Oct3

Relax Bottle/Time Out Timer

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Sooooo… I have a three-year-old little girl who is full of drama.  Probably not the only one in history, but one of my current dilemmas.  When time out time comes for bad behaviour I find myself with a little girl on the bottom step screaming, kicking walls and not able to even calm down enough to learn her lesson.  This was getting worse and worse until I told my husband, “there has to be a better way, I’m going to research this.”  So I went online and read other mom’s advice, dr’s advice, psychologist’s advice, etc.  Nothing was really working.  Finally I saw something called a mind jar.  This was a mason jar filled with water, clear gel glue and ultra fine glitter.  You shake it and the glitter settles slowly as you watch you relax.   The original ones I saw were to teach children to meditate (not my goal).  I loved the idea of getting Bella to focus on something else and relax.  Then I saw on Pinterest that some moms were using it as a timer for time out also.  Genius!  So I didn’t have to watch the clock or set a timer, and it would calm my Bella.  Well, I did not like that it was a glass jar (she is three, and who gives a three-year-old glass?).

So I found a water bottle (Smart water was the brand) that was totally smooth and not too big around for little hands to hold.

I removed the label with goo gone (it was very sticky under that label)


Next I filled each bottle with about 3/4 (* edit 5-3-12, I used hot water so that the glue “melted” better… room temp or cold will cause it to stay separate) water, an entire bottle of glitter glue and a small tube of ultra fine glitter.  I kept playing with the mixture until the glitter settled at about 5 min.  I added more clear gel glue to make it go slower or more water to make it settle faster.  Then I had my sweet husband (who knows when I handle glue I tend to glue body parts together accidentally) to super glue the lids on.  Another thing I didn’t like about the mind jars I saw, the mason jars were not glued shut and knowing my kids they would just open them and spill or drink them (glue and glitter… not something I want my kids drinking).  Here are the finished jars.

Here is one settled and one in the beginning stages of settling…

Here is one of the bottle half settled at 2 1/2 minutes and the other totally settled.  Sorry they are purple and pink, those are my girl’s favorite colors (right now) but you can make them with any color glitter.  Boys blue or green ones would be really cute too.

Here are some of the products I used to make them.

Now time out in my house looks more like this….. and I love it

While making these Eric and I were amazed at how relaxing they are even to us!  I think I want one, can I go to time out please? :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Johanna

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397 Responses »

    • Hi, I made this today, and they are gorgeous! It took me quite a bit of shaking to melt the glue chunks because I mixed the ingredients in the bottle. Whoops!

      ******NOTE FOR MOMS WITH BOYS (or people who just think of choosing this color):*****
      I made one blue bottle and one orange bottle. The orange bottle just looks like orange soda, so you may want to choose another color. The blue, on the other hand, turned out great and very pretty!! I also, for some reason, was better able to mix the blue ingredients than the orange.

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      • A little bit of red glitter in the orange bottle would probably make quite a bit of difference.

      • also try using a mixture of glitter glue that is red and fine glitter in yellow. its turns out to be very 3d looking orange.

      • I wanted to make a red “Relax Bottle” for my little girl and based on these comments about the orange I decided to put gold and white ultrafine glitter with my red glitter glue. It turned out perfect! It looks like Christmas tree lights and my little Tigger loves it.

    • I made one of these bottles (in green) for my little boy yesterday. These would be my suggestions. Use VERY hot water. I measured out the water I was going to need, poured it in my large pyrex measuring cup and heated it in the microwave for about 5 minutes. It didn’t boil, but was close. Then, I added everything into the measuring cup and then poured it (using a funnel) into the bottle. After adding the glitter glue it didn’t seem like it was “melting,” just stayed clumpy. So, I found a wire whisk to be just the think to quickly break it up. My little guy is getting the hang of his “settle down” bottle, and my husband is totally mesmerized.

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      • It will ruin it! I tried because that’s all I had on hand and couldn’t wait to make these! You could barely see the glitter because of the white, and it was way too runy.

  2. My 9yo DD will love this! I’m waiting until she gets home so she can pick the glitter color. Pinning it under SPD. Thanks!

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  4. We’re making these for our MOPS group next week. Such a great idea and goes great with our theme of “Self-Control.” I was wondering how much of the clear gel tacky glue you used for the 5 min. bottle. Just trying to estimate to be sure I have enough for our group.
    Thank you!

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    • I used about one small bottle of glitter glue, then added some ultra fine loose glue and the would twist on the cap and time it adding plain clear gel glue a little at a time until I got 5 min. Hope that helps! I’m glad you like it :)

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  5. I am going to do this for my 4yr old and 15yr old!!! I have some in between those ages that will use it too, but those are the ones that need it most. :o ) Especially my 15yr old daughter, she has mood disorders (mix of a bunch of different things) and she really needs something she can focus on when angry. Thank you, Thank you!!!

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    • I was planning on making one for my niece and myself. My niece is 10 years old but has many anger issues and behavioral issues. She has therapists that go to my mother’s house to try and help her find other ways (instead of hitting and pulling hair), to place her anger. They have suggested she hit a pillow and some other things but I know she would enjoy this and think it might help. I am going to make one, well two of these this weekend. My mother would probably enjoy having another alternative and I want one for my home, for myself.

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      • Hi Bridget,

        I have the stuff to make 2 of these. I think I might take your lead and make another one for myself. I think this might help with my Anxiety Disorder. I can never concentrate long enough to do the meditative breathing that my therapist taught me :)

      • Jamie, when I saw your post, I smiled, because I’m making one for an adult with Asperger’s (he’s my SO,) and one for myself (I have mixed bipolar.) Great minds think alike! I’m making one for each of us.

  7. Hmmm maybe I need one for me. They are so pretty. I hate stress. Even adults need a time out! Great job! What a good mom you are!

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  8. these are fantastic, I have a son who is just starting law school, He no longer *gets* not say DOESN’T need TIME out LOL but, has a VERY difficult time relaxing at times.. I think he’d LOVE to play with these, to get his mind off stuff.. I’m making one today.. (as an easter present for him) THANKS for this great IDEA. :D

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  12. Love this idea! I have some in my classroom made from about a half cup of clear Karo syrup, glitter, glitter confetti and food coloring. Kids calm down as they watch the different shaped confetti slide down. Hot glue the top on it. Hint: use a small bottle like this lady did. Two liter bottles are pretty, but hurt when kids throw them in mid-fit.

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  14. WOW! This is spectacular! I have a 2.5 year old who is very “free spirited” and also full of drama. Anything and everything can set her off. But she is a smart, energetic, and good girl. I felt bad always plopping her on the steps and leaving her there to throw her tantrum. I believe she will really like this idea. Will let you know how it goes! Thanks so much! If you have any other suggestions for our independent girls, let us know!!

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    • I had to buy everything from Hobby Lobby because I did not have them on hand, and it costed me a total that was around $23. Everything (1 bottle of Goo Gone, 2 bottles of glitter, 2 bottles of glitter glue, super glue, and 2 bottles of clear gel tacky glue although I only needed one in the end) was around $3-$4 per item. You would spend less if you had any of the ingredients already, and you would spend half if you only made one time out bottle. I made two. Hope that helps!

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      • You can use WD-40 instead of Goo Gone if you have it at home to remove sticky label. Then just wash with dish soap to remove the grease.

