Submitted by Jean England, Preschool teacher at the Warren Early Childhood Center in Indianapolis Indiana.
Grades: 2 - 4 year olds

Materials:

Baby oil, colored construction paper, Q-tips, and paper.

Procedure:

When baby oil is painted on construction paper, it makes the paper fibers partially transparent. This allows for light to get through it. Use light colored construction paper and paint a design with a Q-tip dipped in baby oil on your paper. Anywhere that has the baby oil becomes transparent when held to the light or hung in a window.

If you are working with young children, have them draw their picture first and then trace over it using a q-tip and baby oil. Young children have a hard time not painting the entire paper.

When finished, tape the pictures to the windows so that light illuminates their pictures. If you add food coloring to the baby oil, it gives off a colored tint.