Magnifying Fingerprints

The materials needed for this lesson are shown on the tray. I originally included blank paper and a pencil so my daughter could trace her own hand. The tracing was more difficult than I anticipated, so I traced her hand on several sheets of paper for use later. (Tracing the hand could be a lesson on it's own)


First, lay out the materials. Next, put some water in the bowl for cleaning fingers later.


Starting with the thumb and using one finger at a time, the child uses the stamp pad to make a fingerprint on the paper with the appropriate finger.


Next, the child closes the stamp pad and washes fingers by rubbing them while in the water. (One reason for not cleaning after each print is that the child is able to see which fingers have made prints. ) Fingers are dried with a sponge or towel. Then, the child looks at the fingerprints with the magnifying glass. Lastly, the water is dumped out and the bowl is dried. The cloth is put in the "used" basket and a new one is placed on the tray for the next person.