Linda's Garden:
Kids Monthly Gardening Projects

August - Tin Can Scarecrow

You Will Need:

• twine
• Tape
• Straight blade Screwdriver and Hammer
• Empty, clean, dry cans of assorted sizes. Try to make sure there are no sharp edges. The "Institutional" sized cans (available from schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc) make a good size for the body and head. Other sizes make good arms and legs.
• A hat (optional)
• An old chair (for the scarecrow to sit on. He is tied to it, so it gives him support).

Instructions:

• Use screw driver and hammer to put a hole in the center of each can lid. The hole should be large enough to thread the twine through.
• Wrap a small piece of tape on the end of the twine to create a firm tip for threading. Cut a long piece of twine and put a big knot in end leaving a "tail" of 12 inches in length.
• To make the trunk of the body, thread the twine from the inside of an institutional sized can, through the hole, and out of the lid of the can. Pull all the way through to the knot to secure it in place and tie another knot against the can lid.
• Thread through the next institutional sized can the same way. When finished you should have 2 large cans, one on top of the other. Tie to the seat and back of the chair with another piece of twine.
• With the original twine piece, thread through another institutional-sized can and place the can horizontally on the top can. Pull the Twine through and secure to trunk cans and chair. This is the head. We braced our up using bamboo stakes along the back to ensure that it would stay above the trunk.
• Using smaller cans threaded together the same way, make 2 arms and 2 legs. Fasten the legs to the body using the 12 "tail of twine and then secure the legs to the chair legs. Fasten the arms to the twine between the head and the trunk. They can be posed however you wish.
• Tie hat onto head of scarecrow anyway you can. We used a styrofoam "boater" style hat and just punched hole through it and tied twine through the hat and into the head.
• You can decorate with paint or markers, we left ours plain with no face. After a few weeks he will rust a bit and not be so very shiny.
• Place in your garden. If wanted, plant morning glories at his feet and on chair legs and have them climb the scarecrow.

  
  
  

  July - Make a Weather Station

  
  It's important to pay attention to the weather in the summer as the weather affects the growth of plants. We have different weather patterns every year, so our plants grow differently every year. It is easy to put together a few things that help keep track of the weather so that you can write it down in a notebook (your very own weather journal). It's important to keep the journal going so you can compare this year to last year or several years before.

  You will need:

  • outside thermometer
  • minimum/maximum thermometer (optional)
  • sturdy pinwheel
  • rain gauge
  • snow measuring stick (make your own with a yard stick mounted to a stake. The stake can secure it into the ground. Make sure the yard stick is toiuching the ground at 0.)
  • notebook or journal with pencil or pen attached with a string (so it doesn't get lost). These items can be purchased inexpensively at many home supplies stores. Once you have purchased them, decide where your weather station will be. You may have to spread a few items around to have them in the ideal position. When placing the thermometers, make sure they are not in the sun. A place on the north of the house or in a shady area may be best. The pinwheel needs to be placed out in the open where the breeze or wind will blow on it. The rain gauge and the snow measuring stick also needs to be in the open for best measurement.

    Once everything is in place take measurements daily. Check the rain gauge each morning. Check the temperature when it is at the hotest (about 4 pm). The minimum/maximum thermometer is great for telling the highest and lowest temperature each day. Look at the pinwheel to see how strong the winds are, do they change during the day or evening? As you collect the information (or data), record it in your journal. Each day could have a piece of a page with all the information written out. HAve fun with your weather station. Maybe you'll become a meteorologist.
    
    

    Complete Archives of Kid's Garden Projects

    Visit my archive 2 for Jan 1998 - last month's projects

    Visit archive 1 for June 1997 - Dec 1997

    

    

    
    

    

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    updated March 17, 1999

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