Want a gardening-inspired Halloween craft? These Glow in the Dark Mason Jars light up your yard with their spooky Monster faces! Great kids craft.
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I love hanging out with my kids and I’m not just saying that. As a mom, I love them for their good sides and their naughty sides. They’re funny, and sometimes, they’re fresh. They’re also terribly smart and equally mischievous. I think they’re beautiful little creatures – both inside and out – and I’m always amazed that I played a part in their creation.
So when life gets me really batty, I go to them. I sit. I watch. And I remember what it feels like to just live in the moment again. Watching them reminds me that life doesn’t always have to be so complicated and I love my children for helping me take a moment to just be still.
When I really think about it, this is why I like to craft with my kids – which is pretty ironic because I don’t consider myself to be an artistic person by any means. But I don’t craft with my kids to be artsy. I craft with them to be loved, and I craft with them to show my kids that they’re loved too.
You see, growing up, our grandparents always crafted with us way before it was cool to do so. Whether our Gramma was teaching us how to sew on paper plates, or our Pop was teaching us how to make paint from flower petals, they were always doing things with us. I have so many lovely, warm memories of sitting around a table or being out in the backyard, with people who loved me. I hold these memories close to my heart, and I want to make sure that my own kids have this strong sense of family ingrained in their little hearts too.
But since I’m not naturally crafty, I have to spend some time thinking about what I’m going to do. I’m the type of person that likes to go shopping with an idea in my head and a list in my hand. However, when I spied some Krylon Glow in the Dark spray paint in Michaels the other day, I tossed my usual careful planning to the wind. I had no idea what I was going to do with this spray paint, but I just knew that I had to have it. So I tossed two cans in my cart and off I went.
When I got home, I looked at my cans of Glow-in-the-Dark spray paint and just shook my head. What on Earth was I going to do with them? I still wasn’t sure. So, I decided to straighten up the kitchen, which included shoving some baking pans into the secret cabinet under my kitchen table. (Yep, I have one of those cabinets. The one that no one is allowed to open but me in case something tumbles out of it and smashes your foot.)
While I was cramming stuff in there, I spied an unopened box of mason jars and inspiration decided to be kind to me. I am a bit of a jam-making fool, so it’s no surprise that there are mason jars lying around. But, it was surprising that I would choose to craft with them versus filling them with hot piping jam!
My leftover mason jars became super cute Halloween Monsters made out of Glow in the Dark Mason Jars that the kids and I had a blast creating. To keep the project doable for the 7 and Under crowd, I handled the spray painting. But, once the jars had dried, I just dumped out a bunch of googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pompoms, and sharpies onto the table. While their imaginations ran wild, and laughter filled the yard, I just sat back and watched, and listened, and smiled.
Halloween Monsters: Glow In The Dark Mason Jars
Materials:
- Krylon Glow-in-the-dark spray paint
- Mason jars
- Sharpies
- Googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pompoms, glue, etc
Directions:
Step 1: In a well-ventilated area, spray paint the mason jars with the glow-in-the-dark spray paint. Allow jars to dry thoroughly. We needed to do two coats to cover the mason jars completely.
Step 2: Once the mason jars are dry, let your kids get creative! I just sat back and let them go to town with sharpies, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and pom-poms.
Step 3: Place the decorated mason jars in direct sunlight for a full day. (They need light to recharge.) Then watch your kids’ faces light up with excitement when they see their jars glowing in the dark! These are really neat to use to line your walkways or front porch for Halloween!
Happy Crafting,
Denine
Want more Halloween crafts?
@Lisa – Ha, I have a hate-love relationship with my crafty side. I usually force my sister to make all of the crafts on our site! 😉
@Steph – Thanks so much for the kind words – and the pin. 🙂
So cute. I would say that you are definitely a little artistic. I bet the kids had a blast.
That is a super fun and unique Halloween craft and decoration. I’ve not seen glow in the dark jars. Pinning!