      • u can find the glitter glue, goo gone and the smart water at the dollar tree! got to love the big saving u can find at the tree!!!!!

      • As strange as it sounds I use peanut butter to get sticky labels off of things. I just spread it on there and let it sit a few minutes and it works better than Goo Gone in my opinion. Also vegetable oil works well too.

      • Made these today and I ended up using baby oil to get the glue off and it worked GREAT! I was going to go and pick up the Goo Gone but googled it and that was suggested. The rubbing alcohol didn’t work.

      • I can not handle the smell of Goo Gone. I use 1-2 drops lemon oil (essential oil) let it sit for a couple minutes and it just wipes off (with a great smell too!). The bottles of glitter, glitter glue, and the tacky glue you can get at Wal-Mart too! Also, if they don’t have the tacky glue at Wal-Mart then save a coupon from any of the craft stores (they each take each other’s coupons normally) and you can get them for 40%-50% off. This is why I buy things when they are on sale and just keep them on hand. Also, some Targets have the glitter glue for $1 in their scrapbooking section. I just bought some more the other day. I believe they have ultra fine glitter there too.

        This sounds like such a fun idea. I have everything but the water bottle. Now I am going to have to go to Wal-Mart just to get the water bottles. Good thing I LOVE water. Ha ha! I have a few kids that would just love to play with these. My 6 year old talks all the time. I think it might help him take some quiet time. Yay. That sounds great to me! I am on a mission to get these done now! Thank you so much for the fantastic idea!

      • I used the stain pretreatment spray (like Shout or Resolve) and it got the glue off very well also!

  16. It sounds like a great idea for babysitters too! I’m 21 years old, a college girl right now, and I use to babysit a lot and still do from time to time for family friends. I love kids and I will admit that some kind be a handful when the parents leave..usually parents give me permission to put them in time out..so if I have to put them in time out they tend to do the same thing, they get even more agitated and upset. So I think this is a great thing for babysitters to use as well! Great idea.

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  18. Hi! What a great idea! And I love those colors too. Wish I had thought of that ten years ago when my daughter was that age.

    I also wanted to say that my daughters bad tantrums at that age was caused by some foods she was eating. Food coloring (FD&C red 40) for example, and colors made her really angry and cranky. Dairy milk made her super hyper and she could not focus on anything. Once I eliminated these, she was a normal child again, rarely a tantrum after that.

    Now, if only the glitter bottle would work magic for the teenage/moody/cranky years ;)

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  21. Focusing on something and relaxing IS meditation! And it’s a great skill — nice! These are really pretty — I agree; I want a time out, too. :)

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    • Agreed. I was going to say the same thing regarding meditation!! Children might benefit from it being called meditation since they’re able to embrace that as part of their timeout. And when they no longer need ‘timeout’ they can remember the feeling of relaxing and stress relief through their meditation experiences.

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  22. I don’t know how hot you had to get your water, but it was almost untouchable for me before the glitter clumps from the glitter glue broke up. My daughter loves hers!

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  23. Thank you so much for this idea!!! My daughter and I just made one of these!! We used glow in the dark glitter glue and it turned out really neat!! She loves that it is pink when we are in the light and yellow in the dark!

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    • I just got the items for this today and got the glow in the dark glitter as well. the glitter glue is red and blue together, thought that way its gender neutral, lol. cant wait to try it!

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  25. This is genius! As a mom of autistic boys, this is exactly what they need…..a distraction, and a relaxing one at that. Thank you!

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  26. Wow. A friend posted this on FB and I shared it as well. I am going to do this for my 2 boys (6 & 4). We’ve tried all sorts of techniques and I really like this one. God Bless..

    Yours in Christ-
    Isabel

    Reply ↓

    • I am trying this for my 7 year old with Autsim as well. I think I added too much glitter because there was a bit left on top after 5 minutes. It eventually went to the bottom but, it took quite a while. I think I will try to scoop a little bit of the glitter out.

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  27. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong with these, I have all the items you have, but I can’t get my glitter to last logner then 2 min, and I have these big chuncks of glue throughout the bottle. :(

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    • I used pretty hot water to get the glue to “melt”… maybe that would help? I mixed pretty well with a wisk also. Note though the settle time of the glitter in hot water was almost doubled at room temp later.

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      • So, did you mix/wisk the water, glitter glue, and loose glitter in a bowl, first, and then pour it into the water bottle, and then add the clear gel glue to modify the settle time?

      • Yep :) when wisking in the water I used very hot water because it “melted the glue faster”. Side note though hot water settle time is faster than room temp settle time.

      • You didn’t mention that in the original post, so mine was all mixed in the bottle and not with hot water so its just a big clump that falls to the bottom. You may want to redo the post stating exactly how to make it.

      • I had the same problem at first, but I continued to dramatically shake my bottles and the glue ultimately melted.

      • Great idea, but yes please! It will be more usefull to see step by step instructions because the post is not so clear even if you had fixed it by now, you can see there are still a lot of questions about. I scrolled it down for the comments to see if someone give more explanatios about it.

  28. Love this Idea. I am a pre-school teacher I love this to used in a quiet center when kids just want to be by themselves or love it for time-out. Thanks for sharing.

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  29. THIS is the answer!! I raised 3 kids and any time there was an injury, my kids knew that I would ease the problem. Now I care for an overly dramatic grandchild who goes totally berserk with the smallest of injuries, i.e. a splinter; she screams, fights, struggles, and kicks away any kind of help. This is not good if she ever has a real emergency.
    This spell bottle will be used to draw her attention away from her hysterics, to be sure. This will work, I know it. Thank YOU!!! Thank you.

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  31. HI.. First of all, I love these.. but I have a question.. I made a couple of these for my daughter today.. I have gotten the main part of glitter settling around 3 minutes with rest settling around 5 or so.. but I am having an issue with clumpy glitter glue.. did you run into this? if so, were you able to fix it.. or did it just resolve with shaking over a period of time? Thanks and great job on these! I can’t wait to get mine to look as awesome as yours =)

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    • I used hot water to “melt” the glue into the water. The settle time on hot water verses room temp water was a lot less though, so when it cools it will take longer to settle. Something to keep in mind :) hope that helps!

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  32. When you say you filled the bottle with 3/4 water, do you mean 3/4 cups or fill the bottle up 3/4 of the way? Thanks!

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  33. I like to have a “recipe” So what size glitter glue did you use an 8oz bottle? And what brand or where did you buy the kind you used? I think my daughter will love this! Such cool idea… I could even take a small one to go when we are out

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    • If you haven’t already made this, Casey, I used 1.4oz of glitter glue in a 20oz bottle and about 15oz of clear Elmer’s school glue plus a small jar of fine glitter. The glitter didn’t have a size listed, but it was about an inch tall and a half inch diameter jar. Mine takes longer than five minutes to completely settle, but there are just a few sparkles floating around at the five minute mark.

      I used a Vidra.tion water bottle and was happy with it. It’s 20oz, so it’s smaller than the Smart Water bottle, but it’s the same shape. It was also 70 cents cheaper and the label came off without leaving residue of any kind.

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      • Did you use 15oz or 5oz of Elmer’s glue? Just wondering because I have 5oz bottle… Thanks!

      • Sorry, that should be 1.5oz of Elmer’s glue. I only needed one bottle of their clear glue to make three of these relaxing jars and there was still some glue left over. My period button doesn’t work very well since my kids tore all the keys off the laptop twice.

