Linda's Garden:
Kids Projects Archive 1

Here are our earliest projects from the time we started the Kid's Monthly Garden Projects page (June 1997) through December 1997. Here are our past projects listed on an index

December - Growing Hair Santa

You will need:

• Styrofoam Coffee Cup
• Potting Soil
• Red Felt, Beige felt
• White Cotton Balls
• Grass or Oat Seeds
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers

You are ready to begin. Parents, please supervise you child for this project.

1) Turn cup upside down and carefully punch two small holes into the bottom using a pencil or other pointed object.
2) Cut a strip of Red felt wide enough to cover the cup from middle of cup to bottom of cup. The strip should be long enough to wrap around the cup. Glue into place (This is Santa's suit). The place where the fabric meets will be the back of our Santa.
3) Draw a circle for Santa's head on the Beige felt. It should be approximately 2 1/2- 3 inches high--depending on the size of you cup. Draw a face on this circle with markers. Glue onto cup with top of circle at the brim of the cup and bottom of face touching the red felt already on cup.
4) Stretch out cotton balls until thin. These will be Santa's beard and hair. Glue these around the sides and bottom of face.
5) After glue is dry, carefully fill cup with potting soil. Lightly tamp down soil and moisten with water.
6) Sprinkle seed on top of soil and water in slightly. Soil should be moist, but not dripping wet. Place Santa cup in a window with good light. You may want to place a saucer or something under the cup to catch any excess water.
7) Water whenever soil begins to look dry. You may cover with plastic to help seeds start faster. Remove this plastic when the seeds start to sprout.
8) As grass grows, you can give Santa a hair cut with a scissors.
Santa's green hair is fun and kind of silly, but kids like it. After all green is a Christmas color. I hope you enjoy this project.

November - Forcing Bulbs

The second way takes longer, but also produces wonderful flowers. You will need:

• Refrigerator space - free from fruit, especially apples. They give off a gas that keeps bulbs from blooming.
• Bulbs recommended for forcing (check the Hyacinth, crocus, tulips, daffodils, etc.).
• Vases or pots that hold water. If you can’t find vases specifically for forcing, make a frame of popsicle sticks tied together to form a square that fits on the vase and will hold the bottom of the bulb barely in contact with the water.
• Patience.
  
  Put the bulbs on the vases (one bulb per vase) and refrigerate for 12-14 weeks. During this time make certain that the bulb’s bottom is in contact (barely) with the water. Keep the vases full at all times! During these weeks, the bulbs will develop roots growing into the water. Remember, the bulb must be in contact with water. Just putting a bulb in a bag in the refrigerator doesn’t work (believe me, I tried it once). After the 12-14 weeks (better to error on the long side), remove the vases and place in a sunlit window. Within a few weeks the bulb will sprout and bloom. Crocus blooms are so fun to do this way. Hyacinth smell wonderful.

  It’s fun to do some of each method. If you start your paperwhites, etc. now, they will bloom quickly. Then later you can enjoy the other bulbs after the holidays. Maybe you will force red tulips for Valentine’s Day! I tend to get my refrigerated bulbs started soon after Thanksgiving (takes that long to finish those apples from the orchard and all the Thanksgiving goodies). It can be a bit of an inconvenience in the refrigerator, but look forward to those flowers. I hope you enjoy this project and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
  
  

  
  

  October - Vegetable Man

  Autumn is now here and the harvest is coming in. What a great time to make something fun and easy from the garden. This month we are making a vegetable man! This project takes a bit of imagination, but is easy enough for participation from the whole family. Just think, a great face and no cleaning out the pumpkin. It certainly appealed to me! As always, parents need to help and supervise children during projects! Select from the garden or farmers' market a variety of pumpkins, squash, beans, gourds, and other items that would make good facial features. Find a box of toothpicks and we're ready to go.

  First determine what you will use for the head. We selected a nice big pumpkin for this. You might want to use a squash if you want a face with a different color. We selected small potatoes for eyes. As we wanted the eyes to fit into the head and protrude just a bit, we used a dull pumpkin carving knife (sold at many stores for this purpose) and cut small circles into the pumpkin where the eyes should fit in. We secured the potatoes into the holes with toothpicks so they wouldn't come out. We used a funny looking small gourd for the nose, cut a hole, and secured the same way as the eyes. For the mouth, we had a large pole bean with just enough curve in it for a smile. We stuck it into place and secured with 3 or 4 toothpick halves. For hair, we stuck more green beans onto the head and added an old straw hat for effect. He's pretty stunning for a veggie man.

