Grown-ups don’t tend to need night lights for anything more than not stubbing their toes on a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. For kids, a night light can be much more potent, fending off imagined dangers in surrounding darkness. So they’re great to have, but anybody can buy a night light at the store. Making one with your child, however, fills it with a special energy that will help reassure them in the night. It sounds daunting, but making a beautiful, magical glowing jar isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds.

Look at these glowing jars!

They’re ridiculously easy to make.

All you need is a jar, some glow-in-the-dark paint (available in many different colors online), a brush, and some water.

Start with a clean, dry jar and well-mixed paint.

Dab little dots of the paint evenly around the inside of the jar in a pattern you like. Just be careful with the paint because it’s waterproof and can be difficult to get out of clothes or furniture. Be sure to rinse your brush well when you’re done, too.

Let the paint dry and charge it under a light bulb or in the sun.

As nice as it looks in daylight, wait until you see how it looks in the dark.

Fully charged, the jar emits a soothing glow in the night.

Bigger jars will obviously take more time, but they’ll also look more magical.

If you prefer, there’s another method to make a glowing jar

Just take some glow sticks and carefully empty them into a jar with a bit of water. Put a lid on the jar and shake it up to coat the sides and you’ve got a beautiful glowing lantern.