  34. I wanted to tell you that this is such an awesome idea that I took my little ones to the craft store today. In line, my four-year-old told the cashier, “It’s for my timeout!” She’s kind of excited about it. I timed mine out a few times, but AFTER I got the lid sealed with Gorilla Glue, I discovered it’s still too slow (maybe eight or nine minutes), so I’m not sure that it’ll work as a timer; BUT I think it will help to calm her down when she’s in timeout. I write for a craft blog (Craft Jr.) and will be linking back to this post to share this idea with our readers!

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  35. I really want to say that I cannot wait to make this. I have a 3 children at home and 13 students with sensory disorder and autism in my classroom. What an incredibly soothing visual and a great visual timer for breaks, when these very wonderful children need a break or a time out. Love it. My TA drinks 3 smart waters a day. So I will have one in every nook and cranny of my class and home.

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  36. Thank you for this idea!!! I have twin 2 year old girls filled with drama, drama, drama. This will definitely help them relax and calm down, and their mama too :)

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  38. *LOVE, LOVE, LOVE* I too have a three year old drama queen who does not settle for time outs. She has two glitter balls that she loves, and often sleeps with and baths with. I think THIS will work perfectly for calming her down in time outs. I can not thank you enough for this suggestion. I found your blog via a Face Book link, and just added it to my favorites list!

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  41. There is a book, “Moody Cow” that has a story that goes along with this book. It has a receipe that uses glycerin (from a drug store) to slow the glitter falling. I keep meaning to make one for my wild child–she LOVES the book!!

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  43. Love this idea. Thanks for sharing. I have a there year old girl as well and am in the same boat.

    Have they held up? I made ocean bottles a while back sander they started to mold so I used distilled Easter the next time around. I’ll probably do that just to be safe.

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  44. Great idea…this is the house of time out but I would love for my daughter to have a ‘visual’ with her time out..this may help her ‘calm down’ better. She is quite head strong and can go a few rounds in time out without batting an eye! We will see!

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  46. I love your idea here. I don’t know how you did it though. I used everything I was supposed to & mine turned out nothing like that. =( My glitter floated & the glitter glue just turned into globs.

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      • Try pouring out the globby mess into a glass measuring cup and heating it a bit at a time in the microwave, and whisk it. See if it’ll unclump for you.

  47. Hi Johanna! Such a neat idea! I am bummed though. I tried making today and it took over 30 minutes for all the glitter to settle. Some of the glitter went to the top. Some went to the bottom and a lot just stayed stagnant in the water. I hardly used any of the tacky glue – maybe only 2 squirts. Can you think of what went wrong? I used ultra fine glitter, and about 2 ounces of glitter glue. It was washable glitter glue, I wonder if that affected it?! Oh, and when I shake it, it foams up like soap at the top. I really want to make these! Any tips from you would be so appreciated. Thanks so much! ~Marcy

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      • You mean the glitter glue? How much of that bottle of glitter glue did you use? The other clear glue in the picture I used the same kind and only used 2 squirts. Maybe I needed to use hot water.

  48. Couple questions. Do you think she ever acts out just so she can go to time out to play with the bottle? Does she get mad because you take the bottle away when time out is over? Does she ask for the bottle as soon as you put her in time out ?

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    • No she has never asked to play with it and still tries very hard to avoid time out. Most of the time a warning that she will end up in time out stops her misbehaving. So far its worked really well for my kids. I know all kids are different though. :)

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  49. How funny cause I just started making science bottles. Just saw this on pinterest and of COURSE I have to try it! A way more relaxing way for all then fighting time out. Thanks!

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  50. Brilliant! I’m going to most definitely make this for my son (age 4) he needs some calming strategies that can be taken to Kindergarten come September. If it works, I’ll send one to his daycare.

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  51. Do you have a set recipe for this? How much glue and water did you eventually use? I need to make one for a student and this is by far the closest to perfect that I have seen.

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  52. I followed your instructions and my glitter won’t settle. I didn’t even add any extra glue. Bottle of glitter glue and glitter and water. Any ideas?

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  53. I may have to make these in my science class. I can see all kinds of different variables we could test (amount of glue, size of glitter, etc.). Neat idea.

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  54. love this idea!! and i have what might be a dumb question….will the water get “icky” after awhile? like growing bacteria and stuff?

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  58. I work for with young children and I made one of these bottles but I used crayon shavings and plain water. The crayons change the water different colors. This is a great way to calm children.

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  60. How do you get the glitter glue to mix with the water? I put it in and it is just globs at the bottom of the bottle.

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  61. I so want to make these for my kids (they are the same when it comes to time out) and was wondering what size water bottle you used?

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  62. YAY!!! I think I have mine pretty good, just a question….have you noticed when you don’t use the bottle for a while that the glitter sticks to the bottom??? If you shake pretty good will it easily mix back up?

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  64. Made 1 for my grands last night. Dollar Tree ingredients. So far the bulk of the glitter is settled in 20 minutes, so I’m going to split it into 2 bottles and see if I can get closer to the 5 minute mark. How did you get the color so intense? I used silver glitter glue and it looks good, but want to add purple fine glitter to one and red to the second. Should I add food coloring (gel is the only kind in the house right now – do you think that would work?

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  65. Ok, so I am having some trouble with this. I imagine if I left it to sit all day it would look like yours with the glitter all at the bottom. I used, I think exactly what you said. There weren’t amounts given so of course there was some guessing involved. I was using a larger bottle of glitter glue so I just used some of it. I don’t know if your bottle was 4 oz. I added some more glitter. The type you listed as well as the exact type of tacky glue. The hot water worked great. I had no problem with clumps. My problem is that while I am getting a majority of the glitter to fall to the bottom with in 5 minutes. There is a layer of glitter that remains at the top and small pieces of glitter the are still falling even after 20 minutes. Any ideas. I have been dumping the water and glitter and adding more plain water, thinking that I had too much glitter and glue.

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  66. I want to make these, and have been around my small town looking for the gel glue…so far I can’t find it, so I’m curious, can I use the Elmer’s clear school glue instead? Was there a reason it had to be gel glue, I’m just not sure if it was more for the clear look, or because of the stickiness you needed. Thanks so much

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  69. What gives the bottle the color? Is it the glitter? It seems that even when your glitter is settled the water retains the color. Is this just due to the lighting in the picture or is it actually happening?

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  70. What gives the bottle its color, is it the glitter? It looks like even when the glitter is settled the water retains the color. Is this just the lighting in the picture or is it actually happening?

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  72. I had a problem with the ultra fine glitter floating to the top, any one else experience this? Did I just mess up? Thanks

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    • Some of mine did too, but I used the same brand of glitter and put three different colors in the bottle. In mine, some of the silver floated to the top. I’m not sure why certain colors did and certain colors didn’t.

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      • I had this same problem! I had to scoop the ultra fine glitter out because it was sticking to the bottom. After I scooped it all out, it seems to be working better. However, it seems to settle really fast… I’m wondering if that’s because the fine glitter is not in there. I just keep experimenting with it… It’s such a great idea. I just hope that I can get it to work. I want to make two for my kids and then some for my classroom!

