- Make amazing white on blue prints with your favorite objects
- Learn about the nature of sunlight and how light-sensitive chemicals work
- Great Science Fair experiment
SKU: 800560
Sun-Sensitive Paper for Solar Art
The sun allows life on Earth to survive and thrive. You can show your students the power of the sun with photosensitive paper, making art with solar rays.
Humans use solar power for many practical reasons, such as providing eco-friendly energy to our homes, but teaching students the power of the sun can be challenging because it’s hard to see the sun’s rays. Using photosensitive paper in your science lessons can make this more tangible for students. With Steve Spangler’s Sun-Sensitive Paper, you can turn sunlight into beautiful works of art. Your students can create white-on-blue prints with any of their favorite objects.
Try placing leaves, flowers, shells or any other item you can think of on the photo-sensitive paper and leave it laying in the sun. Remove the objects after a couple of minutes and rinse the paper in water to reveal a piece of sun art. Your students will be amazed at how the paper turns white wherever the object was placed, encouraging a discussion about the science behind the art.
Recommended for children ages 6 and up.
What Does It Teach?
Kids can learn about the nature of sunlight and how light-sensitive chemicals work. You can talk about how photos are developed as each layer of chemicals on the film react to photons of different color. This can also help students understand the different uses and impacts of sunlight.
What’s Included?
•This kit includes 30 sheets of 5-by-7-inch (12.70 by 17.78 centimeters) Sun-Sensitive Paper.
How Does UV-Sensitive Paper Work?
The paper is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, which react to light waves and particles when exposed to the sun. When you place objects on the paper, they block the light and turn the sheet white, while the paper around the area remains blue. After the silhouette appears, dunking the sheet in water stops the process in its tracks, preserving your images on the photosensitive paper.
A Perfect Science Fair Display
When the Sun-Sensitive Paper reacts to ultraviolet light, it’s a pretty fantastic demonstration of UV-reactive materials. However, this awesome demonstration isn’t a science fair project on its own. To create a science fair project using light-sensitive paper, you need to identify and use a variable. A variable is an aspect or factor of the experiment that you can control and alter.
Need ideas for variables that you could use? Test different sunscreen brands or SPFs by spreading the sunscreen on the paper or try to find the best pair of UV-blocking sunglasses. Once you identify your variable (the possibilities are endless, so if you come up with better ideas, go with those), start conducting your experiments. Make sure that you keep all other factors the same or you’ll end up with multiple variables that will invalidate your experiment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you explain how I “set” the image?
It is really easy to set any image, all you have to do is place it on the sheet by itself. If you were to use tape on the edges, then the tape would leave its imprint on your image as well.
What types of objects work best?
Any object will work as long as it blocks the sun. Objects that are semi-permeable or ones that don’t lie flat against the paper may let some light through to cause the developed image to be less defined.
What size is the paper?
You get 30 sheets that measure 5 1/2” by 7 1/2”, which is just the perfect size for your class.
How long does it take to work?
It works best if you leave the image in the sun for about 2 minutes and then bring it in without allowing the covered part the be exposed to sunlight. Let the paper sit in some water for about a minute and then your image should be ready to displayed.
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Steve Spangler Science
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7901 Southpark Plaza, Suite 106
Littleton, CO 80120
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Question
Dominique –
im trying to make a pinhole camera and i cant fined out if i shood yous sun sensitive paper or printer paper.
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joshlittrell –
Dominique – I would suggest using printer paper for this experiment. The Sun Sensitive Paper is great for outdoor use but does take at least 15 minutes to shadow out a design. Great Question. Josh
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Question
yashika –
what compound is used on the paper. Is it Berlin Green?
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smack2021 –
All I am able to tell you is that the nature print paper is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, which react to light waves and particles when exposed to light. When you place objects on the paper, they block the light and turn white while the paper around them remains blue. Water stops the process and fixes your images on the paper.
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Question
Cat Mejia –
If you don’t put the paper in water, is it possible to reuse it and do other images?
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Staff lisabrooks –
The Sun Sensitive Paper will react in the same way as the old film we used to use. Once it is exposed to light, the “film” will be used. Running it under water just completes the development process so the image will come through. If you did not complete the process of running it under water, it would eventually just turn very dark or black.
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Question
Stephanie (verified owner) –
Could I lay this paper flat inside/under an UPF 50 shirt and a non-UPF shirt of the same color and material to see how it works to protect someone if they wear this type of shirt vs a standard shirt? Will the paper change different colors depending on time of exposure to show a difference hopefully or should I use UV beads?
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smack2021 –
Hi Stephanie! Part of science is conducting experiments and this is not something we have tried before. Please let us know your results!
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Kathy Verstoppen (verified owner) –
My students use pattern blocks or items found in the school yard to make their pictures. They get very excited to see the change as the paper is exposed to sunlight.
