May the Fourth Be With You!

In this fun project, we will make some DIY Lightsabers, safe for bopping each other with and having duels (of the fates)! Just don’t bop too hard.

Materials Needed

• Pool noodles or long paper tubes (such as wrapping paper tubes or a few paper towel tubes taped together)
• Duct tape
• Sharpie/indelible markers
• Scissors or a utility knife
• For paper tube lightsabers, you may also want: paint, construction paper, scotch tape and glue in order to make your lightsaber blade have a color

My daughter and I made our two lightsabers from one pool noodle that we had laying around in our summer toys. As you can see, we went with “Mace Windu purple.” The following instructions are based on using a pool noodle, but easily adaptable to paper tubes.

1. Cut your pool noodle in half using scissors or a utility knife. Grown-ups, be sure to help with any cutting with younger kids.
2. Wrap one end with duct tape to make the lightsaber hilt, the part where you hold on to the lightsaber and power it on and off. We ran out of regular silver duct tape during the project, so we switched over to fancy-patterned duct tape. My daughter didn’t mind.
3. Using your marker, design your lightsaber hilt and power buttons by drawing on the duct tape. Be creative! Need some inspiration, look at some of the links below.
4. Let your marker dry for a while, or else your lightsaber hilt design will wipe off on your hands. This is the hardest part, because the urge to duel is almost as hard to resist as the dark side of the Force!

Want to know more about the lore of lightsabers and their construction in the Star Wars universe? Check out:

• A Jedi’s Weapon – the history, construction and lore behind the lightsaber
• Star Wars Creator George Lucas discusses the “Birth of the Lightsaber” in this featurette video
• Wookiepedia – Lightsaber
• Wookiepedia – Lightsaber Hilt