Write Secret Messages

What You Need:

• White construction paper
• White wax crayons
• Newspaper
• Water soluble paint (tempera paint or watercolor paint) 

What You Do:

1. Draw a simple image on the white construction paper with the white crayon, and write a few simple words.
2. Tell your child that the "blank" piece of paper is magic!
3. Lay down some newspaper in the painting area, and ask them to paint over the paper with their favorite color. Can they see the image? What is it? Can they identify any letters?
4. To commend their excellent detective work, let your child in on the secret and ask them to create their own "magic drawings."
5. See if your young detective can guess how the "magic" works. Explain how the waxy crayon puts a "paint-proof" layer of wax on the paper. So when the paint is applied, the areas that have been drawn on are blank!

Variations:

• This is a great way to exchange "secret" drawings and notes with friends who are in the know!
• Let your child make a secret birthday card for a friend. Deliver the card with instructions on how to reveal the hidden message!
• Play an invisible alphabet game with your child! Draw a letter of the alphabet with the white crayon on the white paper and see if your child can guess the letter you have written. Were they right? All they have to do is paint over the letter to see! If your child can read, you can play this game using words instead of letters.