We can have a lot of fun with all types of glow-in-the-dark sciency stuff, while thinking about how God is the source of all light and we can shine his light out.
Here are lots of ideas for a light party with a science twist, such as luminous letters, fluorescent food, and glow stick (naturally) games.
- Part 1 – Food and Drink
- Part 2 – Experiments
- Part 3 – Games
- Part 4 (this post) – Crafts
- Part 5 – Extra Info, including The Science!
Fearsome (or Fabulous) Faces
Do this activity under UV light
You will need:
- UV face paints (click) *
- Paper plates
- Brushes
You can have an adult paint the children’s faces, or let them paint each other, or their own hands. These paints usually look better in defined lines and dots rather then blended with sponge.
Try using the end of a paint brush to rows of dots across your cheek and above your eyebrows. You could do stripes for a glowing tiger, or hearts and flowers. Don’t forget to paint the helpers!
Glow Rocks
Do this activity under UV light
Painting rocks is always fun – how much better in the dark?!
You will need:
- Rocks
- Black acrylic paint (optional)
- Fluorescent (click) or luminous (click) paints
- Paper plates
- Brushes
- Googley eyes (optional) (click)
If you like, you can paint the rocks with black acrylic paint beforehand. This really makes the other colours stand out.
Turn out the lights and get creative with the paints!
- Paint jazzy patterns
- Add googly eyes for a funny monster
- Paint yourself as a super-hero.
- Paint someone else in the group and have a game of guess who.
- Paint letters to make a Bible verse.
- Group several rocks together and make a painting that stretches across them all., then mix it up and reassemble it as a rocky jigsaw.
Glow Rice
Do this activity in normal light and UV light
You will need:
- White rice
- Fluorescent (click) and/or glow-in-the-dark paint (click)
- Zip-lock bags
- Black paper / Glasses, bottles or jars / PVA glue / cotton wool balls / funnels etc depending on activity
Prepare the rice by squeezing a dollop of paint and a slosh of water into a bag of rice. Squash the paint all around until the rice is coated then leave it to dry.
What can you do with Glow-rice?
- Just play with it! Younger children can play with the rice in a big tub with spoons, cups and funnels. Check out party supplies for disposable shot glasses, as they are often fluorescent.
- Draw a design on black paper and use PVA glue to fill the areas with glow-rice. Leave gaps of black between the coloured areas for a stained-glass effect.
- Fill a bottle or jar with layers of coloured rice. It looks really neat if you tilt it on an angle as you add the layers. Fill the jar right to the very top to stop the rice moving, then put the lid on. You can also do this craft in a tall glass and add a couple of glow-in-the-dark straws and a parasol for a super-cool drink. Spread some PVA glue over the top to secure the rice in place.
- Dip a cotton wool ball in a little glue and dip in the rice. Stick these on black paper for a 3-D glowing effect. (Cotton wool will fluoresce too!)
(with thanks to Growing a Wild Rose)
3-D T-Shirts
Do this activity under normal and UV light
Puffy fluorescent fabric paint is just awesome!
You will need:
- Fluorescent fabric paints (click)
- White T-shirts (these will probably fluoresce all by themselves) or black T-shirts for a very cool look
- Card to go inside the T-shirts
Put a layer of card inside the T-shirts to stop bleed-through and to make them easier to carry.
Thin layers of paint could be touch-dry in less than an hour. For thicker layers a little help from a radiator or hairdryer could get them take-home-able in suitable time.
This paint will also work on cardboard, foam, papier mache (try those little boxes) and most porous surfaces.
Light Party does Science!
- Part 1 – Food and Drink
- Part 2 – Experiments
- Part 3 – Games
- Part 4 (this post) – Crafts
- Part 5 – Extra Info, including The Science!
* Clickable links
The clickable links will take you to suggested items on Amazon via an affiliate link. If you purchase any items after following an affiliate Amazon will make a small donation to support this ministry. So feel free to splash out on that diamond-studded Porsche. No personal data is passed in either direction, and the price you pay is exactly the same.
Please note: The suggested items are necessarily exactly the same as the ones I use. So while I have linked to ones that are as close as possible to the ones tested so I cannot vouch for their suitability.
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