I want to get one thing right out there — I'm not a crafty mom. I appreciate crafts and encourage my daughter to fall in love with them, but my daughter — like many 4-year-olds — isn't the best at following directions.
Honestly, I love that about her. I'm all about thinking outside the box. But if a craft has four steps, and she chooses to go her own way on steps two and three, chances are the finished product isn't what anyone would expect.
That's why invisible ink is such a cool project. There are pretty much two steps, and there aren't a lot of ways to botch it up. Even better, you probably have all the ingredients you need in the kitchen as we speak.
This recipe was given to me by a friend who, unlike me, is quite crafty. I tucked it away just in case I ever needed to break it out on a rainy Sunday afternoon. As luck would have it, my daughter felt extremely bored one day, and I figured it was ink time.
What You Need
Baking soda is a big part of this recipe. But good news — since it's handy for everything from teeth whitening to neutralizing fridge odor, you probably have some lying around already.
The other big ingredient is turmeric, which is probably hanging out in your spice rack.
After you have those, all you'll need are water and rubbing alcohol.
Make sure you have some teaspoons and tablespoons ready, along with a bowl to mix it all in.
First, you'll want to mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of water. This mixture is important in order to write messages.
Grab some paper and a Q-tip.
Once your ink is officially set, it's time to write your message! Grab some paper and dip a cotton swab into your mixture. Write whatever you want. It could be a heart or a poem. Or it could be something funny. Need a clever way to remind your child to clean their room? Use invisible ink.
For kids just learning how to write their names, this could be a fun way to turn that lesson into something more fun.
My daughter was a little skeptical of this part. To her, it looked like we were simply making a paper slightly damp with designs. But once the papers started to dry (which is an important step), she realized this might be more exciting than she thought.
As you wait for your papers to dry, it's time to mix your secret ingredients together.
Mix the alcohol and turmeric.
You'll need half of a teaspoon of turmeric and 3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol. Carefully mix them together, trying not to spill.
Before you ask, yes — the mixture can smell a bit potent. But it's all part of the fun. Once the mixture is ready and your papers are dry, it's time to grab a paintbrush and get started. This is where things become incredible.
Paintbrushes work best when it comes to the big reveal. Kids will also have a lot of fun painting over the entire paper. If you've written them special notes, they'll be eager to see what you wrote.
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can very easily see what was written before. If you let each paper dry before unleashing your invisible ink, this project will be quite the success.
What kinds of things can you use this for?
Of course, this may be too much of an intricate setup to use every day. But it's a wonderful ice breaker for kids. If you're a preschool teacher or first grade teacher, it's a fun way for the class to get to know each other. It's also a great way to bring a science or STEM/STEAM activity into the mix.
Planning a birthday party? If you happen to have a Detective Pikachu party theme (or Carmen Sandiego, or many of the other mysterious characters out there), then this can be a fun, budget-friendly group activity.
It's also something you can do again and again. Since there are countless messages out there, there are plenty of ways you can use invisible ink. If you get really creative, you might be able to play a game of hangman using this formula. Just draw him with your baking soda mixture, and slowly reveal him when kids aren't able to guess the right letter.
So how does it work?
Good question. And it's good to be in the know, in case your kids ask. A chemical reaction occurs between the base, which is baking soda, and the acid present, which is the rubbing alcohol. That reaction is what will reveal the text in the baking soda. Some people choose to use grape juice instead of turmeric, but turmeric's results add an extra boldness to the project.
Speaking of turmeric, that part of the concoction is officially called the "indicator." The indicator connecting with the base is why the ink will turn out to be an orange-red. If you notice, the color is more of a yellow on segments on the paper that don't include the dried baking soda.
Invisible ink may be your gateway to other science projects.
One of the very few negatives about this easy at-home project is the fact that it doesn't take too long to set up and do. That makes it perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. But if you're looking for other ways to entertain your children, there are other great experiments that can follow this up. That said, it may be good to lead with this one and see what your kids think.
For younger children like my daughter, a lot of that has to do with patience. Sometimes, science experiments may take too long, or the concept behind them is too advanced. Good starter science projects like invisible ink include botany. Let your child learn more about plants and how to nurture them. Start with seeds, and see what happens from there.
Try this invisible ink alternative.
If you're out of turmeric and juice, there's another way to make invisible ink — and this might be a better match for you. Lemon juice and heat will also reveal a message. This one requires a lot of parental supervision, so make sure your children are old enough to be trusted around hot objects.
Instead of using baking soda, you'll actually use lemon juice to write your message. Lemon juice is a widely known ingredient in most older invisible ink recipes, and it's something you probably already have around the house. It's best to make sure you write with a cotton swab on a flat surface to avoid any drips.
From there, you'll let the paper dry by putting it close to a heater or hot lamp. This is where you'll need the most parental supervision, as you want to make sure nothing catches on fire.
Through the use of heat, the words written in the juice will appear. That's because the lemon is serving as the acid, and the heat is causing it to release carbon. Carbon and air will turn brown when they meet, which is how you'll be able to see the letters so clearly.
Without a doubt, invisible ink is a great starter project that's both mom-approved and 4-year-old-approved.
