Make an Oil Sun Catcher

What You Need:

• Construction paper in various colors
• Medium bowl
• Marker
• Scissors
• Baby oil
• Water
• Small plastic container
• Cotton swabs

What You Do:

1. Begin by having your child draw a circle on a piece of construction paper. Use a marker to trace around the medium-sized bowl. Have your child cut out the circle, to boost fine motor skills.
2. Before constructing the sun catcher, let your child experiment with making lines and designs on a sheet of white paper with crayons.
3. Trade the paper and crayons for the construction paper circle. Explain to your child that they won't be drawing with crayons—they'll use a cotton swab instead! 
4. Pour a small amount of baby oil into the plastic container. Have your child dip the cotton swab into the baby oil and draw lots of lines and scribbles on the construction paper circle. What does your child think the baby oil will do to the paper?
5. Watch as the oil changes the construction paper! Did it change in the way your child thought it would?
6. For comparison, ask your child to dip a cotton swab in water and see if it changes the construction paper the same way the baby oil did. Why does your child think the baby oil makes interesting lines and water doesn't?
7. Encourage your child to continue drawing designs on the sun catcher with the cotton swab.
8. When your child is done painting, hang the finished sun catcher in a window and watch at it glows in the sunlight.