  74. For those of you looking for more of an exact recipe, I used a 17oz water bottle. For a five minute bottle, I had a 4oz bottle of the clear tacky glue and I used about 2/3 of the bottle. I used about 1oz of glitter glue (not really sure this is necessary…you might be able to just use more of the clear tacky glue?). The water does not need to be hot, just warm and like the author mentioned the glitter will drop slower once the water cools to room temperature so keep that in mind. If you don’t get it right, it is easy to fix. Just wait until the glitter drops and pour out some of the liquid. Then, add glue to slow it down or water to speed it up.

    What a great project, thanks for the idea!

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  80. I love the idea as a fun and relaxing (and very pretty too) toy, however I have one big concern. If this is so much fun for kids, how effective is their time out (for those of you using it for that purpose)? If the only purpose of the time out is for the child to calm down, then this might be okay. But for many people, a time out is a form of punishment/discipline for their children. In those situations, the time out is useless if the child is having fun playing with something. I would suggest maybe setting this nearby where they can see it but not play with it, and start it over if they misbehave during the time out. If it’s still too much “fun,” maybe switch to a more plain timer. Our kids are 6 and 4, plus 1 due in September, so time outs for us are used as a form of punishment. We do not allow our kids to play with toys during time outs, so that’s why I had that concern when I read about this. But that aside, I think this is a great idea for a toy, and if it works to calm down an upset child, that is a good thing. (As long as the child doesn’t throw a tantrum just to get this toy) I think I will try to make a couple of those for my kids. I will make sure to use the Smart Water bottles, as those are more sturdy than other kinds. Thanks for sharing!

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    • Thanks for the input, its not a toy in our home at all. They are not allowed to play with the bottles during time out. Just watch them as a timer and calming influence. They don’t play with them when not in time out either and have never done anything to get put in time out to have the bottle. In fact they beg not to go to time out. It may be a problem in a home that allows the children to play with the bottles as toys but we don’t. I agree that would be ineffective as a punishment/discipline if the child sees it as fun. I’m thinking of doing an updated post with a better ingredients list and more detailed of how we use it. For example not allowing them to play with it (in time out or not). I need to make another one anyway for my son who just turned 2 and he is begining to learn about time outs.

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      • Thanks for the great idea! I have 4 children under 5 and if they want to view the “timer” as a toy then so be it. In our home time out is a redirection or refocus. If this bottle can stop a tantrum and shift gears then it’s served it’s purpose well. Thanks again for helping to calm our time-out!

      • I made a couple of these for my classroom tonight. I love the idea! As far as the bottle being a toy, I think the children will learn really quickly that if they play with the bottle, it adds time to the time out because it stirs up the glitter. I’m also looking forward to the way they’ll be able to shake it vigorously to express some anger before settling down to watch the timer.

  81. This is the BEST idea I have seen for kids in time-out! I will be making one tomorrow & sharing with my friends who have time-out issues with their toddlers as well! Thank you!

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  83. I am an elementary EBD teacher. I work with kids with all kinds of behavior issues and I have made them as focus bottles. They can be great for redirection or just to chill out with. I have made them in tiny spring water bottles so that each of my students could make their own. (cheaper). We even made them glow in the dark by using glow paint with clear glue and glitter. These are super fun and my students LOVE them boys and girls alike! Thanks so much. :)

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    • Thanks for posting the smaller bottle idea….I’m a School Counselor and would like to help kids make their own. I hadn’t thought of the smaller bottle. Did you half the ingredients?

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  84. Love this idea! I did it with my kids this morning and used glow in the dark glitter glue and a little more colored glitter. They are loving them! And they definitely GLOW.
    Thanks!

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  85. I am a preschool teacher. I have twenty four and five year olds. They loved our jar! The class could play with our jar for hours. My daughter the “third” teacher, as my teacher assistant named her , finds lots of websites that make our class the talk of our school site. Thanks for a site search as yours that allow me to do many things with little money. Maggie in Ayden, NC

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  86. Thanks for posting this. My sons therapist suggested an “anger bottle” a while back but he said to use liquid gluecosamine from the drug store. That stuff is really expensive so I have been putting it off. This looks like it will be much cheaper :-)

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  87. Thanks for the idea! I am an Occupational Therapist who works with kids who have all types of sensory deficits. This will be a geat addition to our sensory time.

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  88. Okay. So I just tried this for my classroom and for some reason I have a clump of glitter that it floating at the top. Do you know why this is happening or how I can counter act this? Thank you so much,

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    • I used hot water to mix it before hand and then added water to the bottle until it was almost completely full. Maybe use a whisk in a bowl to get that clump out? Or let it work its way out. I know I had a few small clumps at first and just sealed the bottle and then used and now months later I see no clumps. Hope that helps :)

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  89. Thanks for the great idea! I did 4 bottles today and they turned out perfectly for a 2 year old and 4 year old. I wanted to let everyone know a helpful little tool I used; a blender bottle for the glitter glue and hot water before pouring into the water bottles (already had the ultra fine glitter). Once combined in the water bottle I added the clear glue a little at a time to achive the right settle time for each bottle. The blender bottle was a huge help. I didn’t have to worry about shaking the water bottle too much or vigorously.

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  90. THIS IS GREAT! my 2.5yr old is loving it and it works sooo well. We made ours yesterday and for a 2.5 minute timer we used about 7/8 hot water, one small bottle of glitter glue, and about 2/3 of a tube of glitter and it settles perfectly! haha ,I know have about 12 of my friends making them too… THANK YOU!

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  91. All I can say is THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! I have an almost 2yr old girl and the other week I think I would’ve sold her to gypsies for free!!! We were having the EXACT same problem with our time outs!! I will so definitely try this!!!!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!

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  92. I made a set of these as well, but I put about four ounces of glitter glue in each bottle so that they settle in about 15 minutes. I’m using them as timers in my classroom. They work great and using them has eliminated the yelling out of “10, 9, 8…ect.” that regular timers create. I love them. Thanks for the idea!

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  93. 5 minute 1 liter bottle = 4oz of glitter glue+2oz clear gel tacky glue+1/2 of a small tube martha stewart glitter. I bought the generic water at the grocery store, no need for goo gone.

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  94. I found your post via Pinterest. We had attempted two “calm down” jars before but yours is perfect! We made them about a month ago following your directions, and it is amazing how beautiful they are and how much they actually help my kids to calm down. My 4yo son calls his a hush bottle. I am writing up a post about them today for my blog as I caught some great shots of my kids really upset and then calming down while using the bottles. I’m linking back to you as I’m not providing the directions, just showing that they do work!! Thanks for such an awesome, awesome idea. :) )

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  95. When time outs for calming the kids down, this is great. If their time out is for time to think about what they did, and they coudl solve the problem better next time, perhaps a distraction

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    • Okay so I made the bottles and the only problem i had at first was it settled too fast and than i used food coloring and it looks AMAZING. my daughter is bipolar/adhd/and o.d.d she is going on 7 in november and the only punishment that actually works for her when she is having her extreme violent spells is the “thinking chair” it works perfectly because we put her in the thinking chair to think about her actions it started out where i had to literally pick her up to put her in the chair but now she knows that thats where the time out is no where else in our house school etc is time out but the “thinking chair”. i am going to use this bottle as a timer to let her know that when the glitter is done settling is when the time out is over unless she throws a bigger fit. also another thing that works is breathing techniques =) hope this helps.

