Dinosaur Terrariums

You will need:

• Small glass bowls
• Rocks
• Potting soil
• Small plant
• Plastic animals (We used the dinosaurs from our Treasure Stone craft.)
• Twine (optional)

How to:

In a small bowl, place one layer of rocks (for drainage). Top with potting soil. Place small plant in soil. Decorate with a couple more rocks and plastic animals. Wrap twine around bowl.

Thoughts:

When planning Elliott's Dinosaur party, this was that one craft that I kept in the "maybe" pile. Elliott, however, had other plans. We. Were. Doing. This. Craft. What a hit! Every party-goer LOVED doing this. Who would've thought?

I really wanted to find some cacti plants for this, but cacti, in Pennsylvania, in the Spring don't mix. After weeks of looking, I finally found some at Home Depot for $7 each! Um, no thank you. Luckily, we had planted some Basil seeds that were going berserk in their pot, so I was able to transplant several smaller plants from that. Plus, does anything smell better than basil and potting soil? It was a win-win for me.

Our little terrarium sat on our deck table as a centerpiece all summer.

Elliott's Evaluation:
I loved this! I liked putting the rocks in. And the dinosaurs in. And I liked putting the plant in and the dirt in.

Grassy-hoppers

A super-cute way to welcome Spring!

You will need:

• Cardboard egg carton
• Green paint
• Googly eyes
• Pipe cleaners (We used black and white.)
• Soil
• Grass seed
• Black marker
• Glue

How to:

1. Cut egg carton into three-cup pieces.
2. Paint outside of cups green. Let dry.
3. Attach googly eyes with glue. Draw a smiley face with marker.
4. Shape pipe cleaners into antennae and legs. Attach to carton with glue.
5. Place small amount of soil in each cup. (Don't fill it to the top! Leave enough room for water.)
6. Sprinkle each cup with grass seed.
7. Place in a sunny spot and water daily. (Sprouts should show up after a few days.)

Thoughts:

This was a really cute project and reminded me (daily) that Spring was right around the corner. The cardboard egg cartons are very absorbent, so it's important to remember to water your seeds every day. (I'm not sure if Styrofoam cartons would work, so if anyone tries, let me know.)