I had a glitter wand when I was a kid and I remembering playing with it all the time. It was tubular and filled with pink, purple and glow-in-the-dark glitter. I fondly remember holding it up to my eyes to make the room appear pink. I used to flip it end over end to watch the glitter slowly slide around inside. One time a friend was over, and I remember us charging it in the light and then taking it inside my closet to watch it glow, only to find we were locked inside the closet with no way out! We lived in an older house, and the closets did not have doorknobs on the inside. My friend and I, terrified, began to cry. Our cries caught the attention of my younger sister, and we convinced her to go and find my dad who was outside, except she forgot her task along the way and was distracted by watering plants. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, my dad asked what the other two kids were up to. He discovered sobbing, snotty little girls inside a closet.
I wanted to make Greta a version of my wand, sans glow-in-the-dark matter to avoid a repeat closet episode. With all her sick time this past week, we needed a reason to get out of the house on this rainy and gloomy morning.
So, we headed over to A.C. Moore. Sadly, they lost their lease and are in the process of selling everything at at discount. This is both good and bad. Good for the cheap prices and bad because I will miss A.C. Moore. I have always preferred them to Michael’s.
Greta was a big help in the store – clearly she figured out how to bargain shop – $.25 wooden spoon and $1 foam construction hat. Big spender!
I found some glitter, silver pom poms, and giraffe confetti for her glitter wand. I really and truly do hate glitter unless it is contained, so, this project took me out of my art & craft comfort zone. Notice I chose large glitter, none of that horrid tiny, dust-like glitter. It is fairy puke – pretty but not fun to clean up. The things one will do for her child…
I put the glitter, poms, and confetti into a clean soda pop bottle and then filled it almost to the top with water. I made sure to leave some space at the top so that there would be a couple air bubbles. Then I glued the lid shut with Gorilla Glue, let it dry, and handed it over to Greta. Her initial reaction was of intense staring.
She then turned it over a few times, watching carefully as the glitter slid around inside.
Then she shook it violently, stopping every now and then to watch how the glitter settled.
Finally, growing tired, she handed it over to me, where she proceeded to drum on the side of the bottle. This was a huge hit for Greta and continues to be throughout this week. Just remember, as with any toy with smaller parts, always use with caution and supervise play.
I could see this being a neat paper weight on a desk or even a calming object for older children. I am certain it would be a hit with my middle school students as well – I may have to test it out on them tomorrow.
Check out Discount School Supply for great deals on glitter, pom poms, confetti, and more!
Bluebird Hill Art 