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  96. I just made this today – I used an empty ethos water bottle (24 oz) I had on hand (so “free” since I didn’t have to buy it today and have a bunch on hand) a bottle of glitter $2.49, about half a bottle of the Swirl glitter glue $2.99 (cost for this project $1.50) and about half of the Aleene’s clear gel tacky glue $2.47 (cost for this project $1.25). This was all from a hobby lobby in Seattle area.
    I’ve ended up with about an inch of “foam” on the top of my bottle and about half an inch of glitter on the bottom of the bottle with some still suspended. I’m not worried about the suspended glitter – I assume that’s just the way it will be I’ve been waiting for it to settle 100% for about an hour – but the foam will that go away over time I didn’t notice any on yours.

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  97. What kind of “glitter glue” did you use? I can’t really see in the photo….
    Would Elmer’s glitter glue work?

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  100. This is great. My 3 year old and I call hers her ‘Calm Down Bottle’ and she asks for it when she’s getting tired, cranky or upset. We had to make a mini Calm Down Bottle to fit in my handbag for out and about use, too!

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  101. Love this….. I added star andmoon glitter and used blue glitter glue with gray ultra fine glitter…. I am still playing with adding more glu soon….. Will use this in my classroom in my “THINKING CIRCLE”… again… thank you…. when I get mine to work correctly, I plan to make one for each of my team members……

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  102. I think I did something wrong lol I did a blue one . i think I have to much glitter to much glue and not enough water as mine does not really settle and it certainly doesn’t swirl I could almost make two of them by dumping half of this one into a bottle and adding water to both

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    • so I don’t think it is that the glitter is not settling it is that is died the water a dark blue so it is hard to see lol

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  103. After exploding a bottle of glitter glue all over myself at the store, hot gluing the cap on wrong with the first bottle, super gluing my fingers on the 2nd and ruining one of my good shirts our relax bottle is finally made. And it is AWESOME. Thank you.

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  104. Pingback: Relax/Time Out Bottles | masteringmotherhood

  105. Crisco Baking Spray works well for getting the label residue off the bottle. I made a 6 minute pink bottle for my 6 year old and a 2 minute green/blue bottle for my 2 year old. They love them. Even when they are mad they know throwing them will just mix up the glitter again – totally awesome!

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  108. Pingback: The Ultimate Challenge! 31 days To Get Well Behaved Kids! « By The Time I Count To Five…

  109. can someone make the instructions more clear..do you mix everything in the bottle or in something else then in the bottle?? DO YOU USE CLRAR GLUE AND GLITTER OR CLEAR GLUE AND GLITTER GLUE OR ALL THREE?????

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    • It seems to work best for those that mix it in another container like a bowl first and whisk it together with hot water. Yes you use fine glitter, hot water, glitter glue and clear gel glue if needed to slow the settling process.

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  110. My daughter has just been diagnosed as Highly sensitive. Time out seems very harsh to her, but she still needs to be disciplined. And we needed a way for her to learn to calm herself down! I am trying this today. It seems like a God send! THANK YOU!!!

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  111. I love this idea! Unfortunately I am having a hard time making one though. First I got my water way too hot and it actually disfigured the bottle! Luckily I had an extra one but it was a the small one. Now in having trouble getting the right consistency… But I’m not giving up! I’m too excited to use this with my 3 year old!!

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  113. I tried this today but it didn’t really work. About half the glitter floated. I’m wondering if it was too fine. Do you know what kind of glitter you used? Thanks.

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    • I think it is the color of the glitter too… We did one with bright green and it all stayed up top. We also did one in blue, and that worked like it is supposed too. Looking at are glitter jar, the different colors look different. The orange, yellow and green, they don’t have quite the metalic look of the other colors. So I wonder if they are lighter? That is a theory I came up with anyways.

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  114. Thank you!was wondering how to make these with the pearl glitter. If you were to buy a set from a preschool supply store online a set of three or four was $70.
    With your idea you can make them how your children want them! Thank you for sharing!

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  115. Just made it with my 1 year old watching/ heping. Tip for next time would be to wait until he is asleep to attempt such a project. Also, make sure to buy glitter that has a large opening. Mine had only small holes and the top was not coming off even with pliers. So I had to punch a hole in it with a hammer and pour my glitter into a cup. Then in my haste and excitement I thought taking the tops off of the glues would make them come out faster. Yes it did and it went all down the sides of the water bottle as it came out in globs. My son was whining and pulling down my pants the whole time to the point where I made this in my underwear, hands covered in glue. I then used Gorilla Glue to seal the top, which EXPANDS immensely. I gave it to my son and he hugged it shirtless and now has a glue line on his shoulder. ha ha. Alas the thing is awesome and the look on his face was fantastic. Mine does have clumps of glue even though I microwaved the water. I may try to make another and use the previous commenter’s ideas of whisking it all in a measuring cup before transferring it to the bottle.

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  119. Great idea! I’m going to use this as a timer for brushing teeth. My 4 and 3 year old try to race while brushing their teeth and I think this will help slow them down.

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  120. The relax timer is a wonderful idea & I will encourage my granddaughters to help me make them so that everyone has a good understanding of the purpose! Thanks

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    • Agree – we didnt if we let it sit, the longer and SLOWER you pour in the glitter the better it works!!! ~ You may have to go SLOWLY and keep adjusting, DONT ADD EVERYTHING AT ONCE or it I noticed it wont go for the whole 5 minutes – ours so far is about 2 min. But its ok, using it more for him to relax, then as a timer at this age!!!! :)

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      • NOW I see this post. LOL (fortunately, I had TWO bottles on hand, so divided the substance between them and added LOTS more water!)

  123. Working on one for the 3 y.o I nanny and I have a question: does a lot settle at once and then you’re left with itty bits to settle? Or if I add more glue will it settle more evenly? Thanks!

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  124. Here is how I made mine based on these instructions. I hope this helps some people who were concerned about how much of this or that to add.
    I started with a large Smart Water bottle and peeled off the label. To get the goop off I covered the area with Crisco and let it sit for 10 min and then scraped it off with an old gift card.

    I then took 4 cups of water and put then in an old Tuperware container ( in case it got ruined) and microwaved it for 3 min.
    I then took 3 ounces of red glitter glue and squeezed it to the water and stirred it with a whisk. It took a few minutes, but it eventually blended. I then took a small 1/8 ounce container of extra fine red glitter and 1/16 ounces of blue glitter and stirred them in.

    Based on previous posts I decided to cool the water down before trying to time it.
    I put it in the freezer for 25 min and then took it out and stirred it in the Tupperware container. It was falling within 5 minutes. For some reason I didn’t think this was enough time and I added one tsp of clear glue. I regret adding it in retrospect.

    I then poured the mixture into a small pitcher (measuring cup) then poured that into the large water bottle. I did that until all the mixture was in the bottle- making sure to stir the bowl and measuring cup for when the glitter settled in them.

    I put the lid on and gave it a spin, and it took 7 min to settle. For my 3 year old that was too long so I waited for it all to settle and then poured 1 cup of the clearish liquid off the top and replaced it with 1 cup tap water. This brought it down to 6 minutes, so I repeated the procedure.

    The final product takes 4 min. and 30 seconds to settle .
    I hope this helps for those of you who like step by step instructions!

    Thank you so much “crazyblessedlife” for posting this! I don’t know about my daughter, but I’m hypnotized by it!!

