My 7-year-old is obsessed with glow sticks. Forget about capturing fireflies and giving them a spacious glass home to reside in; my kid is all about shaking, breaking and wearing cheap neon sticks that double as summer evening accessories.
Granted, the sticks are very affordable. In fact, you can stock up on them right now at various Dollar Stores nationwide. Some locations are even selling them for 50 cents a pack. Of course, if your children are like my daughter, then connecting glow sticks with plastic fasteners to create necklaces, headbands, anklets and bracelets is simply not enough. Rather, as we discovered over the Fourth of July holiday, if you really want to shine on a summer night, then consider the following electrifying projects:
Glow Slime
Materials:
Glow paint
Elmer’s glue gel
Borax
Hot water
Directions:
Combine a cup of hot water and a cup of Borax. Stir until Borax dissolves.
In a separate container, stir four ounces of glue into a cup of warm water.
Add one part Borax solution to three parts glue solution. Stir until you get a goopy slime.
Stir in glow paint to your slime. Add as much as you need to obtain the brightness you desire.
Store slime in a Ziploc bag until you are ready to play with it.
Star Luminaries: Let your kids light up your porch, driveway, or deck with simple paper bag luminaries that can be embellished with some imagination and creativity. All you need are a dozen or so small paper bags. Feel free to use generic brown or white paper bags or you can splurge a little and purchase colored ones, including hot pink, electric blue and neon green. Next, have your kids use stencils to draw stars on the bags. If you want to spice up the look of the luminaries, you could also use letter, flower or flag-shaped stencils. Once your children have cut-out the shapes, fill the bags with roughly two cups of sand. Finally, place a tea candle inside and light a border around your deck or a path to the front door.
Related Articles:
Summer Fun for Kids in the Great Outdoors
Super Summer Sanity Savers for Parents
Affordable Ways to Keep Kids Busy This Summer