Many children enjoy participating in art activities, and no wonder — art provides children a means by which to work with their hands and spark their creativity. In the Discovery Center, our goal is to help children become equally as fascinated with the science behind their artistic creations. The Secret Messages activity encourages children to explore the properties of pigments, papers, water and waxes as they try to find the best combination of materials to write, and de-code, their own “invisible” messages.

During this activity, children are challenged to design and conduct mini-experiments to figure out how changing each of three variables - paint color, paper type, and wax type - changes the outcome of their Secret Message. Children also have the opportunity to practice using tools - like paintbrushes and crayons - as they write, mix, paint and blot. Through this activity, children may learn about how to make secondary colors by mixing primary paint colors (red, yellow, and blue) on their paper. The Secret Messages activity also encourages the development of literacy skills, as children practice writing and identifying letters and shapes to create and de-code their messages.