Click to read Snowman Hush Bottles – DIY Calm Down Glitter Jars for Kids and Adults! on In Lieu of Preschool
About a year and a half ago — was it really that long? — we shared our perfect hush bottles with you. Those calm down glitter bottle / mind jars / sensory bottles were a big hit in our family AND with our readers. After much use, I finally had to toss ours several weeks ago. They lasted a long time, but recycled plastic bottles just don’t hold up forever with as much use as they were getting. Everybody in our family would walk by them and give them a good shake several times a week if not multiple times a day. In memory of those awesome bottles, we have created a festive seasonal mini-version this year: Snowman Hush Bottles! I hope these help to brighten kids’ and adults’ faces in homes, classrooms, and offices everywhere…and help you calm down if that’s what you need!! It’s totally ok…you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy these!!
Snowman Hush Bottles
Materials Needed:
These are some of the materials we used with this project. Some things pictured were NOT used for this project.
- Recycled Plastic Bottle with Lid (empty and clean)
- Very warm water
- Small bottle of glitter glue (~2 oz.)
- Extra Fine Glitter (I used Reflections brand from Michael’s)
- Clear Gel Tacky Glue (I used Aleene’s All-Purpose Adhesive)
- a few drops of White Acrylic Craft Paint (optional)
- Snowman decorations (permanent markers, pom poms, raffia or pipe cleaners, etc.)
How to Make a Snowman Hush Bottle:
This “recipe” is very much an experimentation effort. Different brands of glue and glitter tend to mix (or not mix!) differently, so I’ll tell you what we did, but feel free to deviate and play with the “recipe” until you get your glitter bottle just right.
1. Fill your (empty and clean) recycled plastic bottle about 1/2 to 3/4 full with very warm water. We used 8 oz. Boost Nutritional Drink bottles – thanks to my father-in-law. These were perfect because they weren’t too big, they had a rounded top section, and a great red cap! Also the label comes off without any residue at all!
2. Squeeze in a small bottle of glitter glue. Put the lid on the bottle and shake to fully dissolve the glue into the water. My son and I used “Opal” glitter glue, while my daughter used a light pink glitter glue. My son and I had no trouble with ours, but my daughter’s glitter glue would NOT dissolve. We ended up dumping it into a microwave safe bowl and heating/stirring it until we got it mostly dissolved. We let it cool down before we continued with the next steps to ensure it wasn’t hot enough to burn her.
3. Add some extra fine glitter (loose). You can use as much or as little as you like. I’d suggest around 0.5-1.5 ounces. My son and I used a mix of Glitz (white) and Frost (aqua blue) in our bottles. My daughter used only Glitz (white). Replace the lid and shake until well mixed.
4. Add Clear Gel Tacky Glue. This is the part that will help the glitter stay suspended so it doesn’t fall so fast. Add some, replace the top, shake, observe, repeat until you get the suspension you want. Top any remaining space in the bottle off with warm water, leaving just enough empty space to allow for adequate shaking, and screw on the top.
*Optional – If you want your snowman to appear “white” even when not shaken, simply add a few drops of white acrylic paint to the mix and shake well. This will make the water a cloudy white so even when your snowman isn’t sparkling, he’ll still look like a snowman.
*Optional – You can glue the top on your snowman bottle with super glue or some other type of glue if you are worried about “someone” accidentally making a big mess. I’d wait a day or two after making your bottle to do this step if possible just so you can ensure the consistency of your mix is good. I have on occasion in the past had to dump my glitter bottles into a bowl to whisk away clumps before putting it back into the bottle.
5. Decorate your snowman – Be creative and use what you have on hand! We used black and orange Sharpies permanent markers to draw the snowmen’s faces. I glued a scarf made from red raffia on my snowman, while the kids used colored pipe cleaners simply twisted in place around their snowman’s necks for scarves. For hats, we each glued a larger pom pom on top of the bottle top, followed by a smaller pom pom on top of that one.
I absolutely love how these snowmen turned out! I personally had to make a bottle for myself this time because our hush bottles were so cool last time and I really regretted not having one to play with, too!
I have already shaken up my snowman probably 50 different times since making it this afternoon just to watch the pretty, snow-like sparkles filter down.
My son really hit the nail on the head when he first called these things “hush bottles;” they really do captivate your attention and get your mind to relax, and well…hush…and enjoy the beauty.
*We use these just for personal enjoyment and relaxation, but they can also be adapted as timers, time out bottles, and for travel entertainment.
We hope you enjoy making Snowman Hush Bottles as much as we did! Share your photos on our In Lieu of Preschool Facebook page!
The post Snowman Hush Bottles – DIY Calm Down Glitter Jars for Kids and Adults! appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.
