This is the beginning of our STEM homelink block where we will be providing the children with fun activities to promote STEM based learning at home. We will post a different activity each week for a 4 week block.

For our first activity we will experiment with some resources to try and create a secret message or picture by creating invisible ink.

What you will need: a lemon, a bowl, paper, a cotton bud and a light bulb or a crayon.

Here is how to make our invisible ink:

Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. Mix gently. Dip the cotton bud into the liquid and write a message or draw a picture on the paper.

Let the liquid dry completely so that the message or picture is invisible.

To share your secret or to see your picture hold it close to a lightbulb with an adult’s help. The message will be revealed.

If you don’t want to use a heat source then can also sprinkle salt over you paper when the lemon juice is drying. Then brush the excess salt off when the paper is dry and use a crayon to colour over your work to reveal the secrete.

Encourage your child to try and predict what will happen when their paper is held up to the light bulb or when you colour the paper with a crayon.

The lemon juice will change colour when it is exposed to a slight heat. This is a chemical reaction.

Please share any of your invisible ink messages or pictures with me. You can send a photo of your work to easherrie.devlin@glow.sch.uk

You can also upload a photo to your learning journal or bring in your invisible ink work and we can look at it in the ECC.