Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Calming Jar

I saw this somewhere a few months back and thought it was the perfect solution to replace time-outs. If your child is like mine and time-outs only cause a bigger eruption of emotions and never seem to work the way intended this can be a great tool. When Emma needs a moment to herself (to put it nicely) I ask her to sit with her calm down jar for a few minutes and come find me when she sees most of the glitter fall to the bottom. She usually starts off by giving it a good shake, this helps get some of that frustration out. Then she sits mesmerized by all the glitter falling to the bottom. By the time I get my over tired and emotional child back, she is ready for a cuddle. Yes, it's not magic, but it seems to help smooth things out. It is actually pretty relaxing for me to watch as well.
I had Emma help make it and explained to her what her special calm down jar was. This was a good opportunity for us to chat about feelings and good ways to express them.

Materials
 Small Jar- make sure it's one that will hold liquid tightly
2 tubes of glitter glue
half a tube of glitter
a few drops of food color
water

 This is pretty simple, just add everything to the jar. Use warm water and give it a good shake to get the glue mixed in well. I had Emma help me by adding all the materials and of course the shaking. Bring on the peace!!




21 comments:

  1. we are making one of these this week... thanks for sharing this idea, I think my son will do well with it during his calm-down times :)

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  2. She's certainly "mesmerized" (not "memorized") in this photo!! SUCH a terrific idea that will be perfect for my grandchildren! :-D

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  3. Can someone that has made this one please tell me how long it takes for this amount of glitter to settle to the bottom of the jar? thanks!

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    1. It takes about a minute for the majority to settle. For every last piece, it could take awhile. :) My kids usually are good after a minute or so. Hope that helps.

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    2. I just made one and the water is still warm so the glitter falls to the bottom very quickly hopefully when it cools it will take longer to fall also can I use elmers glue if I need to instead of glitter glue?

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    3. :-( I made mine let it cool down to room temperature and the glitter goes to the bottom after 1 minute I added more glue and it did not make a difference it still floats to the bottom to quickly...so Disappointed.. :-(

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    4. I'm sorry it's not working for you. I am not sure what could be the difference. My glitter is definitely on the slower side, actually would like it to move faster. Wish I could bring you over mine! What size is your jar? I wonder if it's larger than mine and made the difference. I think mine is a 10oz.

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    5. the fine-ness of the glitter is what makes the difference in how quickly it floats to the bottom.

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  4. If you put some corn syrup in with it, that will slow down the glitter.

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  5. Just made my first attempt. The glue is clumping and I think my glitter is too heavy. The fine glitter that did separate from the glue keeps swirling for a long time. The next one I make, I will use the very fine, wouldn't-want-it-in-my-house-because-it-sticks-to-everything kind of glitter :)

    Still love it! The kids have been told they will get told how many shakes per time out. Shake, let it settle, repeat!

    I also used a plastic peanut butter jar and super glued the lid. Tried to make it 3 year-old temper tantrum proof. :)

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    Replies
    1. Great idea on using plastic! I can't imagine giving an upset child a glass jar! I also think gluing the lid is wise... :)

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  6. I finally made a calm down jar melissa. Thanks for sharing this project with us— I love how they turned out.

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  7. this is such a great idea. we're making one today.

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  8. I want it for myself!!
    And I am 62

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  9. I made one with just glitter (fine) and water and the glitter just clumped up at the top. So I tried it with baby oil instead on water and got a much much much better result.

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  10. I would like to make a few of these and post the craft on my blog. Can I link your blog on mine for others to find the directions?

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  11. I would like to make 4 different color ones for my kids to just have. They are great! Maybe one pink, one purple, one blue and one green. So cool...

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  12. Just saw this, and can't wait to do it with the grandkids! I may just make one for myself! Thanks for sharing!
    PS. Just found you on Pinterest -- wow! What a treasure trove of ideas you have!
    Tere F.

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  13. We just made these. My daughter made a pink one. To get out the clumps that the glitter glue made, I took a fork and whisked it around the jar for a few seconds or more and no more clumps! My daughter loves it and it works great!

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