Are You Afraid of the Dark? Make Monster Spray to Help Banish the Boogieman

Monster Spray
Monster Spray

One spray keeps the monsters away! When my son was little I was proud, patting myself on the back that he wasn't afraid of the dark. He would play in a dark room without even thinking. He would walk into a dark room like it was broad day light. I thought for sure it was my perfect parenting. Then it happened. He was 3 and suddenly my perfect parenting world fell into pieces. My son decided that there were monsters under the bed, in his closet and any dark room. This was before the introduction of Sully and Mike in Monsters, Inc. which would have really helped. I was on my own.

His imagination went from building train tracks to monsters running the world. After a short derailment......I found my perfect parenting hat again after talking to a girlfriend of mine who was ahead of me in this parenting gig. She simply said I needed Magic Monster Spray.

I quickly wrote down everything I needed and made some up that day. After mixing up this special potion, I let my son spray the areas he thought had monsters. That's all it took. No more monsters! My work was done! I straighten my frazzled "perfect parenting" hat and readied myself for the next challenge.

Materials needed:
Squirt Bottle (no paint needed if you find one solid in color)
Buttons, plastic beads, pebbles etc..
Craft Paint - Only if your squirt bottle is clear
Foam paint brush
Stickers, wiggly eyes, sparkly gems, etc
glue dots for items without adhesive
scented oil- non toxic
Water

Related: 15 awesome crafts and recipes for "Monsters, Inc." fanatics

Helpful Tip:
Be careful of any choking hazards. The small beads or buttons may cause a risk if your child places them in their mouth. I also told my son that it only took a little bit, otherwise, you'll end up with soaked everything. I bought my non toxic scented oils from whole foods. Variations:
You can decorate your bottle any way you want. Maybe you want to add shiny streamers, stickers or gems.

Directions:

1. Gather your materials. You could even have your child help you if you think it would help. I didn't have my son help because I didn't want him to see what I was in it. I wanted him to think it was really magic.

2. If your squirt bottle isn't a solid color, paint the outside of your bottle with a darker craft paint. Let it dry completely.

3. Now that your bottle is dry. Time to fill it with the magic! Fill with water, scented oil (not too much, just enough to give it a light scent) and your plastic beads or buttons. The beads give it sound which makes it more magical!

4. Spray areas you think monsters like to hide.

By Kim Demmon
Follow Kim on Spoonful


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