163) Secret Messages

The last few months, especially since the start of Kindergarten, the Bee has been really into writing. It seems to all be clicking for her, the letters, the sounds they make, how they can form words. It is so fascinating to watch as she starts to piece it all together and I can't help but be in total amazement at every new thing she learns. As a result of her new love, she is writing all the time. I find little notes and drawings all over the house, in her school bag and on any piece of paper that might be left around.  So a few weeks ago when she asked if we could try to write secret messages, I couldn't say no. The secret messages idea came from a book I had long before she was born called Loo-Loo, Boo and Art You Can Do by Denis Roche. I don't even remember where I got this book but it is filled with fun and simple art activities and she loves it. Often, oddly requesting to read it at bedtime although it is not really the kind of book you would think of as bedtime reading.

The secret messages are pretty simple, all you need is white paper, white crayons and any kind of watercolor paint. One person secretly draws or writes on the white paper in white crayons, then gives the paper to the other person. The other person then needs to paint over the crayon with watercolors to reveal the secret message. We did a bunch of these sometimes I would write the message, sometimes the Bee would write something or draw a picture. The fun part was watching the message appear, every time both girls would seem totally surprised by the image, even if it was something they had drawn themselves. The Bean like the secret messages too, mostly just painting the paper to reveal the messages, she was highly opposed to drawing with just the white crayons. So she got out all the colors and worked on her own oil resists. With Halloween coming up I was thinking this could be a cool, spooky craft or even a fun group project. Either way it is something we will surely be doing again.