I have a confession to make. I haven't bought glitter since my eldest was a baby. That's over a decade ago!
That's not the confession though.
I told myself I haven't bought any more because I was being eco-conscious. We would just use up what little we had left and never buy any more. So as much as my kids love the idea, the answer to "can I get the glitter out" was always no.
But I now know that I as telling myself a big fat lie. That's my confession... The reason I haven't used glitter in all those years... the MESS! I'd forgotten just how much the glitter gets EVERYWHERE. That's the real reason I stopped using it.
Cut to Bonfire Night 2020 - no displays, the kids feeling a bit despondent and needing something to cheer them up. We want something colourful and sparkly to make up for the lack of fireworks. I relent. The old glitter comes out.
At the end of a crazy session, with Mr 21m losing his little mind and wanting to glitter every surface, we end up with some beautiful sparkly fireworks.
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So, was it worth it? You can be the judge of that. The kids had a ball making them; it entertained a 21m, 5 year old and 10 year old at the same time, and the end results are undeniably gorgeous, the afternoon sun sparkling on them is so pretty. What's more, there are so many psychological and physical benefits of creating together. So I'm thinking yes, while I'm wiping the last of the glitter off the skirting board, it was worth it.
Will we ever use glitter again? Possibly not. But if we do, I will at least buy us some eco glitter. We love this set by Green Glitter as it's plant based and comes in four colours, so perfect for creating firework pictures:
If you fancy making your own sparkly fireworks, then you will need:
- PVA glue
- Glitter in a variety of colours
- Toilet or kitchen roll inner
- Scissors
- Plate
Take your TP roll and cut slits about 2" deep all the way around. Older children can help with this part of the process!
Bend all the slits back on themselves to make your exploding firework shape. Try to ensure they bend at the same point.
Pour some glue on your plate and dip the end of the TP roll in. Make sure it's loaded with quite a bit of glue and well covered as this will give you the best results.
Push this onto your cardstock to leave a gluey print.
You can press the edges down for a sharper effect, or like Mr 21m, you can move it around a bit which makes a more abstract explosion that's still super pretty.
Now for the fun bit! Working quickly so the glue doesn't dry, sprinkle glitter liberally over the glued area until it's covered.
When you're happy with the colours and coverage, give the paper a little tap to remove the excess (I told my boys to do this away from their body so that it lands on the table not all over them!)
Repeat as many times as you like.
Leave your fireworks to dry then display them somewhere that the sun or a light will hit, so you admire it twinkling as you walk past.
These are so pretty, the photos really don't do them justice! I think I'll keep them for decorating the house next year as we could all do with a bit more sparkle when the nights draw in.
What do you think of glitter? Love it or hate it? Comment below!
Pin 📌 it for later:
Want more ideas? Check out Our favourite Bonfire Night activities
Read more about the benefits if crafting here - Getting creative with your kids
For rainy autumn days you'll love our Zero-spend bored jars
