Hello there! It’s Megan from Homemade Ginger and I know that you will be as obsessed with this Valentine’s day craft as I am!
As soon as the Christmas decor came down, the Valentine’s Day crafts and accessories came out! I think that Valentine’s Day is such a fun holiday for kids. My girls absolutely love picking out their Valentines every year. Of course it has to be something that really expresses their personality! Last year, they had fun making their own Valentines to pass out to their classmates. Even though it was definitely more work for mom, I loved seeing how excited they got about creating their Valentines themselves.
As my kids have gotten older, I have grown to love attending their Valentine parties at school. I often will volunteer to help with the games or crafts. I’m always trying to think of ideas that would make a great craft for a school party and I think these little love bugs would be just perfect! They are so easy to put together and the best thing about them is that you can insert a few glow sticks inside the water bottle to make these little bugs glow in the dark! I think both boys and girls will love making their own love bug for Valentine’s Day this year!
This pop bottle firefly that I made a few years ago was so popular, that I just had to try a smaller version for Valentine’s Day! I think I may even like this one better! You could make these with larger water bottles or even 2 liter soda bottles. Any size would work well!
Water Bottle Love Bugs
Here is what you will need for this craft:
- Small Water Bottles
- Foam Heart Stickers – large and small
- Red Pipe Cleaners
- Pink Craft Paint
- Googly Eyes
- Glow Sticks
- Hot Glue Gun
- Paint Brush
These water bottle love bugs look cute by themselves but really come to life when they’re all lit up! Go into a dark room and enjoy!
Water Bottle Love Bugs
Equipment
- Paint brush
Materials
- 1 small water bottle (clear)
- foam heart stickers (large and small)
- 4 Pipe cleaners (red)
- 1 pair Googly eyes
- 3 short glow sticks
Instructions
- Paint your water bottle with a thin coat of pink paint so it's completely covered, but the light can still shine through.
- Wrap 3 red pipe cleaners around the bottle. Twist each one in the center at the bottom to create the insect legs.
- Glue 2 small foam heart stickers on each side of the ends of the pipe cleaners to create the feet.
- Glue 2 large foam hearts to the top of the bottle to make the wings.
- Wrap another red pipe cleaner around the base of the mouth of the bottle then twist. Wrap each end of the pipe cleaner around a pencil to create a coil.
- Attach 2 more small foam hearts on each side of the ends of the coiled pipe cleaner to create the antenna.
- Glue 2 googly eyes onto the outside of the lid of the bottle.
- When the bug is ready to be lit, activate 3 glow sticks and insert them into the bottle. If necessary, bend the glow sticks to make them fit.
- Turn off the lights and watch them glow!
Your kids will love creating love bugs for Valentine’s Day using water bottles and glow sticks. They are SO fun to play with in a dark room!
Let us know what you think: