Glowing Safety Pouches for Halloween

Messy Messy Fail - The toddler seems to be in a throwing stage - he throws toys, food, anything that he can get into his chubby little hands gets thrown.  I found enough food for a picnic underneath the radiators in the dining room where we eat.  Gross-a-ross-a.

Tidy Victory - I'm making the UPKer's Halloween costume from scratch (you'll see what he requested below) and it seems to be working out quite well.  I hope to post the directions for this easy and quick costume shortly to help any parents out there who can't sew (like myself) and need to come up with something good!

This will be the UPKer's second time trick-or-treating with a clear understanding of exactly what was going on.  Last Halloween he was Mickey Mouse - quite the expensive costume might I add - and we shuffled through our neighborhood on a cold wet night.  And dark, not to mention very dark.  

Our neighborhood is in the outskirts of a city, so we have very few if any street lamps.  Any other parents out there as nervous about taking your kids to the streets on a dark Halloween night as I am?

So I started to brainstorm as to what I could do with some things that I have around the house to help alleviate my fears.  Something that was reflective or gave light in a Halloween-like way...............

GLOWING SAFETY POUCHES!

I think I've seen some type of devices you can get at Walmart or the Dollar store that blink in a seizure-enducing way and will most likely be ripped off by its wearer.

My little design will trump those knickknacks FOR SURE!

I knew I could come up with something better.  Check out how I made them!

Materials:

• Black permanent marker
• Piece of scrap cardboard
• White organza craft pouch
• Two glow sticks
• Black parachute cord

Here's what you do:

• Insert your piece of scrap cardboard inside the pouch (so your marker doesn't bleed through to the other side of the pouch).

• Using the permanent marker, draw a fun face on the upward facing side of the pouch with the scrap cardboard underneath it.  Be sure to fill it in completely so you can see the face - don't forget it won't be as dark with the cardboard no longer underneath it.

• Crack your glow sticks to activate, bend them in a circle and connect with the small plastic piece provided.  If you did not receive a plastic piece, tape the two ends of the glow stick together to form a circle.  Insert the glow sticks into the pouch.

• Using the chords of the pouch, tighten the pouch and tie in a bow or loose knot (so you can reuse it!)

• Cut a piece of the black parachute cord long enough to go around your child's neck but not long enough to pull off over their head (this way they can't take it off so easily).  Run the black cord through the tie of the pouch, put around your child's neck to desired length and knot in back behind their head. 

• Your child is now ready for going out with their glowing safety pouch!

Get creative with the color of your pouch and the faces you draw - how cute would a green alien or Frankenstein face be!  I made ghost faces since that is what the UPKer requested to be for Halloween.

Tip - the cheap glow sticks will only illuminate for a couple of hours after cracking them, so be sure to have all your supplies ready to go so you can activate, assemble and go while they are glowing brightly!

Another Tip - you can save the pouches for years to come and just purchase new glow sticks every year.  Older kids can even carefully use the markers to make their own original faces on their pouches.

This quick DIY glowing safety pouch was pretty quick and easy - with just a few things I had around the house already, I was able to make something that makes me feel better about going out and my kids will think it's magic (hopefully) and be agreeable to wearing them!

We'll see :)

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