Easy and Cool Kids Activities that Glow

This post was contributed by Sharon of Rediscovered Families.

Check out these GLOWING Kids Activities!

Glow in the dark stuff fascinates kids. Actually it delights me, too. There is something enchanting about turning off the lights and seeing things light up. If you want to ramp up the impressiveness a notch why not try using a black light for some fun kids activities?

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3 Cool Kids Activities that Glow!

These kids activities using a black light are super easy to set up. All you need is a black light (available at many hardware stores or on Amazon), a dark room and non-toxic yellow florescent highlighters.

Now let the fun begin!

1. Glowing Water

Remove the end from a yellow highlighter pen and pull out the ink felt. Soak this in a small amount of water for about an hour. Now put it under the dark light and watch it light up. It is safe to play with, but I wouldn’t let children drink it even if the highlighters are non-toxic! Just to be on the safe side.

If you want something that is safe to drink use tonic water. Tonic water contains quinine, which glows under a black light. When I organized a glow in the dark event for some tweens I tried mixing tonic water with fruit punch, but it didn’t glow very well. The plain tonic water lit up nicely though. It was fun seeing the children try the tonic water as it is very bitter! Some loved it and some definitely did not.

2. Glowing Body Art

Use the highlighters to draw a variety of designs on your hands and arms. Then stand under the black light and watch the designs appear.

Under normal light the markers don’t really show up, but they glow as soon as the black light is turned on. Children just love this!

3. Glowing Photo Booth Props

Download and print some simple photo booth props onto white card stock. You can find some free printable props here, here and here. Decorate with highlighters. We found it works best if you use the highlighters to make dots, check patterns, or stripes. Cut out the props and tape a straw to the back.

Get everyone to pose under the black light, while you take pictures! Encourage creativity and general goofiness!

More Glowing Kids Activities:

• Adapt this clothespin dragonfly craft by decorating the clothes pins and wings with highlighters. Now you have fireflies!
• Try this glowing milk experiment from Learn, Play Imagine.
• Makes some glowing vinegar and use it for some fun science experiments.

The Science Behind this Glowing Fun:

Black light provides ultraviolet (UV) light, which is invisible to our eyes. This is the same light that causes sunburns. The highlighter ink contains chemicals that fluoresce. This means in they absorb the UV light and change it to visible light.

Some other things that glow under a black light:

• white paper
• petroleum jelly
• some cleaning products (such as Mr Clean)
• slack spots on a banana!
• blood (although I don’t recommend testing that one!)

Have you tried any glowing kids activities?  Did you use a black light?  What are your favorites?  Join the conversation in the comments below!

More Fun Kids Activities from Rediscovered Families:

Sharon is a trained educator and mother to 3 adult children. She blogs at Rediscovered Families and writes about creating strong family connections. You can also catch up with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

More Super Cool Kids Activities from B-Inspired Mama:

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This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy.