Make your own Time Out Timer

When time out time came for bad behavior, I found myself with a little girl screaming, kicking walls and not able to even calm down enough to learn her lesson. This was getting worse and worse, and I told my husband, “There has to be a better way.” After some online research, I found something called a mind jar. This is a jar filled with water, clear gel glue, and ultra-fine glitter. You shake it and the glitter settles slowly, which is very relaxing to watch. I loved the idea of getting my daughter to focus on something else in order to relax. Now, instead of watching the clock or setting a timer, she can use her own, relaxing method for time outs. All it takes is a water bottle to get started!

Materials:

• a water bottle that will fit in your child's hands
• clear gel glue
• super glue

• glitter
• hot water

Instructions

1. Remove the label from the water bottle.


2. Fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way with hot water, then add a bottle of glitter glue and a small tube of glitter.


3. Screw on the cap and play with the mixture until it takes about five minutes (our standard time out time!) for the glitter to settle at the bottom of the bottle. Add more clear gel glue to make it go slower or more water to make it settle faster.


4. Super glue the cap onto the water bottle so it can't come off in your child's hands.

We used purple and pink because those are my girl's favorite colors (right now), but you can make this with any color glitter. I hope it helps with your time outs!