Did you know the ancient peoples of modern-day United Kingdom moved giant stones (some as long as a school bus and weighing 50 tons!) across hundreds of miles and for over 1,500 years to create a monument to honor the sun? That’s according to some historians.
Stonehenge photographed by Sofía Rabassa
June 21 marked the summer solstice, a day when the sun shines longer than any other day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Celebrate the solstice — and the 4.6 billion-year-old star we call the Sun — with a low-mess, process-based art project!
What you’ll need:
- Cardstock paper
- Acrylic paint (yellow, orange, red)
- Gallon-sized plastic Ziploc bag
- Paper for the sky background
- Glue stick
A couple of notes:
- Using thick paper like cardstock is important. I first tried this technique with regular computer paper. When I tried to remove the painting from the plastic bag, many pieces ripped off since the paper was so thin and wet.
- The craft idea was sourced from this blog.
1. Cut a circle out of the cardstock paper small enough so it can be easily taken in and out of the bag. I used the rim of a bowl to trace a circle.
2. Squeeze paint, one color at a time, onto the paper. Experiment and have fun! (Hint: use more paint than pictured below. I didn’t squeeze enough on my first attempt to squish around enough to cover the entire surface of the sun.)
3. When finished, carefully place the sun into the plastic bag and seal it tightly. It may be helpful to have an adult hold the bag open and place inside.
4. Now it’s time to squish and swirl the paint around. Using elbows, fists or fingers, cover the entire sun with paint.
5. Carefully remove the sun from the bag (I’d recommend an adult do this part as it can be very messy). Wait for the paint to dry. Then, glue the sun onto a separate piece of paper and display it with pride!
