Now that we finally have a Star Wars movie that we can legally show in a library setting (YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!), it adds an additional facet to the programming box for the Star Wars fandom. Libraries have included May the 4th Be With You, Revenge of the 5th, and Star Wars Reads Day for years, and the new resurgence of books, movies, and other media are just adding to the demand for anything relating to Star Wars- especially as with Star Wars: The Force Awakens missed the mark a LOT with their merchandising. So what is there to do?
Hold a maker session in the library! One of the funkiest programs I’ve done with teens has been creating things with glass jars. You can create luminaries, banks, storage containers- pretty much anything they can think of, and they can decorate them in any fashion with just a little bit of imagination and actually very few supplies. They’re very versatile, works for all types of audiences, and can work across all types of program themes as well. For a Star Wars theme program, I’ve pulled together a few of my favorite types I’ve done in the past and put them together below, along with the Star Wars themes.
SUPPLIES
I know what you’re thinking- GLASSJARS? We don’t have the money for that!!! But it doesn’t have to be things like Mason Jars- that just gives the idea for you to base things off of.
ASK FOR GLASS JARS. What I’ve done for programs using craft ideas for “mason jars” as been asking for glass jar donations from EVERYONE for months. Staff, parents, teens, the community, and the city, basically anyone and everyone I can think of I hound for donations of jars, and I make sure to ask for them to be CLEANED before they show up at my door. I may need glass jars, but I am not cleaning out anyone’s leftovers. Pasta sauce, juice jars, salsa jars, pickle jars, queso jars, I don’t care as long as it’s actual glass. I then have either had teen volunteers or my TAB have a goo-gone night, and we take the labels off and make sure they’re prepped on the outside for the programs. I will also either run them through the library dishwasher, or if I don’t have one at work, take them home and run them through my own with not only soap but bleach. I admit, it may be overkill, but I am a germaphobe. The safer the better.
ANY PAINT WILL WORK. You can use any paint for the glass crafts, it just depends on what you’re going for, where you’re painting, and how long you’re intending it to last. With any good library project, we’re not worried about it lasting for-evah, so you don’t need the highest quality paints, but if your budget can handle it, go with it. I’ve used acrylics, glass paints, paint pens, puffy paint, and others. If it seems too thick for what you want, thin it out with water to make a wash. I’ve used sponges, sponge brushes, and paint brushes.
USE DISPOSABLES. These types of projects will make a mess, guaranteed. I know it’s not environmentally friendly, but it’s sanity-friendly and definitely time friendly to use disposable products to help things along. I use plastic cups (red not necessary), paper plates, paper bowls, and dollar store tableclothes or butcherpaper cover for tables. That way as the end of the program we can just pick up everything, pick out the paint tubes and brushes, wrap it up everything else, and just toss it all out in to the garbage at the end of the night. It saves time, sanity, and energy.
IDEAS
Over at Oh So Savvy Mom, she’s put together instructions for a Halloween village luminary using mason jars and stencils. I’ve done these before for a teen upcycle halloween craft and they’ve turned out completely rocking, especially when the teens went on their own and created their own stencils. For a Star Wars program, instead of using halloween based stencils, you could use vector icons such as these:
Over at Mason Jar Crafts Love, you can see how you can easily do the opposite with vector icons:
You could get some galaxy glitter or glow in the dark glitter to add some really fun atmosphere, or ignore the glitter entirely (my preference).
On Beaucoup, they have instructions on DIY Legoman head jars for party favors that look like this:
While I never had the room to spray paint, you might. I’ve been able to achieve similar results by painting with acrylic paints. You could easily use the free use Star Wars Emoji out there like these:
for teens to base their characters and colors off of, or let them get creative on their own. They could create their own droid canisters, their own “new and improved” Death tubes (upgrade from the rounded Death Stars) or any of a number of different ideas.
What have you used jars for?