We’ve done this art technique with two different substitutions. Both of which work just fine, and both of which I will share with you now. Add a tablespoon or two of milk to a small bowl or glass. Then, use a Q-tip to write a secret message on a blank, white paper. Allow to fully dry. The lemon juice invisible ink technique is best for older children and must be supervised as using heat (from a candle or another source) could be dangerous for younger children. Use your best judgment. Invisible Ink – Vinegar But here’s an interesting thing to ponder: There’s this book from 1997 called The Crayon Box That Talked (Shane Derolf/Michael Letzig). It’s also about a box of crayons that don’t get along, are complaining about each other and refuse to work together. Sound familiar? Except when their owner draws a picture, the crayons see how beautiful the others are and even more so when they all color together. It’s not funny or snarky or clever. It’s sweet. I mean, hey, it’s about diversity and appreciating how different we all are. Makes you want to hug and get all Kumbaya-ya.

Stir together equal parts baking soda and water (like one tablespoon + one tablespoon). Then, use a Q-tip to write a message on blank, white paper with this mixture. Allow it to fully dry, then reveal the message with water color.I also quite liked the message from the little boy Duncan's perspective. He was asked to change his habits to make his beloved crayons happier, and he took their needs into consideration and changed for them - and the experience was rewarding for all. A cute little books about Duncan's box of crayons. He goes to use them and discovers a pile of letters from various colors. The letters are mildly amusing, but the accompanying pictures are even better, illustrating each crayon's issue in a spot-on child-like style. Toddlers will paint however they want, but to keep the waxy sketch perfectly white, don’t go over it too many times with paint. Above, you can see (from top to bottom) the results from: lemon juice, milk, and vinegar invisible ink.

To reveal the message, carefully hold the paper above a candle, letting the heat reveal the message. The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because even though the story was pretty interesting, the letters that the crayons wrote to Duncan tend to be extremely long and it made me a bit frustrated since I think that the humor in the letters still would have been there, if they were to shorten the letters down to a few sentences and still get the crayons’ points across. Crayons resist water, and therefore watercolor paint, because they are made of wax. The watercolor will not adhere to the wax because it is made of colors or pigments that are dissolved in water.When you think about spending time with your toddler, we want you to have that bubbly, excited feeling in your belly, not a feeling of dread. I love the message of the book, even though it is extremely didactic, and the humor and the pictures are wonderful. Did you know that you can write secret messages with white crayons and watercolors? The technique is called color resist, and it produces some beautiful effects that will wow your kids. It's me, RED crayon. WE NEED to talk. You make me work harder than any of your other crayons. All year long I wear myself out coloring FIRE ENGINES, apples, strawberries, and EVERYTHING ELSE that's RED. I even work on holidays! I have to color all the Santas at Christmas and ALL the hearts on Valentine's day! I NEED A REST!

Despite my few reservations, I do highly recommend the book, either for read aloud (one to one or for groups) and for independent readers too, if their reading skills are sufficiently advanced to be able to read slightly atypically written letters in various colors. Yellow Crayon and Orange Crayon each write in separately, seemingly they each believe they are the "true" color of the sun.

Creative Play

Using a white crayon to draw pictures or write secret messages on a white piece of paper is the easiest invisible ink technique. This is safe for all ages. You reveal the message by painting over the crayon with watercolor. Invisible Ink – Baking Soda I had to press pretty hard and go over my lines a few times as my white crayon had been broken into a tiny little nub. First, my son and I really enjoyed the story and the illustrations; he had to examine the expressions of each crayon and discuss their moods and well as the pictures that were drawn using the crayons. There's often a adult twist, as in the illustration for Pink's letter, which complains that Duncan might be stereotyping Pink as a 'girl's color." The drawing is of a pink dinosaur laughing at an embarrassed pink monster and a cowboy in pink chaps and vest.