Spring is in the air and what better way to celebrate that than by letting kids get creative with planting? No, were not going to take them out and make them plow the fields! But, it would be nice if they could learn a little about planting while they do just that - plant! Its easy and fun for kids to make a plant that is not only a living thing but is also part of a whimsical character for your home. The finished plant character can be displayed on shelves or other areas.
Use Styrofoam cups to create the main character. The size of the cup is unimportant. Use various craft supplies, or things you already have around the house, to create the face for the character. Simply draw the face on with a marker or pen, or use any number of craft supplies to make the face. Glue on wiggly craft eyes and a felt mouth. Use coloring pencils to make rosy cheeks. There are many different looks you can give the character by using pom-poms instead of wiggly eyes, a mouth sticker instead of felt.
When kids are finished creating the face they can then plant the grass seed which will become the characters hair. First put in a few pebbles so that the water can drain. Add soil to the cup then sprinkle in the seeds. Water the seeds and set the character somewhere. Soon the kids will see the grass plants growing. The grass will look like hair standing straight up on the characters head. There are any number of different grass types that you can use for the hairy characters. In fact, you can plant other things instead of grass, like clover, or even flowers. When the flowers grow the character then looks like he or she has on a floral hat. Check pictures of flowers and plants on the front of the seed packets to find other appropriate choices. Types that grow straight up, or stay squat but full, are perfect. Instead of making the Styrofoam cups into people characters kids can make cute animals. Cut strips of foam or twine to use for whiskers. Cut ear shapes and glue them to the sides of the cup, near the top. Glue lace or other materials around the bottom of the cup to create the appearance of an outfit or collar. This can be done for the people or the animal characters. No matter if youre making pets or people you can make the ordinary Styrofoam cups look much better by first covering the with flesh-colored felt, paper or cloth. Glue the embellishments directly onto the material or use markers directly on it. Either way, the characters are so cute when theyre finished. Create a huge variety of plant people and animals by using assorted pots. Instead of Styrofoam cups, for example, create the face on a solid-colored cereal bowl. The bowl can be filled with soil and the seeds put in the dirt. These characters look much different than the cup characters. You dont have to use cereal bowls from your own cabinet; purchase the plastic disposable type instead. Other great containers include plastic frosting cups, single-serve cereal bowls, empty vitamin bottles, or even plastic drinking cups. Make some characters with freckles, others with sleepy eyes. Some with a bow on the ridge of the cup, some with a bandana tied around the top edge. When you combine different containers, assorted embellishments, and choices of plants the designs are endless! The hairy character project is perfect as a school project, a Bible school project or just to keep the kids busy on a rainy day. Its inexpensive, easy for most any age child, and will yield cute characters that contain real growing things! Children will love learning to plant and watching the grass grow taller and taller every week. Kids can cut the "hair" of the characters as it grows too long or can later plant the flowers or grass outside. They will learn a lot from the planting experience whether its in a cup or outside. By the way, dont hold back - you know you want to make some, too!
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