Ghost writer

Send your child a secret message that will mysteriously appear before his very eyes!

1. Write a message to your child with a clean, white crayon on a piece of white paper. (The image will be very difficult to see.)
2. Use a dark color of paint (purple, green or black for Halloween-y message) to make a watery color wash.
3. Load up a paintbrush and hand your child the "magic wand." Your child should paint the whole page to reveal the special message.

The paint won’t stick to the crayon wax and the message will be revealed! Now show your child how you did it and see what other spooky pictures or words he will make for you and others.

This activity isn’t limited to Halloween. The technique is great for spy games or secret treasure maps. A crayon picture of a yellow and orange sun will be made doubly bright by finishing it with a blue color wash. Encourage experimentation!