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***ONLY DO WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH***
This is a spin on the BUBBLE BOY Post. My girls love all things glow in the dark. They have been asking to do GLOW AND SEEK for a while now. They can never make it up until dark... so I thought I would bring the dark to them. AK and her son came over for the fun as well. :-)
Materials used:
Black Tarp.
(I used THIS, and folded it in half)
Duct Tape.
Fan
(I used THIS... but next time will use something with more power... it didn't inflate as much as I wanted it to)
Black light (optional)
After you have the tarp folded in half, stretch out a piece of duct tape the length of the tarp. Place the duct tape on the ground and then put the tarp down over top... leaving enough room to fold the tape over and seal it. AK and I did this together which made it much easier. Next, seal the opposite side. This leaves it open on one end. It will look like a giant garbage bag. Lastly, take a piece of duct tape and seal just the middle of the open end... leaving two holes. One hole to walk in, and one hole for the fan. After you have the fan in the hole, duct tape the tarp to the back of it to seal it. Try not to cover the fan completely to allow for air movement.
I know this may sound complicated but it's really simple and a lot of fun!
Our bubble in my living room.
Yes, they all had a lot of fun just playing on the tarp itself!
My 7 Month old inside the bubble.
Checking things out.
Lumiloons.
"Moons and stars"
AKA
Color coding labels under a black light.
Inside the bubble.
This was AWESOME!!
Inside the bubble.
We used:
Glow sticks
Disco Ball
Lumiloons (Party section of Walmart)
Finger lights
Light up spinning tops
Color coding labels
If you have a black light you could also paint with neon paint. If this was outside I totally would have done that. I just didn't want paint all over my living room!
RL
This is a marvelous idea! Well done...I am sure the children all enjoyed this activity.
ReplyDeletethis looks like so much fun!!
ReplyDeleteOH...MY...GOD...I think this might be your "piece de resistance"! Two questions, though: (1) where did you place the black light; (2) do you think it was dark enough?
ReplyDeleteBlack Light is from Amazon.. american DJ and yes it was dark enough
DeleteWow! I would have had great fun with this, never mind the the kids! Totally brilliant!!
ReplyDeleteWe did this today while Tropical Storm Debby raged on outside. It was awesome!! We added blacklights and painted inside, did glow in the dark facepaint, playdough, balloons, neon pipe cleaners and feathers. So much fun!!
ReplyDeleteWe did this today! My kids loved it. I brought in my light box (that I made) and they had a blast!!
ReplyDeleteAre you using a black light in these pictures? Where can I buy one?
ReplyDeleteWhat are Lumiloons and finger lights?
Some of the pictures we are and some not. I got my black light from Amazon but they do sell them at Walmart, etc. Finger lights.. http://astore.amazon.com/plathomo-20/detail/B0045H0L1W Lumiloons are glow in the dark balloons found in Walmart Party section.
DeleteYou can use Tide liquid detergent to draw inside too and it glows.
ReplyDeleteThis looks seriously like the coolest thing ever, but perhaps I did not understand the directions entirely. While amazing good fun, when you described the tarps as a giant trash bag, immediately in my head I could imagine the fan somehow coming off the tarp and then the children inside suffocating to death. Sorry for the morbid thought. My mother trained me well to worry about such things. Is this something to be concerned about or am I just being paranoid? My family made "moon forts" same idea, but with bedsheets. Maybe not as protecting against messes, but perhaps a little safer? I love the idea of making glow in the dark time anytime.
ReplyDeleteOnly do what you are comfortable with. Even if the fan came off the tarp all the air just doesn't suck out. It actually takes a lot of jumping on and folding to deflate. We are also present with our children during these activities.
DeleteMy 4th grade science teacher made one of these that fit our entire class -- 15 kids! -- inside comfortably. It was the size of those giant parachutes from elementary school gym class. Then she used a star projector to show us the night sky and make impromptu planetarium shows about different astronomy concepts. That teacher is the reason that I'm pursuing a PhD in a science field today!
ReplyDeleteLove this, might have to do with our 10 month old. Also, vaseline glows under black light so you could "paint" with that on yourself or really anywhere. I have also seen that you can put glow sticks in balloons for them to glow as well!
ReplyDeleteWhile I think it is wonderful to engage children creatively, as an early childhood specialist, I find it alarming to see such a dangerous activity. You should look up the research on how many kids are harmed by plastic bags, and balloons too. All you have created is a large plastic bag and put your child inside. Accidents and distractions only take a second to change lives forever. The same kind of fun can be done safely in a large box or by covering tables with blankets.
ReplyDeleteKay,
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate your concerns. However, as an early childhood educator and early childhood developmental specialist myself, I can assure you that - considering this is a supervised activity - it is in no way dangerous. Children do not generalize this to putting plastic bags over their heads. We do not practice fear-based parenting and believe our children - and all children - are highly capable and competent people. This activity may not be for everyone, but it is in no way dangerous. We hope that you take what you love from our page and leave the rest. Thank you for your comment. AK
I keep seeing a link leading here on how to make your bath water glow, but I can't find it. Can you please point me in the right direction? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea I will use this for my little one's birthday next weekend.
ReplyDeleteWe did this with a 3" X 50" sheet and made a loooong wind tunnel. The box fan fit the end like a glove. The boys took their balloons to the fan end to watch them shoot out of the entrance.
ReplyDeleteSo fun! You can also let the kids write on the tarp with different colored highlighters & the black light if you're worried about a paint mess. We used to use a yellow highlighter on a bedroom wall.. you couldn't see what was there until you switched the blacklight on. It was always fun to color than see the reveal!
ReplyDeleteomg i love this gonna make this one to XD
ReplyDelete