Check out these glow stick games and activities. They can make summer nights or campouts super fun for the entire family.
How Are Glow Sticks Made?
Glow sticks were created in the 1960's by a chemist who wanted to show how chemicals can give off light without giving off heat. This process is called “chemiluminescence.” There are 3 chemicals inside of a glowstick. Two of the chemicals are more common. The common chemicals are hydrogen peroxide and fluorescent dye. The third chemical is phenyl oxalate ester.
The hydrogen peroxide and phenyl oxalate ester chemicals cause a glowing light when they are combined. A glow stick tube has the two chemicals inside, as well as a glass tube with hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is released when the glow tube is cracked. Then the hydrogen peroxide mixes with the other two chemicals. This is what causes the glow stick light that we love playing with today.
Are Glow Sticks Toxic?
The chemicals inside glow sticks have minimal toxic effects. If glow stick chemicals are swallowed, an upset tummy can be the result. A rash may be the result if glow stick chemicals stay on the skin. The fact that glow sticks are safe and inexpensive gives us all even more reason to enjoy them!
What Can I Do With Glow Sticks?
Glow sticks are a popular birthday party favor. They are also used for safety reasons during trick or treating. However, once kids bring them home, the glow sticks are usually forgotten about. Glow sticks are wonderful, but what can kids do with them?
Glow sticks can be incorporated into fun glow stick activities for kids to enjoy. These activities don't require much planning, but they do provide a whole lot of fun. Glow sticks add an extra pizazz to activities for celebrations. They can also be added as an ingredient to make a basic activity more fun.
If your Cub Scouts are like mine, they love playing outside after meetings! Give them some glow sticks, and let them play. They're also perfect for campout activities. And don't forget these games if you have a glow party-themed Blue & Gold banquet.
Glow sticks add an extra flair to holiday celebrations. For example, kids can use some extra light sticks during Halloween to make glowing eye yard decorations. Another idea is to make glow in the dark Easter eggs with glow sticks to add a fun touch to an Easter egg hunt.
Kids can have hours of imaginative play in their own adventure after crafting glow stick light sabers. When kids get bored during the summer, they can take part in a glow-stick treasure hunt after dark.
Glow Stick Games
Glow stick games are fun for the whole family and are extremely simple to set up. Gather some glow sticks and glow stick bracelets and you are ready for a glow stick ring toss game on a warm summer night. There are more glow stick games that can be played outside, as well as glow stick activities that kids can do inside.
Games like tic-tac-toe with glow sticks and bracelets can be played outside or inside the house. Glow sticks are not only fun toys, but they can be put to use to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The fact that there is no mess involved in glow stick art is one of its most appealing features. With glow sticks and glow stick bracelets, kids can use their imaginations and show their creativity by creating pictures.
Glow Stick Crafts
When kids make glow stick crafts, not only do they get a chance to develop their creativity, but they also have a lot of fun with glow sticks in the process. Glow stick crafts are crafts that even young kids can make. A simple craft becomes an eye-catching creation with the addition of a glow stick. The light from a glow stick provides a unique special effect. Glow stick lanterns are an example. They can be used as cool decorations in addition to being a fun glow stick activity that kids love to do.
Glow sticks are budget-friendly items that are available for purchase at the Dollar Tree or from Amazon. Get your glow sticks ready, and get ready for your kids to have a lot of fun!
Here are some of the best fun glow stick activities for kids that are guaranteed to keep kids of all ages delighted.
20 Fun Glow Stick Activities for Kids
Everyone loves glow sticks! Here are 20 ways to incorporate glow sticks into fun activities.
Daisies and Pie has a fun and simple way to light up your camping trip, garden, or sleep over!
The Krazy Coupon Lady has a lot of fun activities for kids in the summer. This is one of my favorites, glow in the dark ring toss!
A fun activity for indoor or outdoor play time! Say Yes has a fun and inexpensive idea that will entertain for hours.
Make .and Take's glow stick tic-tac-toe is a fun game that will also let the kids practice their strategic thinking skills.
Lil' Luna's glow in the dark Easter egg hunt idea is a fun idea year round!
Youth Group Collective's glow stick Capture the Flag idea is a fun way for kids to practice team-building skills.
Baby Gizmo's glow in the dark bowling idea can be done indoors or outdoors. And you can re-use the "pins" when the kids are done playing as lanterns!
Reading Confetti has a great idea to use glow sticks to flex creative muscles! Create fireflies, fireworks, and more.
Feels Like Home has a simple way to entertain the kids with glow sticks, a treasure hunt! When the sun goes down, the hunt can begin!
Happily Ever Mom had a great idea to make family music even more fun by adding glow sticks!
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Wait Til' Your Father Gets Home shared this brilliant idea for Glow in the Dark Wiffle Balls! Light weight and fun, they provide endless ways to entertain the kids.
Macaroni Kid provides detailed instructions to create glow in the dark spiders! Hang them indoors or out!
Fab Art DIY has an idea to create a spooky atmosphere with just glow sticks and paper rolls!
Instructables has a free printable that lets you make a light saber with just a glow stick, a print out, tape, a glue stick, and an adult to use the knife cutter. Jedi or Sith? You decide!
Arts and crafts can only be more fun with glow sticks! Teaching Mama has instructions to create your own firefly that really glows.
Oriental Trading has a fun way to use glow stick necklaces by turning them into a hopscotch game! Use a standard hopscotch pattern or get creative, the choice is yours!
With just few supplies you can create a glow-in-the-dark kickball croquet course! One Country has step-by-step instructions that puts a unique spin on a classic game.
The Pink Lab has a great plan to keep the kids cool and entertained on hot summer nights!
Cold drinks on a hot night are even more fun when they glow! Come Together Kids provides instructions to make glow-in-the-dark drinks.
Country and Victorian Times has a great way to let the kids design their own spooky decorations! They can be creative with only a mason jar, paint, and a glow stick!
As you can see, glow sticks can be used for a wide range of activities. Make any event or activity more exciting for your kids by adding a glow stick. If you’re looking for some entertaining things for kids to do, try a few of the fun glow stick activities for kids from our list. Once you discover which ones your kids like the most, glow stick activities can provide hours of entertainment for them throughout the year.
Jeanne
Friday 2nd of September 2022
Glow sticks are neat and fun. However...horrible for our environment. Leave no Trace, a few hours of fun vs the years ( if ever) of sitting in land fill. We are "trying" to move away from these and disposable trinketts and cheap "crafts". Love the flashlight ideas. Those darn glow sticks do look cool at night! Really like the water effect too... however if we all do a little bit, it will add up to a lot ;) PS LOVE your site!
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