GLITTER GLUE GEODES

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 - First step is to cut your clear glue sticks into angular shards with the knife. This can be very tricky so definitely use adult supervision to ensure your safety. Using a chopping board start at one end of the glue stick and begin cutting various shards into a point shape then cut off 1-3cm further down the glue stick to create one realistic crystal looking shape. Continue this process until all the glue sticks have been cut up into smaller shards.

Step 2 - Next take your sharpie pens and draw colour onto the ends of the glue stick shards. While the ink is still wet, use a paint brush to spread the colour evenly so that it naturally blends from light to dark with no hard drawing lines. We blended 2 colours to create a realistic crystal effect and applied most of the colour to the bottom and blended it up towards the top.

Step 3 - To create the base for your crystal take a small cup or bowl and line it with baking paper. Let the paper crease and fold over itself as this will add to the realistic effect! Then use the hot glue gun and more glue sticks to squeeze out a thick layer of glue filing up the bottom of your bowl. You may need a couple of glue sticks for this, continue this process working in a circular motion from the bottom up until your happy with the thickness of the base. Leave to dry.

Step 4 - Once the glue has set, remove from the bowl and carefully remove the baking paper. Use acrylic paint to paint the base to make it look like a rock. We also used some white paint to create some texture, you can also add some sand or glitter while the paint is still wet. Then leave to dry.

Step 5 - Once the paint is dry it's time to attach the crystals. Use the hot glue gun to glue the crystal shards onto the base. Be sure to use lots of glue and stick the shards on all different angles to create a realistic looking geode. We also added some of the offcuts from Step 1 to fill in any gaps.

Step 6 - To finish, add some glitter to your geode to make it extra sparkly!