  As we have several more pumpkins awaiting us at grandpa's, we may get motivated enough to make a whole family. We'll see how far the pumpkins take us. Grandpa won't spare the squash though as he didn't get many. Have fun with this simple idea. It's nice and quick compared to some of our others.
  
  

  September - Mosaic Tiled Birdbath

  Autumn is coming full steam ahead! Time to get on with our next project, the mosaic tile birdbath.

  First Step You Will Need:

  • Birdbath top of cement or bisque--no plastic
  • Ceramic Tile adhesive and a plastic knife to spread
  • Ceramic tiles or old dishes--broken into small pieces (cover with a rag and hit carefully with a hammer)
  • rags and hammer to brak tiles--using eye protection is important

  Sketch out a design if you'd like. You can find books on mosaic tile projects at the library if you need inspiration. Plan for the colors you want. Purchase the tiles and break them. You can use a tile cutter if you want a more formal look, but it's not necessary. Once you're ready with design and tiles, start putting it together. Use the tile adhesive like butter and spread it on the back of the tile and place where desired in the birdbath. I started in the center of the birdbath and worked my way out. Leave a little space between the tiles, so you have room for grouting. My design was a large blue flower with burgundy and yellow little pieces in the center. I also have a border around the outermost edge. Be careful not to leave excess adhesive around your tiles as you want the grout to stick. Once you have finished your design, let it sit and dry as per directions on the adhesive can. Mine sat for a couple weeks as I was pressed for time and didn't get it finished right away.

  Step Two: You will need:

  • grout mix (pick a color that coordinates with your birdbath and the tile)
  • water for mixing
  • spatula for mixing and spreading
  • newspaper to put underneath to make cleanup easier
  • grout sealer

  Once tile adhesive is dry, you can grout. Slowly mix in water little by little until the grout is the consistency of pudding--not too runny! Start by dropping some in the center of the bird bath and press between tiles. Make certain all the cracks between tiles are filled with grout. Add more and work your way around. You can work in the grout with your fingers or with a spatula. Once this is done, let it set for a while (30-60 min?). Then return and smooth over grout, removing excess. After another hour so so, buff grout off tiles. You will want to do this before it gets too set (believe me! I waited too long and had to reomve the stuff with a green plastic scrubber and an old table knife!). Left grout dry several days. Once it is very dry, you can seal the grout. Apply as directed on the bottle. Let dry as directed. Then you are ready to share your art with the neighborhood birds! I know the birds here seem appreciative of their new birdbath. Be certain to keep it clean and full. In cold areas, you will have to store your birdbath inside for the winter. Don't forget! Have fun!

  August - Basic Scarecrow

  Our third project already! Boy has summer gone fast!! I sure hope we get a long autumn this year. Speaking of Autumn, get ready to make a basic scarecrow. Now, we are not talking about a cutesy indoors scarecrow, but one that can live in the garden all summer for protection from crows (do these really work?) or for ornamental value. Remember this is your kid's scarecrow, it needn't be perfect. The more the kid(s) do, the cuter it will be.

  SUPPLIES NEEDED:

  • old pants or bibed overalls
  • long sturdy stick or fence stake
  • shorter sturdy stick
  • twine
  • hat
  • something to be the head--we used brownish plastic grocery bags wadded up and stuck in another bag. This way we could make the head the size we want it.
  • newspaper
  • permanent markers

  To start, find a sturdy stick, pipe, or metal fence stake of the height (plus 2 feet) you want your scarecrow. We used a metal fence stake as we had a few around.

  Next tie on another sturdy stick to be the arms. Tie these together to look like a cross. Wrap the twine around in a figure 8 around the cross bar. It may be helpful to put the shirt on before tieing these together, if it a smaller sized one.

  After the sticks are tied together firmly, dress your scarecrow in cast off clothing. If using pants instead of bibs, use twine to make suspenders for the pants so they'll stay on better. Once the clothes are on, use twine to tie sleeves and pant legs shut and stuff the scarecrow with crumpled newspaper. This gives him/her some substance.

  Next tie the head you've fashioned. It may be a ball in a bag, a bag stuffed with bags (such as we did), a plastic pumpkin head, whatever. Find a way to attach it to the scare crow. I just put the bag on upside down over the top of the stake. Then I used the bag handles to tie it to the cross bar. Once it's tied on you can add your hat. Hot glue may work (or maybe the low temp hot glue?). As we used Jimmy's old cowboy hat, we were able to use the strings from it to tie it under and around the "neck" of the scarecrow. It has held secure all summer.

  Finally, use the markers to make a face for your scarecrow. You can add an old wig too, if you find one. Have fun with your project!

  July - concrete stepping stones

  Time for our second project, the cement step stones for the kids garden. My neighbor,who works for a large concrete company gave me some pointers on this project. He said fiberglass filaments were not necessary for this project, so I didn't use them. So here goes:
  • Find molds for your steps. Some might cut off ice cream buckets, use small pizza boxes or whatever you can find. My husband found 12" wide tube used for forming concrete (found at a building supplies store). He cut the tube into slices to form molds.
  • Next we placed the molds on a sheet of plastic (if you don't have plastic, set them on leveled sand in the sand box).
  • Next read the directions on your bag(s) of Quickcrete or equivalent. Mix the concrete according to directions! We mixed ours in our wheelburrow, it worked great.
  • Then you are ready to get creative! Be sure to have assembled ahead of time: sketches of design for step stones, a stick for writing with, small stones, marbles, tiles (broken ones work well as do broken dishes), other stuff you've got around. Pour the concrete into molds (about 2" thick) and go to work! We made one with Jimmy's foot prints and the year, one with my niece's feet and hand prints and year, one with a simple sketch of a house with our last name and the date we moved in, and some just decorated with stuff we pushed into the concrete. That tile left over from the bathroom at our last house sure came in handy! I wish I had saved the teapot that broke last year.
  • Follow directions on the concrete bag for curing instructions. It is best to make these when the weather is good, but if you have room in your garage and lots of plastic laid on the floor, it works just fine.

  We are still waiting for ours to harden (nothing like waiting for the last minute, right?), but they look pretty good. Let me know how yours turn out!

  June - Bean TeePee

  For our first project, let's do something fun that will get the kids into their garden. That's where the flowers, veggies and bugs are. That's where things are changing everyday. To see this they need to get up close and personal with their garden. For this, I recommend building a Tee Pee for the kids to use as a play house in their garden.

  The Tee Pee is easy to construct and they will observe lots of garden goings on while playing in it.

  • First find the posts for your Tee Pee. I used three old christmas tree trunks and two metal fence stakes (you might use 2x4s, large branches, whatever you have around).
  • Next, set the trunks and stakes up to stand like a Tee Pee and then twist around the intersecting tops with twine until it stands securely and tie a knot to fasten it in place.
  • Then, make a trellis over the Tee Pee for plants to grow up and fill in. You can purchase nylon trellis, cut it to fit, and staple it on, or, you can make your own trellis out of twine (very easy and very quick). I fastened a piece of twine a few inches from the top of the structure. Run it horizontally to each post, wrapping it around each post and continuing to the next. Keep the distance from the top about the same. Once all the way around at that level, fasten (or tie) another piece about 5-6 inches farther down the structure and do the same. Repeat this proceedure (remembering to keep an opening for the Tee Pee) until within a few inches of the bottom. Then put in vertical pieces to fill in between the posts. To do this, tie the twine to the top of the structure and run it down, wrapping it around each horizontal piece of twine as they meet. Once you reach the bottom, stake it into the soil (I used "Garden Staples").
  • Once your trellis is complete, you are ready to plant your seeds or plants. This year we are using Hyacinth Beans, Birdhouse Gourds, and Morning Glories. You can use any type of Pole Beans, or vining annuals. Some use Scarlet Runner Beans. Plant around the structure where the vines will be able to climb the posts or trellis and water them well.
  • Once you're finished planting, you may want to put some type of mulch in the Tee Pee for a floor to sit on. I've heard that a thick layer of straw works well. As we have no straw handy, we are using some old brown bathroom carpet. We'll see how that works.
  • Around Jimmy's Tee Pee we are planting a variety of sunflowers (Grey Stripe, Teddy Bear, Evening Sun, Red Sun, Italian White, etc.), Zinneas (Red Lollipop), Marigolds, and white Petunias. Jimmy likes his new playhouse already and looks forward to his plants growing over it so he can hide there.
  
  

  
  

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  © 1997, 1998, 1999 Linda's Garden

  updated March 17, 1999

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