Halloween Mason Jar Ideas: Glowing Bug Jars

We love Halloween mason jar ideas! This jar idea makes a wonderful Halloween decoration. Glowing specimen jars add an element of mystery to your decorations. And they are creepy.

Also, back in the day, when we were planning our Science Slumber Party, we were finding all sorts of fun science experiments and decorations. We found these glowing specimen jars and we knew we had to make them!

These glowing specimens were the perfect addition to our science decorations. The kids were thrilled with how they looked. They are so creepy and mysterious. Additionally, as we have shared our science party blog post everyone has loved the glowing specimen jars too.

Now we get to have these fan-favorite jars as part of our Halloween decorations that we love!  So we knew that we needed to write a quick blog post featuring these cool jars in case others are looking for Halloween mason jar ideas.

These come together so fast! The first time we made them, it took us about 30 minutes to put together six jars.

Recently, we had a sister craft day to put together these Halloween mason jars. We made a ton of jars in about an hour. And that was with our kids interrupting!

The best part of DIY Halloween decorations is the ability to customize them to match your other decor and vibe. These jars are completely customizable! You can change the color, choose the creatures and they only take a few materials. Some could already be around your house!

Wide-mouth jars are best but any mason jar will do. We like to have a variety of sizes to go with our variety of creatures. Mason-style jars work because the wide lid lip covers the lights. We used pint-sized jars and quart-sized jars. Those sizes fit our creatures best. But if you are so lucky to find a large creature to display, by all means, use a bigger jar!

Another note on the jars, you want blank jars. We found some at Michaels or Amazon. The ones we had around our house were canning jars. The Ball brand had words and pictures on all sides. The Kerr brand would work, as they only had words on one side.

Pint-Sized Jars

Get some creepy crawly creatures to put in your specimen jars. We like to use a variety of things. We have used snakes, rats, bats, spiders, beetles, scorpions, and other bugs. Of course, lizards and frogs would also be great.

Having a variety of creatures and sizes will add to your collection of glowing specimens. If you are ordering online, be sure to check the measurements of your creatures before ordering.

You can also check out the dollar store or other stores that carry Halloween decor. Plastic creatures work better than rubber ones. Our experience is that the rubber creatures float.

Skeleton Spider

Assorted Insects

You only need a drop of paint to tint the water. This just helps the water reflect more light. It also gives it a spooky tint.

If you add too much paint to your water, it will become murky and hard to see your creatures. You can just add more water to help dilute the acrylic paint if needed.

Green Acrylic Paint

Waterproof Color-Changing Lights

We repurposed some fabric scraps we had on hand and found they worked perfectly! We read that gluing lights directly to lids tends to make them fall off over time. A tutorial suggested gluing cardboard to the lid first, then attaching the light, but that solution also tends to get soggy and fall apart. Instead, we used scrap fabric as a barrier between the lid and lights, and it held up beautifully!

We just used tap water for our glowing specimen jars. If you are making multiple jars at a time, it is helpful for us to mix all the water before pouring it into the jars. But you can also just mix it in the jars. Both ways worked well.

First, match your creatures to the appropriate jar size for the best effect. You want them to fit just right—not too small, where they get lost in the jar, and not too big, where they look crammed or distorted. Coiling up a snake tightly in the jar can create a cool, compact look, but make sure it’s still recognizable. It's also fun to let creepy crawlies float around in the water, adding to the eerie vibe. Ultimately, it’s all about personal preference and what you find most visually appealing.

Next, fill your jar halfway with water. Then, add the smallest drop of paint you can. We really liked to use blue paint. We also used some green. You could use any color that you choose.

Next, mix the paint into the water. We stirred our water with the back of a paintbrush.

Then, top off your jar with tap water. If your color is too dark for you, making the water too murky, pour out some water and mix in new tap water to replace it.

Food coloring doesn’t have the same effect as paint. The light reflects off the paint in the water making it brighter in your jar. This gives it the glowing effect.

As mentioned earlier, glue the lights to the lids of your jars. To ensure they stay securely in place long-term, first glue a small piece of fabric to the jar lid, just slightly larger than the light. This fabric will provide a strong base. Then, generously apply glue to attach the light to the fabric, ensuring a solid hold. Don’t skimp on the glue—it’s key to making sure everything stays put!

Your glowing bug jar is complete! Now you can use it for your science sleepover or some perfect Halloween decorations!

We highly suggest that you don’t store your glowing specimen jars with water in them. After Halloween, we pour the water out of our jars and give them a quick rinse. Then, we loosen our lights so the batteries don’t get used. Next, we wrap them in paper and store them all together, ready for another year of fun.

Each year, we pull them out and add some paint mixed with water. This way we have these Halloween decorations for years and years.

Don't you love these jars?! They are so spooky and fun! We love that we can customize them to match each of our Halloween vibes in our houses. We also love to have our kids help us make them. They think they are awesome.

Let us know what creatures you want in your collection and what your favorite Halloween mason jar ideas are in the comments. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Looking for more fun DIY Halloween decorations? Check out our Spell Books and Mandrakes.

Want a kid-friendly Halloween activity? Check out Magical Mixology: A Kids Potionology. It will make your season fun and full of surprises!