the sun (a few minutes)
Carry the board into direct sun, lay it flat and don’t touch it. Follow the time on your kit; the paper fades from deep blue to a pale, washed-out color as it exposes. When it’s right, the edges of the leaves look crisp. If you see a blur, the board moved, or the leaf lifted. Next time, clip tighter and set the board on the ground instead of holding it.
While the board sits, the kids wait in the shade with water. Waiting is the hardest part, and a game of “guess the print” fills the time.
Step 6: Rinse and dry (about ten minutes)
Take the board back to the shade, unclip the plastic, lift the leaves and slide the paper into the tub of cool water. Rinse for the time on the package, then lay the print flat on a towel. When it’s right, the paper turns a deep, bright blue as it dries. If you rub or shake it, the white shapes smudge, so be gentle and let it lie.
Finishing and display
Dry the prints flat, away from direct sun, in a cool room with some air. Once they’re fully dry, press them under heavy books overnight to flatten any curl. Then mat them on a sheet of plain paper, tape them into a cheap frame, or fold one into a card for a grandparent.
Keep finished prints out of long stretches of strong light, the way you would with any paper art, and away from damp walls.
Try it this weekend
One leaf, one sheet and one tub of water, for an afternoon with no plans.
- Time: about thirty minutes, including the rinse.
- Supplies: one sheet of sun-print paper, a leaf, a plastic sheet and clips.
- The step that matters most: keep the paper in the dark until everything is arranged.
- Let it dry in a cool, shaded spot, flat on a towel.
Where to take it next
- Make a row of long prints and string them along a porch rail as a blue bunting.
- Try your own paper cutouts: a family silhouette of hands, shoes or favorite toys.
- Try a kit made for fabric and print a leaf on a tote bag, following its own instructions.
A hot afternoon goes by faster with something blue drying on the porch.