July 10, 2010
Nurture your child’s creativity and green thumb! A very simple, fun, inexpensive and educational craft that you can do with your child this summer would is to paint your own mini plant pots side by side- let your child’s creativity flow! Then plant flower, veggie or herb seeds and track their growth for an interactive botany lesson that lasts all summer long. It’s the perfect activity for rainy and stormy summer days and of course it’s good for blistering hot summer days when it’s better to stay inside.
Needed materials:
- DecoArt Patio Paint
(MSRP $1.75 per 2oz bottle) in the color(s) of your choice or DecoArt’s Patio Paint paint pots
(MSRP $3.50 for 8 colors) and paint brushes of course
- We bought the Fiesta paint pot set – I just love those bright colors!
- A little paint goes a long way, so with the little paint pots, you’d probably have enough paint for at least five to ten sets of mini planters and saucers.
- We bought the Fiesta paint pot set – I just love those bright colors!
- One terra cotta mini plant pot (3.5” in diameter and under) and one matching pot saucer for each of you
- I purchased the mini plant pots at Michael’s for about $0.80 each, and the saucers were even cheaper. I am 100% sure you can get them at any Lowe’s or Home Depot as well.
Directions:
- Directions? What directions!? Seriously, just paint what you feel like! You can create a design, or you can go for a more abstract design, as you can see littleQ did with his.
- Additional dealing or varnishing is not necessary with the DecoArt Patio Paint (or any other outdoor specific craft paint), but it would be a good idea to apply at least two coats of paint
- To paint on the inside of the pot, or not? I’ve read that you should, so if you want to paint the inside of your pot, go for it.
- Let your freshly painted mini planter pots fully dry. I would give it a full 2 hours just to be sure.
- If you choose, you can also embellish your plant pot with things like ribbon, sequins, mini pom poms, etc… but I like to keep it simple!
The Patio Paint is perfect for this project, because it’s water based, environmentally friendly and is both water and weather resistant; and it’s all in one step.
Once the paint on your plant pot is dry, it’s time to fill it with soil and plant the seeds of your choice. Don’t forget to water it! If you plant multiple types of seeds, be sure to label your planters.
As a follow up activity, have your child keep a log of the plants growth, either with a journal entries, drawings, photographs or video logs… or all of the above!
I know someone may ask the following question: Why not use just acrylic paint? – You can absolutely use acrylic paint, but if you do, you also have to properly seal it with a glaze, varnish or sealant spray. Basically it just adds another step, which makes it just a bit less kid friendly, but if you already have acrylic paint at home, go wild (just don’t forget the sealant).
what a cute craft, I’ll have to try it!
Nicole
What a cute idea! I need to try this with my kids!
I love potted plants!! It is such an easy great gift. I made one for my Mom and glued seashells on it and put the kids handprints on it too. So much fun:)