Glowing Reviews (Glow Stick Lanterns)

 

I recently bought a bunch of bracelet sized glow sticks for a party at our house, and, of course, I forgot to use them. Tonight, inspiration hit, and we surprised the kids with glow stick lanterns for their rooms. This is an incredibly easy idea, and the kids can help.  Not only is it cheap, simple, and quick, but the kiddos also got a big kick out of them and out of helping. Basically, you put activated glow sticks in bottles of water.

Here are the incredibly easy step-by-step instructions:

1. Find an empty bottle.  We used clear 2 liter soda bottles.
2. Rinse the bottles out.
3. Fill the bottles with fresh water. Okay, I cheated on this step.  I reused a bottle previously used for a "tornado," so it was already filled with water (and some colored sand, and a marble, and some drops of liquid soap...)
4. Peel off the labels. Don't worry about a perfect job.  Our normally OCD kiddos did not even care about the little pieces of label left behind.
5. Open a package of glow sticks.  
6. Activate the sticks.
7. Place the glowing sticks inside the bottle of water.
8. Tightly close the lid. If you have curious little ones, add some duct tape to the top for good measure.
9. Find a dark place to enjoy the ambiance of your new lantern. 

Our one year old taking her turn to check out a lantern

Our kiddos picked special places in their rooms so they could view their lanterns as they went to sleep.

In addition to being fun, these provide a surprising amount of light.