Making a calming glitter jar is a beautiful, easy, and fun activity for kids, and these Galaxy Glitter Jars may be my favorite yet! Made with mason jars, glitter, water, and glue, they are perfect for meditation, stress relief, and for practicing mindfulness.
How to Make Galaxy Glitter Jars
This past fall, my 9-year-old son and I spent a lot of time reading about space. We made models of the Earth, created galaxy art, and even spent some time outside at night locating constellations.
Towards the end of our “space unit,” we made Galaxy Glitter Jars. Swirly, bright, and mesmerizing, they are the perfect project for kids!
Shared below are directions for 3 Galaxy Glitter Jars. Follow along with our step-by-step directions and video tutorial so you can make your own.
Related: Spring Glitter Jars
Galaxy Jar
- 16-ounce glass or plastic jar with lid
- Distilled water
- Cotton balls
- Turquoise liquid watercolor
- White liquid watercolor
- Magenta liquid watercolor
- Violet liquid watercolor
- Silver glitter
1. Press a handful of cotton balls on the bottom of the jar.
2. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of silver glitter over the cotton balls.
3. Pour diluted turquoise liquid watercolor over the cotton balls until it’s absorbed.
4. Continue alternating layers of cotton balls, glitter, and diluted liquid watercolor until you reach the top of the jar. Pack the cotton balls tightly into the jar without gaps! The idea is to have the packed cotton balls absorb the watercolors, rather than have them slosh around inside the jar.
When prepared in this fashion, the galaxy jar will keep swirly, separated colors for several days…even if shaken!
Black Glitter Jar
- 16-ounce glass or plastic jar with lid
- Distilled water
- 1/2 cup Elmer’s Clear Glue
- 2 tablespoons black glitter
- 1 teaspoon fine silver glitter
- 1 tablespoon gold moon and silver star confetti (I found ours at the local party store)
1. Pour 1/2 cup of distilled water into a 16-ounce mason jar.
2. Pour 1/2 cup of clear glue, followed by 2 tablespoons of black glitter, 1 teaspoon of fine silver glitter, and 1 tablespoon of moon and star confetti into the jar.
3. Top off the jar with distilled water. You may wish to squeeze a ring of hot glue or water-resistant super glue around the lid of the jar. Press the lid onto the jar and secure it with the metal ring.
4. Shake the jar and enjoy watching the glitter swirl to the bottom.
Doesn’t this jar remind you of a dark night sky lit up with stars?
Galaxy Glitter Jar
- 16-ounce glass or plastic jar with lid
- Distilled water
- 1/2 cup Elmer’s Clear Glue
- 1 teaspoon turquoise glitter
- 1 teaspoon purple glitter
- 1 teaspoon pink glitter
- 1 teaspoon silver glitter
- 1 teaspoon silver star confetti
1. Pour 1/2 cup of distilled water into a 16-ounce mason jar.
2. Pour 1/2 cup of clear glue, followed by 1 teaspoon of turquoise, purple, pink, and silver glitter. We also added 1 teaspoon of silver star confetti.
3. Top off the jar with distilled water. You may wish to squeeze a ring of hot glue or water-resistant super glue around the lid of the jar. Press the lid onto the jar and secure it with the metal ring.
4. Shake the jar and enjoy watching the glitter swirl to the bottom.
Even though the glitter we used was the same brand and size, it fell at different rates creating a beautiful ombre effect!
My Glitter Jars Are Not Sealing
If your glitter jars are not sealing, they may leak. The number one cause of this problem is the glitter itself! Here’s how to fix it:
1. Remove the lid and ring, then wash them in hot, soapy water to remove any glitter and glue.
2. Next, wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel.
3. When everything is dry, screw the lid back onto the jar.
Now that you have a clean seal, your glitter jars shouldn’t leak. If they continue to leak, be sure that you are not using generic lids or mismatched jars, lids, and rings.
More Glitter Jar Instructions
- Christmas Glitter Jars
- Apple Glitter Jars
- Pink Glitter Jars
- Calming Jar
- Falling Stars Glitter Jar, a guest post I wrote for Kids Activities Blog
Galaxy Glitter Jars
Making a calming glitter jar is a beautiful, easy, and fun activity for kids, and these Galaxy Glitter Jars may be my favorite yet! Made with mason jars, glitter, water, and glue, they are perfect for meditation, stress relief, and for practicing mindfulness.
Materials
- 16-ounce glass or plastic jar with lid
- Distilled water
- Cotton balls
- Turquoise liquid watercolor
- White liquid watercolor
- Magenta liquid watercolor
- Violet liquid watercolor
- Silver glitter
- Elmer’s Clear Glue
- Black glitter
- Fine silver glitter
- Gold moon and silver star confetti
- Liquid watercolors
- Turquoise glitter
- Purple glitter
- Pink glitter
- Silver star confetti
Instructions
- Gather all of the supplies from the supply list.
- Follow along with the individual directions for the Galaxy Glitter Jars within the blog post. Each one is different!
- If desired, seal the jars with hot glue or super glue.
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Jackson says
does foodcoloring work the same as watercolor?
Melissa Lennig says
Yes, that should be fine!
Kids Group Helper says
For the galaxy glitter jars (purple one) would it matter if you put the clear pva glue in first (rather than distilled water first)?
Thinking of making this with lots of children and wondering if I can put the glue in ready, to save time.
Thanks
Melissa Lennig says
I like to layer the water and glue to help it mix better. You could certainly add the glue first…the kids may just have to shake their jars longer to mix the ingredients.
Carrie says
Will regular glue work instead of clear?
Melissa Lennig says
Nope, it will make your jars look cloudy.