It’s summer break and the days are hot! In the midst of all the fun there are often times of breakdowns, issues with sharing and little emotional flare ups. Calm down jars give you something to hand a cranky toddler who needs to take a breath. They provide a sparkling scene to distract your kiddo in times of need and they are a fun craft you can make together.

By experimenting with different glitter and different coloring, you can create whatever suits your imagination. Here are three different color options-for the upcoming holiday you can also go red, white and blue! Just keep in mind that the heavier the particles you include, the faster they will drop when you shake your jar. It’s nice to use fine glitter so that the sparkles slowly fall and you have more time to watch before the entire solution settles and if you’re looking to keep it affordable most of these ingredients can be found at a Dollar Tree.

Red Calm Down Jar
Ingredients:
1 mason jar and lid
¾ cup soft soap
1 cup hot water
1.8 oz red glitter glue
3 drops red food coloring
0.2 oz confetti glitter
0.35 oz mixed pack fine glitter
Super glue (to glue the lid down)

Blue Calm Down Jar
Ingredients:
1 mason jar and lid
¾ cups Dawn dish soap (color blue)
1.8 oz glitter glue
1 ¾ cup hot water
Super glue (to glue the lid down)

Green Calm Down Jar
Ingredients:
1 mason jar and lid
¾ cup soft soap (green color)
1 cup hot water
2 drops green food coloring
1.8 oz green glitter glue
0.2 oz green glitter
Super glue (to glue the lid down)

Make It:
To assemble, add soap to jar and slowly stir in water, trying to avoid making bubbles. A chopstick is a great tool to stir with.

I used mason jars but if you use a different size clear glass jar you may need to increase your quantities accordingly. An easy was to measure is to start by filling your jar with water to know the full capacity. Use ¾ of this amount to begin adding your glue and glitter to.

Once you like the way your jar looks close the cap, but don’t seal yet. Give it a couple shakes and watch as it settles. Check if you like the glitter, color and movement. If not, add more or pour some out and remix until you love it. Once you have it the way you like it, super glue the lid down and pass along to your little one. This is a pretty important step because they learn to twist a cap pretty early on.