The girls and I made these for Mother's Day but this can be an all round idea for a mother's birthday or just to give in the summer. It's so simple and the kids will enjoy creating them while moms
will enjoy using them.
I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I also spend a lot
of money on grocery store herbs that I would rather get free from a garden.
This project serves as a great Mother’s Day gift because it’s one that Mom will
actually use! The kids can have fun painting and planting while also seeing Mom
use their gift on a daily basis.
If you’re a mother and want to make this project with
your kids it also works well to give to grandmothers and other friends who are
moms. In fact, I enjoyed making these with my children for myself. Now, the
next time I have a recipe that calls for sweet basil I won’t have to spend 20
minutes of my day driving to the grocery store and back again. That alone is
priceless.
You could even have your child water them as part of
their daily chores. It’s a nice way to turn the gift into an experience. Rather
than making something that you will eventually pack away in a memory box, these
can stay on your kitchen window sill indefinitely and will last as long as you
water them. Of course, that can be the most challenging part of all. Wink,
wink!
Materials Needed:
6 Terra cotta pots
Pencil
6
Acrylic paint colors of your choosing (recommended: pink, red, white, blue,
brown, yellow)
6
Paint brushes for each color
6
Potted herbs
Potting
soil
Potting
shovel
Ribbon
and bow
Instructions:
1.
Take one terra cotta pot and have your child draw a face on the front in
pencil. Remember not to draw the top of the head. That is what the herbs are
for! Terra cotta pots are inverted which makes painting tricky especially for a
child. Using a pencil beforehand might save you from wasting a pot because of a
painting mistake which are harder to fix.
2.
Once the face is drawn it’s time to break out the acrylic paints! This is the
best part. Have your child fill in the face with the paint brushes and various colors.
3.
Let the pot dry for about one hour.
4.
Now that your pot is dry you can help your child add the herbs which will serve
as the hair of the head. First fill the pot with a little fresh potting soil.
Remember, when the plant is placed in the new pot it shouldn’t be any deeper than
it was in the original container.
5.
Take the herb and help your child remove the plastic outer shell from the roots.
If you have an herb with a recycled compost shell have them peel away the outer
layer on their own. It’s fairly easy and it’s okay if the roots are jostled.
6.
Let your child gently loosen the root system on the bottom of the herb being careful
not to rip the roots from the plant.
7.
Place the herb in the new pot. While your child is holding the herb upright, backfill
the empty spaces with fresh potting soil. This is a little difficult so it
might be something the adult chooses to do. Once the herb can stand on its own
have your child press the soil down to compact it. Then keep adding soil until
the pot is filled and the dirt is tight.
8.
Water the soil until liquid emerges from the drainage hole on the bottom of the
pot.
9.
Wrap a bow around your pot and present to Mom. Enjoy her surprise and delight!
1 {comments}:
nice sharing.i love it
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