Safe Glow in the Dark Crafts Using Glowing Powder for Kids of all ages – Part 1

Looking for something different, simple, safe and fun for the kids to create? These ideas using glowing powder are going to blow their minds!!

Firstly, some facts…

Glow in the dark or phosphorescent powder:

• Is NOT fluorescent – don’t need UV or black lights
• Is NOT charged by a chemical reaction – like that used in glow sticks.
• Is powered by light.
• Will glow in the dark – the darker the environment, the brighter the glow

Our glowing powder can be used to create pretty much anything your imagination can think of, with only a few considerations:

• Won’t mix with metal
• Won’t glow if mixed with a dark colour
• Wont glow in the day
• The darker the room or outside environment, the brighter the glow effect

Glowing Gecko phosphorescent powder features:

• Only minutes to charge, around 10 hours of glow, diminishing in intensity over the night
• Recharge for effect with a quick exposure to light, such as a torch
• Lasts for years
• Much stronger than zinc sulphide (and subsequently more expensive)

So let’s get into it…

Instead of sending kids home from a birthday party with a lolly bag, why not send them home with their very own glow in the dark letter of their first name. Also great for the bedroom, toilet door, or front of the house.

STUFF:

• Wooden letter (found these at Red Dot for $2 – bargain)
• Brush or roller
• Plastic container and stirring utensil (not metal)
• Paint of your choice – white or very pale colour. We used this White Knight water based paint in white. Each letter took about 10-20ml of paint
• Glowing Powder (encapsulated if using a water based paint). You’ll need around 5-10 grams

DO’IN IT:

• Mix powder into paint at a ratio of around 5grams powder to 10mls of paint using non-metal vessel and stirrer.
• Combine well.
• Apply one to two coats making sure you mix the paint just before each application as the particles of glow tend to settle over time.

CHANGE IT UP:

1. Try applying a powder/varnish mix in the same quantity and paint this over a white or pale coloured base colour. Repeat layers until desired effect is created.
2. Add glitter into the mix for extra pizzazz!

Creepy slime

I made this glow in the dark slime for the first time the other day and I can definitely see why kids are going nuts over it. It’s so easy and when you add the glowing powder to it, super cool!

I used the clear Elmer’s Glue (got it from Woolworths) but the white glue will work fine too. I’ve read that Elmer’s gives the best results as it has just the right amount of whatever it is that makes it work. That’s scientific talk for “trust me, it’ll work”.

1. Add 1 teaspoon of Borax with 1 cup of hot water until it is dissolved. You won’t need all of this mixture so save the rest for the next lot. I guarantee there will be a next lot, and a next lot,...

2. Add the contents of one 147ml glue to a glass or plastic bowl (not metal)

3. Add 147ml of water to the same bowl

4. Add around 30-40 grams of glowing powder and stir through. Do not use a metal stirrer. The mix will become cloudy.

5. SLOWLY (this is really important) add 1 teaspoon at a time of the Borax solution to the mixture and stir. You’ll need around 10 teaspoons all up but don’t be tempted to add it all in one go. Again, trust me – it won’t work.

6. Once it starts to become tacky and thicker, you can start kneading it in the bowl with your hands.

This slime still had a way to go. It was getting thicker but still very sticky. Would have make great Halloween slime – oozy, sticky, and green.

7. The end result will be a slime that doesn’t stick to your fingers. You’ll start to wonder if it’s ready or not. When you think it might be but it’s still a bit sticky, add even smaller amounts of Borax solution at a time. If you add too much, the slime will harden and not stretch.

8. If you do find the slime is hard and snaps instead of stretches, you can add a little warm water and need it through.

Now turn the lights off and do whatever it is we do with slime!

Glowing Gecko is an Australian owned and operated business, supplying quality grade phosphorescent or glow in the dark powder and products to anyone who also gets ‘excited by light’.

We are popular in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth so why not join the masses and get your glow on.