Buzz
This year has been metaphorically shrouded in darkness. Tonight, however, the darkness becomes literal: It’s the Winter Solstice—the shortest day and longest night of the year. This makes it the ideal time to enjoy glow-in-the-dark games with your children.
Hosting your First Annual Winter Solstice Glow Games doesn’t require advanced crafting skills. Just gather some glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces, unleash your creativity, and embrace the night.
Glow-in-the-dark bowling
Imagine the excitement of attending a late-night glow-in-the-dark event at your neighborhood bowling alley. While that’s not an option right now, you can recreate the experience at home by setting up your own glowing bowling lane. Here’s how to do it:
Gather a few empty water bottles.
Remove the labels.
Place a glow stick inside each bottle.
Secure the caps back on.
Arrange them in a triangular formation like bowling pins.
Find a ball—such as a soccer ball or basketball—to use.
Turn off the lights.
Start bowling!
Glowy ring toss
Use glow necklaces as rings (or connect 2-3 glow bracelets to form a ring). If you don’t own a ring toss game, use household items as targets. (For example, the water bottles from your bowling setup would work perfectly.)
Glow necklace hula-hoop
Connect enough glow necklaces to form a large hoop, secure it to your hula hoop with tape or zip ties, and start hula hooping.
Glow bracelet Tic-Tac-Toe
Use straightened glow necklaces to draw the grid for the game. Instead of Xs and Os, players use glow bracelets as Os, with each player choosing a unique color. Here’s what it will look like once everything is ready.
End with a glow bath
Fill the bathtub, switch off the lights, and toss in a handful of glow sticks. If your child enjoys baths, you’ll be their hero. If they usually avoid baths, this might be the one time they’re eager to hop in.
