Glitter globes are so satisfying to watch and super easy to make! It makes a great sensory toy too! Possible themes are endless, from your typical snowglobe to dinosaurs to under the water.
You will need:
- Empty clean plastic or glass jars
- Plastic toys
- Glitter or sequence, small beads, confetti
- Glue (a glue gun or superglue is recommended)
- Distilled water
- Glycerine
What to do:
Thoroughly clean your jars with soap and water, remove old labels. For stubborn label glue, rubbing with a bit of turps or vinegar normally does the trick.
If your snow globes are for younger children, it is best to stick to plastic containers. If you want to give the snow globe as a gift for granny, a glass jar is perfect. The glass gives a more clear view. Keep in mind the shape of the jar will make objects look different.
Decide on themes for your snow globes. We chose three different themes, dinosaur, arctic and under the sea. Choose toys and glitter colours accordingly.
For the dinosaur theme, I used three different shades of green glitter and a few round green sequence. I wanted the over all effect to resemble falling leaves and give a general forest “feel”
For the under the sea theme, three different shades of blue glitter to represent the different shades of blue found in the ocean.
The arctic theme needed to look cold, so I only used white glitter and I rolled a few small cotton balls to represent snow. The cotton balls worked really well as it moved at a slower speed than the glitter.
Dry the lids properly and get a basic idea of composition before you glue the pieces. Use bottle caps or lids to give your object a bit of “lift” if needed. Make sure though that your lid will still be able to close properly. (I made the mistake to use a bigger bottle cap as a platform and realized too late my bottle did not want to seal properly, so back to square one it was)
Once you are happy with your composition, glue the objects. If you used a glue gun, leave at least for a day to dry properly. (The second mistake I made, being in too much of a rush and all my objects ended up floating!)
Once your objects are dry, add water to your container, but do not fill to brim as your objects will displace some of the water. Add a teaspoon of glycerine to the water. This will slow down the movement of the glitter or confetti. Then add your glitter, sequence or confetti.
Lastly, firmly close your jars, perhaps add a strip of decorative tape around the lid so curious little minds will not want to open the lids.
Enjoy your DIY sensory glitter globes!
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