How to Make a Light Wand

A wand is a perfect flourish for that beautiful Halloween fairy princess costume, and it can serve all year as a fun play item for anyone's dress-up chest. A glowing wand or a light wand is even more appealing, and will not only serve as a safety measure for your little trick or treater, but will also make her feel even more magical as she waves it around in the twilight. You can make a light wand easily with a little glue and some craft materials.

Things You'll Need

• 3 long, flexible glow strands (12 to 18 inches long)
• Hot glue gun
• 3 wooden spools
• Glitter paint
• Ribbon streamers

Instructions

1. Braid the three glow strands together. Try to bend them as little as possible, since the more you bend them the more they will glow. You want to save as much of the glow for when you debut your costume. You do not need to make a tight braid --- it can be long and loose. The main goal is to make the glow strands stay straight in a thick wand.

2. Hot glue each end of the glow strand braid: this will prevent the braid from coming undone. Use plenty of glue, because it will dry clear and will not interfere with the light-up ability of the wand.

3. Glue the three spools together end to end. This will be the handle of your wand. You might need to hold them in place for about 10 seconds while the glue dries.

4. Attach the braided glow strand stick to the end of the wand handle. You should be able to partially insert one end of the braid into the hole at the top of the spool, then use the hot glue gun to glue it into place. As before, it is okay to use a lot of glue because it will dry clear and provide extra support for the wand. Hold the braid in place until the glue dries (usually about 30 seconds) and then let go. If it looks wobbly, add more glue.

5. Tie the ribbon streamers in a bow at the top of the glow braid. This will provide added decoration and make your wand more magical and fun to wave.

6. Paint the wooden handle with the glitter paint. Cover it thoroughly so that it is just as sparkly as befits a fairy princess. Now, you are ready to head out and enchant the neighborhood with your glow wand. When you head out, you can bend the braid gently to make your light wand even brighter.

Tips & Warnings

• By storing your light wand in the freezer when you are not using it, you can make the glowing power last for days or even weeks.

• Always use a glue gun with adult supervision because the glue gets very hot and can cause serious burns.