Glow in the Dark Water Balloons

Hello, campers! I am Camp Counselor Michele from The Scrap Shoppe! I’m excited to be here again for Design Dazzle’s fun Summer Camp Series.

I don’t know about where you live, but here in TN it’s still pretty hot and humid out even after the sun goes down from June-August. A water balloon fight would not be an unwelcome event! But, a water balloon fight in the dark? The logistics aren’t really there.

But how about a glow in the dark water balloon fight?? Yes!

How is everyone seeing each other? Well, the water balloons in hand obviously, but also you would ideally be playing right at dusk, when you can just make out the other people in the yard. Sounds fun, right?

This may be the be all-end all of outdoor entertainment after dark!

Let me start off with a few precautions…

• Be sure the glow sticks you purchase state that they are non-toxic.
• Glow sticks should be placed in the water balloons by an adult. There is a chance it could crack and the chemicals inside could leak out. If you have the non-toxic sticks you will be fine, but be sure to rinse any chemicals off the skin as soon as possible.
• Do not break open the glow sticks to pour the solution into a water balloon. There is glass inside that could cut you and puncture the balloon. Not a wise idea.

Note: Accidentally cracking a glow stick will not result in you getting cut by the glass inside. Most likely the crack that forms will only be large enough for the liquids inside to leak out.

To get the kids involved in at least part of the preparation I let them light up all of the glow sticks we were going to use. It keeps their hands busy. As they light them up, you can begin putting them in the water balloons.

Both the water balloons and glow sticks can be found at the dollar store. You can’t beat summer fun that only costs a few dollars!

1. Gently fold the glow stick into thirds.

2. Pull the balloon completely over one end of the glow stick.

3. Continue to roll the balloon down over the glow stick.

Boom! You’re ready to add water!

Adding the glow sticks to the balloons may take some trial and error, but eventually you will get comfortable with the process and really start knocking them out! If a glow stick does happen to crack, toss it in the trash and move on to the next one.

The water balloons should come with a little plastic nozzle you can place over the end of your hose. Use it to slowly fill up the balloons. The glow sticks may poke and protrude inside the balloons, but they should not cause them to pop.

Continue to fill up those balloons and pretty soon you will have a bucket full of fun!

My little guys had so much fun throwing these at each other!

And afterwards, they had a lot of fun glow sticks to play with in the dark.

Win-win!

Thanks for having me over again for this great series, Toni! It’s one of my summer favorites.

Michele is a wife and mommy to 2 little boys. She recently gave up her job in the field of science to pursue her dream of spending more time with her boys and becoming a full time blogger. When she’s not playing superheroes or building Lego mansions you can find her creating at The Scrap Shoppe. She doesn’t shy away from any type of media so you never know what sort of project will show up on her blog next!