How to Make Balloons Light Up or Glow

Light-up Balloons

• 1

  Cut two 2-inch strips of thin wire using a knife; AWG 18 gauge works fine. Remove 1/4 inch of plastic off the ends of the two strips using wire strippers.

• 2

  Attach the end of the one of the strips of wire to the positive terminal on the LED light. It̵7;s marked ̶0;+,̶1; but it can be hard to see, so look carefully. Use a small strip of electrical tape to hold it in place.

• 3

  Attach the end of the other strip to the remaining terminal on the LED light. Use tape as before to attach the wire.

• 4

  Attach the opposite ends of the wires from the LED light to the battery terminal. The opposite end of the wire that̵7;s attached to the ̶0;+̶1; terminal on the LED needs to attach to the ̶0;+̶1; terminal on the battery. Attach the other wire to the ̶0;-̶0; terminal on the battery. Use tape to hold the wires in place. The LED illuminates, but don̵7;t worry about the battery going flat; LED use very little power and an AA battery will power an LED for hours and hours.

• 5

  Push the battery and LED light through the neck of the balloon using your fingers. Do this carefully so you don̵7;t make a hole in the balloon. Blow up the balloon and tie the neck. The balloon is illuminated. The LED won̵7;t burst the balloon, because it doesn̵7;t give off any heat. You can repeat the process to make as many balloons light up as you like.

Glowing Balloons

• 6

  Blow up a balloon. Tie the neck of the balloon.

• 7

  Paint luminous paint onto the balloon using a paint brush. You can paint any design you like and color as much of the balloon as you like. Make dots, stripes or any pattern. Let the paint dry.

• 8

  Hold the balloon near to a bright light for a few minutes. Don̵7;t get the balloon too close or it may burst.

• 9

  Turn off the light and your balloon glows in the dark. The balloon will glow for an hour or more before it needs to be held up to a bright light again.