Salt Designs

I saw this idea in the November 2010 issue of Family Fun magazine and knew this would be an activity my kids would love to try.  Not only is it a cool art craft, but a fun way to explore science as well.  For this activity you will need a piece of cardstock, glue, salt, colored water (use food coloring), and eyedroppers.

I started by having the kids draw their design on the paper with a pencil.

 

Then, we used the glue to outline their design.

Next, the kids sprinkled salt on their paper to cover the glue.  Be sure to tap off the excess salt.

Then, the kids used the eyedroppers to drop the colored water onto their design (one drop at a time).  It was neat to see the salt absorb the liquid and send the color down the line.  We also got to see colors mix when lines intersected.

Here are our finished designs.