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  125. Pingback: Glittery Relax Bottle « My Nanny Diaries

  126. Omg this was a LIFESAVER!! My bbfs son is autistic. It can be very difficult to calm him down and bring him out of a raging fit. This was IMMEDIATE!! He instantly calms down and can tell his parents, or me, what is wrong! Best part is, they can bring it with on trips out of town. Beyond thankful right now :-)

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  129. Just made this with my son – I POURED the hot water. He choose silver glitter glue, and gold glitter!!!! Looks cool :) cant wait to try it out next time he needs to take a break on the stairs!! Hes almost 10, so we call time outs, RELAX/calm down moment or a break. :) He has some special needs, due to emotional and behavioral challenges, and this was a GREAT idea for him !! He already loves and wants to try it. Thanks for a great idea. I may just make the next one and use for myself when I need to remind myself to stay grounded and just take a few deep breaths, as a single hard working Mom about to start college, Im sure I will use it ALOT :)

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  131. I DID make one of these. Lessons learned:
    - You’ll need a much higher ratio of hot water to glue/glitter than you can imagine (fortunately, I had TWO bottles on hand, so divided the substance between them and added LOTS more water!)
    - Do NOT mix colors. While blue and green may work well in paints, with glitter glue you end up with “Murky Ocean” color. Not great, but not horrid either. I added gold glitter and some yellow glitter glue to brighten it up a bit.
    - Add some coarse glitter too, for fun. The fine stuff sinks slowly, but the bigger glitter is fun to watch go down sooner. Makes glitter layers in the bottom too, which is fun.
    - Don’t use boiling water. It “cooks” the glitter glue. sigh

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  133. Just made a red/gold one…. GORGEOUS! And I didn’t use ANY of the gel glue. Just the glitter glue alone was plenty. Didn’t add any other glitter either.

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  134. I think these are awesome and definitely will work well in my preschool classroom.
    The children will love them! So will the parents
    Thank you for a great idea!

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  136. thank you for this post! my 4 yr old daughter and i just made one and it is perfect :) and she is calling it “Princess Potion” which i think is perfect. we used about half of the clear gel, a small bottle of glitter glue, a 16oz bottle, and mixed it with almost boiling water in a measuring cup. just make sure it’s cool before pouring it in the bottle or it will melt. thanks for the post:)

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  137. Ha, wish I would have read the comments first! I mixed in the bottle and couldn’t figure why I had to shake it so long to get the glue to “melt.” Thankfully I read the part about hot water and we have an instant hot on the kitchen sink so I used that!

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  139. This is a really great idea. I found myself with the same dilemma a couple of months ago. When a child is in time out, they are so consumed by it, that they don’t realize that it’s to teach them a lesson. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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  140. Hi, I love this idea. I have been talking about making them all week and finally made it to the craft store tonight. Bought all the ingredients and when I made them my glitter just floats to the top. not sure what im doing wrong. I don’t have any glue clumps everything is dissolved and it looks beautiful shaken but all of the glitter floats straight to the top. Help!!!

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  141. Why doesn’t mine look like that?? I used what you used but it doesn’t completely clear like yours does, there’s still glitter floating in and on top

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      • Just like what you did I think.. Thanks for the quick reply by the way! :)
        I went to hobby lobby, got what you got in the photos, put HOT water in a pyrex measuring cup, mixed in glue and glitter and poured it into the bottle when it cooled enough.. I’ve been messing with it all day trying to get the timing right.. LOL Finally I had enough with it and sealed it up.. I think I’m just worrying about it too much. Thanks for the post though! :)

  142. I tried this! I had no problems settling out the glitter, but the color will not settle out at all. Any ideas on why this is and how I can fix it???

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      • I guess that did it. The water is the same color as the glitter glue. We used very intense dark colors (dark green and dark blue) and I guess is why the color doesn’t settle out. Hmmmm….may have to try light colored glues, but get dark colored glitter….We used white glitter.

  143. I am a Infant Room teacher at a head start and we make them using warm water, glitter glue, food coloring and shimmer powder. They really help calm babies down too.

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  144. First of all – genius idea and I look forward to trying this with my Bella, who is two. I may be a mom of 6 and a childcare professional (with degree and all that) but she is, by far, different than any of my other children and this would probably help in the tantrum category – time out isn’t used in this house as a means of discipline but as a way to “cool down.” Second, while I plan on using a plastic container, remember that before plastic was invented, glass was used – even with a three year old – bottles were glass too; I am pretty sure people survived or we wouldn’t be here. And third, thank you for your responses to everyone else – now I know how to get the kinks out of the process before I begin! =)

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  145. Pingback: Time Out « Rock Your Creative Self

  146. Ok don’t know what I did wrong, but my glitter glue is clumpy. I used very hot water, too. Any suggestions? Gonna have to try this again, but I think I used too much water, too. it settles way too quickly. Love this idea though.

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  147. How much glue did you put in the bottles? I want to make some of these for my kids, but I’m not sure how much I need.

    Thanks!

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  149. Just wondering if anyone has tried other types of glitter glue? I don’t live anywhere near Hobby Lobby, and the Swirl Glittler Glue is on amazon, but not in a lot of colors…Thanks!

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      • I used elmre’s glitter glue and Elmer’s craft bond paper craft gel (clear) in mine and it worked great. only difference the color of the water when it settles isn’t see through it stays quite pink but the glitter settles. I got both of them at Walmart.

  150. In our family, we have several children who are former foster adopted children. All of them have anger issues due to the past. I plan to make Glitter bottles for all of my nieces and nephews, as well as one for my daughter, who is 19, and still has anger issues.

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  151. I like the idea, but DANGER IF YOU DON’T CHILDPROOF THE LID! Kids love things that glitter and are “pretty”. It can become a huge hazard if you don’t secure this correctly. Whether you duct tape the lid or put a locking cap over the original one (that is what we did!)… JUST DO IT. You could be saving you child’s life! These are TOXIC chemicals that are “pretty” and IN A WATER BOTTLE. To a child..it does cry… DRINK ME!!

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  153. omg i freekin’ like this i’m gonna make a few of these for my 6 yr old for his tantrum moments sumtimes his stress ball koosh ball)don’t work out

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  154. you can use the Elmer’s glitter glue too (or a generic) and then add the large “glue on” spangly things you can get at the arts and crafts area of wal-mart for a diff look. Just use HOT water, a little at a time, after you dump the glue in the bottle. I used 1/2 bottle of glitter glue in a 20 oz bottle and added HOT water, a little at a time, to prevent clumps…

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  162. A mom who reads my blog & facebook page shared this with me. This is GENIUS!!!! How PERFECT! My 12 yr old thought it was the coolest thing ever. This is DEFINITELY a project my kids will benefit from, even if they’re older. Being on the autism spectrum, we (my son & I) are prone to meltdowns and easily frustrated with the seemingly mundane, so having a visual calm-down technique will be wonderful. Additionally, my almost-5 yr old will have something visual for when redirecting hasn’t worked. Thanks so much!!

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  166. I Love the bottles. The only problem I’m having is that some of the glue is staying at the top of the bottle and not settling. Andy suggestions?

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  168. Found this on Pinterest. Love it! I plan to make this in a mini bottle version (8oz) bottle so my rolley polley baby can stay still during diaper changes…. I hope it works out for me!

