Glitter bottles are awesome! Whether used as play, entertainment, sensory, calming, or a time-out object, these bottles rock! Plus, they can be made at home! With items from the dollar store!
Basic Recipe
A bottle (check your recycling bin, any size works!)
1/3 thickener to 2/3 water
1/4 inch glitter (more or less to personal preference)
Glitter glue
Other pretties (think lightweight, like those little table-center decorative bits, stars and such)
Food coloring (if you want the water colored)
Glue to hold the cap on (if you don’t want your child to open it)
Bottle choice
While you can use any bottle, there are perks to different bottles.
Glass bottles are clearer than plastic, but are more easily broken.
Taller bottles will last longer, simply due to having farther to settle
Wider bottles provide more swirling and movement
Small bottles will settle quickly and swirl little, there just isn’t much space
Bottles with well-attached labels will take extra effort to clean!
Pick a bottle that is the right size and weight for the hands that will hold it.
Thickening Agents
There are different thickening agents with different perks! This is why some people end up with lots of swirling that settles quickly, while other bottle take up to 5 minutes to settle.
Corn Syrup – more swirling, not as long lasting. Mixes in more easily
Soap – settles slower than cornstarch, less swirling. Make sure it’s clear soap or your water may turn brown.
Glue – lasts longest. Any clear glue, or sparkly glue. Most recommend Elmer’s glue, you can also use tacky glue or other clear or sparkly brands. Use glow-in-the-dark glue for glow-in-the-dark bottles
Glitter glue – the glitter glue provides the smaller sparkles, and adds thickening. Adding more will increased settling time.
Random Tips
Avoid bubbles when adding your glitter glue and thickener by adding to hot water, then mixing with a fork or whisk rather than shaking.
Fill the bottle to the brim. It needs very little air at the top, too much air will create bubbles.
Put the glitter and pretties in at the bottom, then the glitter glue/thickener/water mixture, then fill with warm water. Then add food coloring if you want.
Fill the bottle to the brim. It needs very little air at the top, too much air will create bubbles.
Test the thickness before you glue the cap. Needs to change? Let it settle, dump a little out, add more thickener, test again.
If you want it to take more than a minute to settle, it’s going to take a lot of thickening agent. It’s easier to make it thinner by adding more water than to make it thicker.
Trouble shooting
Bubbly mixture? You shook it didn’t you? Let it settle, slowly pop the bubbles, mix with a fork.
Chunky glue? Heat up the solution, the glue will dissolve much more easily in hot water
Glitter staying at the top? Add a few drops of soap to break the tension
Not swirling? add more water and corn syrup
Settling too fast? add more thickener of your choice
Moms and dads, any other tips?
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