3 Simple Winter Gardening Crafts for Children

Keeping kids busy seems to be a pastime that every parent experiences. Crafts are a great way to inspire children and get their creative juices flowing. Why not get them interested in the magic and wonderment of gardening by introducing them to aspects of gardening through crafts?

Here are some great benefits of teaching kids about gardening:

• It engages all the senses
• Teaches kids about eating healthy
• Enhances the more delicate motor skills
• Introduces kids to scientific concepts
• Teaches responsibility (such as watering plants)
• Helps develop planning and organizing skills
• Helps foster empathetic views towards the importance of our environment
• Teaches patience
• Creates family bonding; it’s an interactive task that the entire family can engage in

 

What is the most important benefit of teaching kids about gardening? If you teach while they are still young, they will learn a great lifelong hobby that will benefit them through different stages of their life. Gardening will contribute to their overall physical and emotional health as they become adults.

With this in mind, here are three great winter gardening craft ideas for kids!

Painted Rock Cactus Plants

Tools and materials you will need:

• Smooth rocks (you can purchase these from the dollar store)
• Craft paint in different shades of green and white
• Paintbrush
• Floral moss or decorative sand
• Small flower pots

 

Find pictures of cactus you like online. Wash the rocks to get off any dirt or sediment. Now paint them green, then let dry completely. Then, take white paint and draw spines. You can make dashed lines or spots. Then grab your pots and fill with moss or decorative sand, and place your painted rock cactus in the pot. Then add more sand, and voila!

For a full video tutorial, click here.

Egg Carton Greenhouses

What better way to inspire children about gardening than letting them try making their own mini greenhouse? It’s fun and easy to learn!

Tools and materials you will need:

• Potting soil
• Red plastic Solo cups
• Empty egg cartons
• Seeds of your choice
• Black marker
• Plastic wrap

 

Fill the egg cartons with the potting soil, then plant the seeds inside the carton. Write the name of the seeds on the side of the carton so you know what you planted. After watering the cartons generously, wrap them in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and place them in the windowsills of your house. Once you start to see little bits of green, take the plastic wrap off and keep the soil moist. Learn more here!

Thumbprint Painted Flower Pots

Tools and materials you will need:

• Terra cotta pots (4” is best)
• Acrylic paints (use bright colors)
• Black paint marker
• Other items — paper plates, wet wipes for clean-up

 

Want to make a thumbprint butterfly? First, use a black paint marker to draw a butterfly body on the pot. Then, squeeze a small size of paint on a plate, then dip thumb in the paint. Press your painted thumb four times to create butterfly wings. Repeat several times around pot, and allow paint to dry. For a full tutorial click here. Now that the pots are decorated, they can also be used for other purposes! Why not use them in your home for small succulents, or for growing your own seedlings?

Have any other fun inspired winter gardening craft ideas for kids? Let us know in the comments!