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  170. My daughter is a buddy in the special needs classroom at her jr.high..i think a few of these would be very soothing for these students.

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  171. I am making this as soon as I hit “send.” But, I will wait for hubby to get home because I have the same issue with crazy glue. LOL Thanks for this wonderful idea.

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  172. Genius! Absolutely wonderful idea. I work with abused and emotionally disturbed children. Timeouts can be a horrendous ordeal, and I have a feeling these will help immensely. I also work with austic children as well, and these will be great for stimulation and relaxation during my therapy sessions. I’m going to busy making tons of these. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

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  174. I love this. My kids are amazed! The glitter glue must have been more colored because when it settles you cannot see through it. Also while most of the glitter settles on the bottom some settles on the top.

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  175. I tried one tonight using Elmer’s glitter glue rather than the tacky glue. Works great! Found it in WM in the regular school supplies section. I used 1/3 bottle of it and the SmartWater bottle shown.

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  177. I’ve had a hard time getting this to work, thinking its possibly the items I’m using.. What brand of glitter glue did you use??

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  178. My daughers – 9 and 6 – love these! I made the first one using the tacky glue, glitter glue and fine glitter. This one is just like yours, with the slightly colored/milky water left after the glitter settles. The second one, I left out the glitter glue and the water is crystal clear. Both are neat, but wanted others to know they could skip the glitter glue (and the cost) and they still work fine! Also, I think it’s the glitter glue that requires warm water to dissolve. When I made the second one, with only the tacky glue, I used cold water and the glue dissolved fine. Thanks so much for the tutorial!!

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  180. I love the idea about using plastic and super gluing it shut. I have an 8 year old daughter that could benefit from one of these I think. I am glad you mentioned you found it calming too, otherwise I might have thought she was a little old for it. I will be making hers in pink too :)

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  181. Pingback: Pinterest pins I have actually done (and liked). « talesoffruitandcake

  182. I made one of these but mine never gets that clear on the top, what did I do wrong? I have aspergers so I thought this would help but its just frustrating me that I can’t make it right.

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  183. I started off thinking that my Rascal needed one; then I realized that this would make a great gift for our daycare (so she’ll need six); then I started thinking about the very low functioning kids (can’t do kindergarten-level activities) in our Resource Room at the middle school where I teach…and the final number is 12.

    I went to Michael’s to buy my supplies b/c it is a common chain in both Canada and the US (I’m in Canada), hoping to get the same brands as originally posted, and I also knew that they would have a wide selection of colours. The glitter glue (different brand than yours) was a PAIN, even with the hottest water, pre-stirring, etc. I ended up splitting one “relax” bottle into two to get the consistency right. Since I’m making a dozen of these, that is okay! I should have read all the way to the bottom – that way I would have read Christy’s suggestions and saved both money and time! With the knowledge gained from making the first three, I can take back some of the supplies I bought (whew!).

    When I figure out the “magic combo” – because I’ll be an expert when I’m done! – I’ll repost here.

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  184. Hi,
    First of all, what an amazing idea!!
    I’ve tried to make one myself, but all the glitter keeps on going upwards instead of downwards?
    I user a plastic waterbottle, it had no bubbles, flat water. And i used transparant kiddy glue. Since i don’t live in the States i don’t have the possibility to purchase exactly the same products, but do you have any idea what to do? The glitter simply doesn’t settle at the bottom but keeps going to the top! Many thanx from the netherlands.

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    • Thanks for writing me! I love hearing from my readers in other countries :) my first thoughts are more glue? Or maybe the type of glitter? Sorry if that isn’t much help, but those are my best guesses.

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    • You can skip the glitter glue and just use clear gel glue and ultra fine glitter. I had a reader do that and say it settles and the bottle is clearer that way. I wouldn’t suggest food coloring unless you want the water even more murky though.

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      • I agree – when the bottles are settled, they don’t really have to be coloured. The fascination is in the swirly glitter! I have one at school and the teens LOVE it!

  186. Pingback: I suck at this... - Page 3

  189. This didn’t work for me. The glitter stuck to the inside of the bottle after sitting overnight. Is there any way to fix this. I did it exactly as you said.

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    • Tracy – Sometimes this happens to ours too, especially when the bottles have been left lying on their sides. However, we just give ‘em a good shake and twirl! Once that glitter gets swirling around in there – so pretty! – it dislodges the other glitter on the side and then settled down again to the bottom.
      I hope that’s what will happen with yours too.

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  190. Pingback: Time Out Bottle

  192. Just found your post on this while searching for something completely different! Happen to have a defiant daughter (9) and an emotional daughter (10), so think it will be good for both. Will give it a try and let you know what supplies work in Australia! Also, to avoid having to buy Goo (is it chemical?) readers could try eucalyptus or tea tree oil for natural method of removing tackiness. (assuming available in US).

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  193. defiant daughter (9) and an emotional daughter (10), so think it will be good for both. Will give it a try and let you know what supplies work in Australia! Also, to avoid having to buy Goo (is it chemical?) readers could try eucalyptus or tea tree oil for natural method of removing tackiness. (assuming available in US).
    Just found your post on this while searching for something completely different! Happen to have a

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  194. Hey – great idea! I decided to try using two different shades of glitter and more tacky glue – like 4 oz in a 20 bottle – without the glitter glue. It is still a five minute settle in a smaller bottle but the water stays clear. Also the glitter seems to sparkle more. I did order some glow in the dark glitter online. If I can charge it enough, they’ll be like night lights while the kids are trying to fall asleep!

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  196. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! I bbsit my grandbabies and many more times than not, they need a time out,,, or 3. Heehee. This is perfect. Love the plastic better too than the glass, my bbs are 7,5 & a 13mo which plastic would be perfect for. Thank you very much. Love your blogs they’re great to read. Take care be safe,,,,,suzie

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  198. Ok, I have to ask this for those who have already done this. First, this idea seams really good and the glitter bottles look beautiful. My first impression was: Yes! Gotta run to the store NOW and get the ingredients!! My second impression: Wait!?! Wouldn’t this make the kids LOVE their time-outs??? ??? ??? So. Has anyone seen this problem yet? Do your kids simply ‘can’t wait’ to get into their time-outs??? Just thinking… Maybe someone can answer this before I run out to the store for all the ingredients. Hehe.

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  199. Pingback: בקבוק פסק-זמן/ צנצנת מרגוע « הזמנה ליצירה

  200. We made these tonight and my kids love them. We used an old peanut butter jar and glues the lid down and gave it to our 1 year old in mid tantrum. It stopped her in her tracks and she immediately stopped crying. She has sat and rolled it around on the ground and watched it for an hour now. The bigger kids like them too.

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  201. Sorry if you’ve already answered this – what size (how many oz) are your water bottles? I’ve seen more than one size of the Smart Water and I couldn’t tell for sure from your pic what size you used.

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  202. Well I finally got mine to work! It took a lot of pouring glittery water out and adding more plain water but I finally got it down to about 5 minutes settle time (it was taking WAY longer initially). And my ultra fine glitter finally mixed in too instead of rising to the top like it was in the beginning. I also initially had the “foaming” at the top like some others mentioned but as I let it settle and eventually had it filled all the way to the top with water it settled/worked it self out. And I definitely used hot water to start with to dissolve/melt the glitter glue.

