Here’s a fun pumpkin craft and DIY calm-down toy that doubles as a cute and friendly or spooky glowing DIY Halloween decoration idea!
Learn how to make a pumpkin sensory bottle with a friendly or spooky Jack o’ Lantern face with this easy Halloween sensory bottle DIY! Once finished, glowing Jack o’ Lantern Halloween-themed sensory bottles can be used as glowing luminary decorations for parties or a tool to calm an anxious child on Halloween night.
My daughter has had a strange obsession with Pumpkins, Jack o’ lanterns and skeletons since she first set eyes on them as a baby. I remember her chirping happily, pointing from her baby carrier on our daily walks the first time she spotted one.
Unfortunately, she cried miserably when they disappeared from stoops and front porches and was disappointed when her mummy (pun intended) could not make them magically re-appear. But with this DIY Halloween pumpkin sensory bottle, she can enjoy pumpkin sensory play with her jack-o’ lantern Halloween calm-down jar all year. And she also loves her ghost DIY Halloween sensory bottle, too!
Related: Halloween Art Projects Kids LOVE!
Glowing Jack o’ Lantern Halloween Sensory Bottle
Children are sure to love this pumpkin sensory play idea. Friendly calm-down bottles like glowing Jack o’ Lantern Halloween sensory bottles are perfect for children that get easily scared, overwhelmed, or anxious on Halloween night. For more information about calm down sensory bottles and their uses, check out Calm Down Sensory Bottles 101.
And as mentioned above, this homemade pumpkin sensory bottle can also be made into glowing DIY Halloween decorations. Unfortunately, glow-in-the-dark loom bands do not glow brightly or last long without an external light source. However, they can be ‘charged’ by placing them in the sun or under a light. Or, you can use THESE instructions to make a sensory bottle with orange glitter and return to this post to turn it into a Halloween pumpkin.
To make glow-in-the-dark loom bands
glow a little brighter, pop an orange glow stick the luminary on Halloween night or use a black light
to give your Halloween Jack o’ Lantern decoration even more glowing power!
Halloween Pumpkin Sensory Bottle Craft Materials
- Recycled water bottle or mason jar
(Most bottles from the recycle bin can work!) - Goo Gone
- Glow in the dark orange loom bands or orange loom bands, or try THESE
- Water
- Permanent marker
- Superglue
- Orange glow stick (optional)
- Blacklight flashlight (optional)
(Most bottles from the recycle bin can work!)
How to Make a Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Sensory Bottle
Related: Halloween Pumpkin Salt Painting
Step 1 – Clean and remove the label on the bottle (if needed)
- Peel off the sticker on the bottle if needed, and use Goo Gone to remove the remaining sticky residue.
to remove the remaining sticky residue.Step 2 – Add orange glow-in-the-dark loom bands to the pumpkin sensory bottle DIY
- Drop orange glow-in-the-dark loom bands into the bottle, or use THESE instructions to make a sensory bottle with orange glitter.
- At first, only about half of the orange loom bands from the package were added to our pumpkin sensory bottle. But after playing with our friendly Jack o’ lantern sensory bottle for a bit, we discovered that this loom band bottle works best with lots of orange looms, so we used all of them to make our glowing Halloween sensory bottle.
Step 3 – Add water to DIY Halloween sensory bottle.
- Next, add water to your glow-in-the-dark jack-o’ lantern Halloween sensory bottle, but don’t fill it up just yet.
- Make sure you like how many loom bands you have in it. Need more? Add more!
Step 5 – Fill the Halloween sensory bottle with water
- Once you are happy with the number of loom bands, top the pumpkin sensory bottle off with water.
- The idea is to fill the pumpkin calm-down jar up so that no air remains at the top.
Step 6 – Place the lid on the Halloween pumpkin calm-down jar
- Put the lid onto the Halloween pumpkin sensory bottle, but don’t glue it shut. Leave it unglued so you can add or remove loom bands as needed.
Step 7 – Draw jack o’ lantern face on Halloween pumpkin sensory bottle
- Draw any type of pumpkin face onto the Jack o’ lantern calm down jar with a permanent ink pen.
- We made a friendly Halloween pumpkin face, but a scary face would be just as fun. However, I would not recommend creating a pumpkin sensory bottle with a scary face or giving one to a young child.
- Halloween pumpkin jars with scary faces would not be very good sensory bottles or self-regulation tools for an anxious child on Halloween night, but they would make a fun Halloween lantern DIY idea!
. 
Related: Healthy Treats and Fun Alternatives for Halloween
Jack o Lantern Calm Down Jar Tips
Play with your glow-in-the-dark loom band sensory bottle for a few days before you glue the lid on. You may find that you want to add or remove some loom bands.
Don’t glue it shut if you know you would like to put an orange glow stick in it at some point. Removing and replacing a glow stick as desired is possible when the lid is not glued on.
Hop over to look at DIY Calm Down Sensory Bottles 101 For everything you need to know about calm-down jars and their uses.
Related: Rainstick Musical Sensory Bottle
Related: Gorgeous Glowing Halloween Lanterns
Glowing Jack o’Lantern Halloween Sensory Bottle DIY
A Halloween sensory bottle with a friendly face is a fantastic calm-down tool for an overwhelmed child on Halloween night.
And glow-in-the-dark Jack o’ Lantern sensory bottles also make cool DIY Halloween decorations! Be sure to look at this Glowing Ghost discovery bottle tutorial as well. It also makes a fun Halloween luminary.
To learn more about sensory bottles, their uses, how to make them, and troubleshooting tips, check out Calm Down Sensory Bottles 101.
You may also like this collection of Halloween Art Projects that Kids LOVE!
For another fun glow-in-the-dark toy, check out this awesome ringer game.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
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