Fall Leaves Snow Globe
Come and join Nick in making your very own fall leaves snow globe! This snow globe incorporates all things fall like leaves and tree branches and can be used for sensory exploration! This activity is for all school-aged children, and you can use it to calm down when you're feeling angry, upset, nervous, or scared! Simply shake up the jar or turn it upside down, and watch the leaves fall through the water, just like leaves fall from a tree! Watching the leaves fall will help you calm down, and bring you back to a calm head space!
Supplies:
Large Mason Jar with Lid
Glycerin
Fall Foil Leaf Confetti
Tree Branch from your backyard
Water
Super Glue
Measuring cups
Glass to hold water in
Spoon
Activity Steps:
Step 1: Before we begin, make sure you have gathered all your supplies and have them all right next to you! Make sure you have gone to your backyard and picked a stick or branch, and make sure it fits in your jar first!
Tip: If your branch does not fit, break some of the branch off to make it fit in your jar!
Step 2: After you have all your supplies and have made sure that your tree branch or stick fits in your jar, it is time to glue the stick to the lid on the mason jar! So, take your lid, your super glue, and your stick, but make sure you have a parent's help with the super glue first! Take your lid, and put a dime size of super glue right in the middle of the lid, and then take your branch and stick the bottom of the branch into the glue and hold it there until it is dry. This will take around 4-5 minutes, so make sure you hold it there for enough time to make sure it is glued down!
Tip: You want to use the top of the lid, or the silver side of the lid. This will make the branch stick better.
Step 3: Now that your tree branch is glued to the lid, it is time to glue some of your foil leaves to the branches of the stick. So, you are going to glue 4 leaves total to the stick. Take your first leaf, and put a pea size amount of glue on it. Then, choose a place on your stick to glue it down, and glue it on and hold it there until it is dry just like we did with the tree branch. Do this 3 more times with your other leaves.
Tip: You can choose to glue more leaves on your stick, it is up to you!
Step 4: Now it is time to fill the mason jar with water. Mason jars are typically a quart, so you are going to want to use around 4 cups of water by filling your 1 cup measuring cup 4 times and dumping them into the mason jar. If your mason jar is smaller, you may want to use only 3 cups of water. You need to fill the water up to the top of the jar, right below the opening of the jar. You do not want to fill it all the way up, there should be about 3-4 inches of empty space at the top of your jar.
Tip: I measured my water (4 cups) out before starting and put all the water in a pitcher so it was easier to pour into the mason jar!
Step 5: Now that our water is in our jar, it is time to add our glycerin. You want to grab your ½ cup measuring cup and fill it all the way up with glycerin, and dump it into the mason jar with the water.
Step 6: Your glycerin and water are both added to your mason jar, it is time to mix it up. Grab your spoon and stir the water and glycerin in your mason jar for around 30 seconds. After you have stirred it up, add a handful of your fall foil leaf confetti to the jar. If the confetti immediately sinks to the bottom, then you need to add a little more glycerin. The glycerin is what makes the confetti fall slowly, so if they sink fast, add more glycerin. Add as much confetti as you want, and make sure to add glycerin if you need to.
Tip: You could also add regular glitter to the jar as well, like orange or yellow glitter to match the fall theme.
Step 7: After you have added your confetti, it is time to put your lid on that has your tree branch attached to it. So, take your lid, and put it in with the tree branch going in first. Place it all the way in, and twist the lid on very tightly.
Tip: If you like how your snow globe is, you can also place super glue around the lid to make sure it is stuck on there and won’t leak!
Step 8: Congratulations, you're done! Now you can shake up your jar and watch the leaves fall! Have fun and don’t forget to show your friends and family your cool new snow globe!
What can you do with your Fall Leaves Snow Globe?
Calm Down Bottle: You can use this snow globe jar as a calming technique paired with deep breathing. To practice deep breathing, the first thing you will want to do is tip the jar upside down or shake it up. After you have done this, while the leaves are falling, take 5 big deep breaths. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds. Do this until all the leaves have gotten to the bottom. If you need to do more breaths, you can shake it up again.
~Made by Nick P.