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Question
Kathy Kennedy –
Can i split the package into smaller kits to give to kids without exposing the paper to light?
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Lisa – Customer Service Manager –
You could split up the package amongst your students. I would recommend opening the pouch in a room with little sunlight to avoid exposure. To divide them up into smaller kits, you would just need to make sure you have some sort of packaging that blocks the light.
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Question
sd –
Where are your sun sensitive papers made?
Are they appropriate for use by a 5 year old with adult supervision?
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Staff lisabrooks –
The paper is made in the United States and is perfectly safe to use with young children.
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Question
Autumn –
Will the paper change color in regular light. For example when I am doing my experiment, and putting my sunscreen on the paper will it start changing color before I have a chance to put it under the sun?
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joshlittrell –
Autumn – thanks for the question. The Sun Sensitive Paper can be used with Sunlight or with Black Light. I would suggest if you want to use sunscreen as a variable I would recommend to put the paper in a zip lock bag and apply the sunscreen to the bag and not directly to the paper. Applying sunscreen to the paper will only saturate the paper. Please let us know if you have any questions and we’ll be glad to discuss – Joshua – 800-223-9080
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Question
Nicole –
I was wondering if you could use this paper indoors with a UV flashlight? If we suspend the UV flashlight over the object on the paper, would we be able to see a difference between the outdoor UV rays and the UV flashlight?
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joshlittrell –
Nicole,
Thanks for the e-mail. As long as the sun sensitive paper receives UV light it will work. I would suggest getting the UV Flashlight fairly close to the paper to get the best results. I would suggest a few inches from the paper. Follow the instructions as you would if you did it outside with full sunlight. Please reach out to us if you have any additional questions. Have a great upcoming weekend. Joshua
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Question
James Nderu –
My students got that idea that water stops the process and fixes your images on the paper. Our concern is what makes the colours to interchange, i.e where we had an object block the sunlight turned remain blue and the rest of the paper turned white. When dipped in water to stop the process, the colours interchanged, Why?
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Question
Sam –
Hi, I just wanted to know if I could test the effects of sunscreens (sunblocks) with the sun sensitive papers.
i.e. If I apply sunscreen to the sun sensitive papers, will that spot remain white whilst the other spots turn blue? And will this show the effect of the sunscreen, blocking the UV light?
Thank you.
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Staff lisabrooks –
You can test sunscreen using the Sun Sensitive Paper. I recommend laying a piece of cellophane on top of the paper first so the sunscreen does not seep through and ruin the paper. The paper will still change color even when using the strongest SPF, showing that some UV rays still come through. You should see a difference in shading, though, between the strongest SPF versus the lowest SPF.
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Question
marina.heilman –
Headline says 30 sheets of paper in this offering, but the enlarged photo states 15 sheets. So, there are actually 2, 15-sheet pkgs. for this price?
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Staff Lisa – Customer Service Manager –
That is old photo. Great catch! The new packaging offers 30 sheets of 12.70 cm x 17.78 cm (5″ X 7″) sun sensitive paper.
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Question
Janet Westlake –
Will this paper work under ordinary light if it rains on the day we plan to use it?
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Staff lisabrooks –
The paper will still change on a cloudy day. I would recommend leaving it out a little longer. Just be aware the image may not be as vibrant as it would be on a sunny day. It’s a great way to show out UV rays (the bad rays we have to protect ourselves from) still get through on a cloudy day.
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Question
Feb –
Is it possible to use this paper and test a variety of alternatives to sunscreen to see which is stronger?
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Staff lisabrooks –
You can test sunscreen. Be sure to lay down some cellophane to protect the paper. Otherwise, the sunscreen will seep through and possibly ruin the paper.
The paper will change color even with the strongest SPF lotion. It’s a great example of how UV rays can still sneak through and how well we need to protect your skin. You will see a difference in shading between the different levels of SPF, though.
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Question
kelly –
Is it possible to use this paper to determine the amount of light the paper has been exposed to over time? I want to place a sheet in a spot for a plant to determine if the plant gets enough light exposure. If I placed a sheet in the spot for 8 hrs could I tell by how blue it turns as to how much sun it received?
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Staff lisabrooks –
Unfortunately, the paper would not work for this type of experimentation. I would contact a garden store and I bet they would have some great suggestions for you in determining how much light an area gets.
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Question
Sam –
Hi, is it possible to increase the size of the paper by any chance?
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Staff lisabrooks –
The Sun Sensitive Paper comes prepackaged. You could always tape pieces of paper together to do a larger image.
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Question
eduardo.marin (verified owner) –
Is there a specific wavelength of light that activates this paper? Is it more of a UV activation or visible light reaction?
Thanks
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smack2021 –
This is a UV activation!
How Does It Work? The nature print paper is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, which react to light waves and particles when exposed to light. When you place objects on the paper, they block the light and turn white while the paper around them remains blue. Water stops the process and fixes your images on the paper.
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