    I used Elmers Glitter glue (blue) and a small bottle of green ultra fine glitter (0.125 oz) and didn’t need any of the clear gel glue because the Elmers is a 6oz bottle. It gave it a cool watery look, I love it. Hopefully it will help my dramatic almost 2 year old settle down. :) Thanks so much for posting. For those wondering it cost me around $5. If you have a place to share pics or want to see a pic I took pics of mine just shaken, ~1/2 settled, and fully settled and merged them into one pic.

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    • I’m so glad you got it to work for you. I used the same glitter glue and fine glitter pkg for both of my girls’ bottles, so my cost for both was less than $7. Thank you for sharing your experience with my readers! :) I love when mom’s can help each other out! That is one of my main reasons for this blog :)

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  203. Ok I have to ask I noticed this post is over a year old so I assume you have been using this for your kids about that long so how long do they last? Do you have to make them again after a certain amount of time?

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    • Yes we have been using them for over a year and they look just the same and work just as well as when I made this post! I wondered that also if after a year I would be remaking them or not and so far they have held up great with lots of use! :) great questions for others also making this! I had no one to ask when I first did them.

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  204. Do you just mix all the ingredients in the bottle and then shake it up? I am hoping to make this with 4 kids for a bday party and just want to be sure I am doing it right. I only need, clear glue ( any kind will do?), glitter glue and fine glitter? Plus the water bottles? Sorry just want to make this work! Haha! Thanks for the help!

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    • I mixed them in a small glass bowl first with a whisk to get all of the clumps out and then poured into the water bottles and filled with water. I had one reader say she didn’t use glitter glue, just the clear gel glue and ultra fine glitter and it worked great! Good luck :)

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  205. I made this today two of them one for each Grand Child. They love them but we have one problem, I think I put to much glitter glue in them as they take over 20 mins to settle to the bottom. what can I do I dump some out and add water but didn’t seem to help much. Do you have any suggestions for us? Or just start over? Thanks for the help.

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    • I would keep dumping a little and adding water until you get the timing you want. I had to do that a lot of times at first because I had the same problem and added too much glue. :) hope that helps!

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    • Hey Kristie! Do you remember what ratio of water, glue and glitter you used to get 20 minutes? I was thinking of making this as a breakfast timer for my kids in the morning. They are the slowest eaters and having a visual timer sitting in front of them might just move things along? 15 or 20 minutes would be perfect for this.

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  206. Pingback: Mind Jar | The Adventures of Action Jackson

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  208. Hey Kristie! Do you remember what ratio of water, glue and glitter you used to get 20 minutes? I was thinking of making this as a breakfast timer for my kids in the morning. They are the slowest eaters and having a visual timer sitting in front of them might just move things along? 15 or 20 minutes would be perfect for this.

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  209. Hi! I made one of these totally based on throwing in random amounts of glitter and glitter glue,, it looks very pretty but my problem is getting it too settle slower! Right now it settles in >1 minute.
    The water is already pretty cold and the jar is nearly topped off with water.. What to do??

    Reply ↓

    • ok i tried to mix the hot water with the glue in the little space i had.. took some water out. But i have used like 1/5 of the clear glue bottle and the effect is pretty much the same !! 0______o
      WHAT IS GOING ON

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  210. just an FYI, Pinterest just tried to tell me this might be spam :( I purposely pinned this myself and not repin’d a pin… grr bad pinterest…

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  211. hi – i have been reading here – lots of questions! i just wanted to throw out there, we used clear soap in ours, to thicken it, and it works great. just make sure you don’t have air in there – you’ll always have a tiny bit, but get as much out as you can. We also made clear ones with large things in there – ribbons, buttons, pom-poms, sequins, a tiny bit of big glitter, beads – limitless ideas – the ribbons are very cool!! It doesn’t take much water to make the soap the right consistency, and things float.

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    • Oh, I like the idea of little “floaties” in it. What kind of ribbon did you use? What brand of clear soap? LIke hand soap? Awesome! Thanks!!

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  212. I’ve got a tantrummy 2 year old and I am going to buy the supplies to try this ASAP! (I have him and a newborn, so I tend to do most of my shopping online these days. If you wanted to throw in some affiliate links to the items you used from Amazon or something, you could make a little money AND help out those of us who don’t have TIME to go to craft stores, because we’re too busy dealing with those tantrums!) ;)

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  214. I’m the Editorial Assistant for Fun Family Crafts and I wanted to let you know that we have featured your project! You can see it here:

    http://funfamilycrafts.com/time-out-timer/

    If you have other kid friendly crafts, we’d love it if you would submit them. If you would like to display a featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above. Thanks for a wonderful project idea!

    Reply ↓

  215. Pingback: A Calm Bottle | Be As A Light

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  218. I love this idea! I’m going to make one for myself and one for my little sis. I’m also going to
    encourage my big brother to do it too. My whole family has anger problems.

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  220. I too have a little drama mama!!! Oh lord have time outs been trying on both of us!! This is fabulous, and super easy to make!! I think this will really help my little one stop and relax and focus on positive behaviors!!

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  221. So I used hot water, the tacky gel glue (same brand you used) and glitter. The next day it was all stuck to the bottom. Any suggestions on how to fix it or try something different next time? Thanks!!!

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  223. Pingback: DIY: Botella de relajacion (Relax Bottle/Mind jar) | Recursos para maestros de apoyo

  226. Did you have an issue with the mixture bubbling up? I just made one and a large part of the glitter is stuck to bubbles at the top of the bottle.

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  227. Pingback: Pinterest Find :: Time Out Bottle | One-Stop Counseling Shop

  228. HELP PLEASE!!!! I used the tacky glue and elmer glitter glue and some cheap glitter and very hot water and it settles way to fast and its all clumpy. I really would like to make one of these for my si=on since he is horrible in time outs!!

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  229. my son throws tantrums and leaves me with very little patience (he is three by the way). I am not sure what to do for this. This idea seems good, however what if he opens the lid? He is very curious and I imagine him opening it.

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  230. Pingback: Hush Bottles: the calm down solution - In Lieu of Preschool

  231. I made a large (I think 50oz size SmartWater) bottle for an adult friend with ADD. She wanted the color to be purple. The store didn’t have glitter glue in purple, so I used gold glitter glue, mixed with Martha Stewart brand fine glitter in “amethyst.” The combo came out looking great. I used vegetable oil and a paper towel to take off the label adhesive.

    About the water temperature: when mixing with the glitter glue, the water should not be boiling, otherwise you might crack even a Pyrex glass container. Just make it hot enough so that the glitter glue clumps dissolve more easily in the mixing container (and do use a separate container to mix things in before pouring into the bottle). You can let that mixture cool a bit more before putting it into the plastic bottle, and the plastic won’t melt or disfigure. Take your time. It’s ok. I didn’t need all of the Aleene’s clear gel glue for the big bottle, and a 3 min settling time. I did get amethyst glitter all over me and parts of my kitchen, but it all wipes or rinses off.

    Be verrry careful with the superglue. I don’t really think this is an appropriate project for very young children, but older kids can help you make these. Adults only should handle the superglue, though. :)

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  235. I have been looking for this all over the place!! I only have big glitter so I’m gonna try it, wish me luck!!Thank you again (and I just signed up your emails, so so excited I found you)!!

    Reply ↓

  236. Pingback: Time Out Bottles | She Bakes and Creates

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