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Tina Robertson

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

August 14, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m sharing 5 plastic bottle craft ideas. Also, look at my page Easy Seeds and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary) for more ideas.

Too, we’re creating these adorable 2-liter plastic bottle mini greenhouses.

By turning plastic bottles into greenhouses, you’re not only doing science but teaching about upcycling.

In addition, I have a bit of history of greenhouses, and you can have a mini unit study for the day.

Mini greenhouses are a game-changer for any gardener, no matter your skill level!

So this makes for a great hands-on learning project for multiple ages.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

A greenhouse is basically an enclosed space that is heated and lit by the sun.

Now if you were to expand this project into an actual structure, you will want to cover other topics.

Look at these questions and ideas to think about and plan.

  • what size project is right for your family
  • how many children will be using the space
  • who will be maintaining the space and how much time do you have
  • what do you want to grow. Do you want to grow just vegetables, plants, or explore hydroponics?

Also, for any type of greenhouse, the fun part is checking the progress each day.

This can be expanded into lessons.

Children can take light, wind, and temperature measurements and track the sun at different times of the day.

Additionally, learn about the history of greenhouses.

History of Greenhouses

Did you know that greenhouses are also called glass houses?

Some of the earliest accounts of using structures to grow plants date back to ancient Rome, around 30 A.D.

Cucumber and squash were grown for the Emperor Tiberius.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

In addition, Andrew Faneuil an affluent merchant from Boston, built the first known greenhouse in America in 1737.

Look at this site Dave’s Garden for a short history lesson about greenhouses.

Gardening Books for Kids

Too, look at some of the fun living books about gardening to add to your fun craft today.

I prefer living books when I can find them, then I add reference books too.

11 Gardening With Kids Books & Fun Resources

As a true bibliophile no unit study would be complete without a strong list of books to support a topic. Here is a great list for everyone in the family.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life. 

The Garden Classroom: Hands-On Activities in Math, Science, Literacy, and Art

Packed with garden-based activities that promote science, math, reading, writing, imaginative play, and arts and crafts, The Garden Classroom offers a whole year of outdoor play and learning ideas—however big or small your garden.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt:

Explore the secret realm beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Follow a young girl and her grandmother on a journey through the year planning, planting, and harvesting their garden—and learn about what's happening in the dirt to help make it all happen.Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world—earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow—populated by all the creatures that make a garden their home

Gardening Lab for Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden

A refreshing source of ideas to help your children learn to grow their own patch of earth, Gardening Lab for Kids encourages children to get outside and enjoy nature. This fun and creative book features 52 plant-related activities set into weekly lessons, beginning with learning to read maps to find your heat zone, moving through seeds, soil, composting, and then creating garden art and appreciating your natural surroundings.

The Ultimate Guide to Gardening: Grow Your Own Indoor, Vegetable, Fairy, and Other Great Gardens

Whether inside or outside, decorative or edible, this book is full of gardening projects large and small. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions are accompanied by photographs that guide the aspiring gardening through planting all kinds of gardens.

Kids Gardening Set

MONTESSORI FOR TODDLERS: Our gardening tool set encourages kids to play outside & learn about plants, nature & sustainability. Perfect for the yard and sand box.

OUTDOOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Our Kids Garden Set is great for Occupational Therapy & Developing Fine Motor Skills. Suitable for Boys and girls.

Do-It-Yourself Garden Research Handbook - The Thinking Tree: How to Design, Plant, & Care for Your Own Garden! Homeschooling Science, Nature & Home Economics

A Gardening Research Workbook & Planning Guide for Teens, Kids and Families! Perfect for Homeschooling Science, Nature Study, Botany and Home Economics!

Designed for teens, but perfect for Ages 9+ (Younger students will need some extra help).

Raised Garden Bed Wood Planter Boxes Outdoor for Kids with Legs

{Raised Garden Bed for Kids} We designed the children raised garden bed carefully, so that your children can feel the happiness of plant growth and the magic of natural life. Our raised garden bed deep enough to provide your plants and vegetables with ample room to breathe and grow healthy.

From Seed to Plant

Flowers, trees, fruits—plants are all around us, but where do they come from?  With simple language and bright illustrations, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the processes of pollination, seed formation, and germination.  Important vocabulary is reinforced with accessible explanation and colorful, clear diagrams showing the parts of plants, the wide variety of seeds, and how they grow.  The book includes instructions for a seed-growing project, and a page of interesting facts about plants, seeds, and flowers.   A nonfiction classic, and a perfect companion for early science lessons and curious young gardeners.

National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant

Kids see plants, flowers, and trees around them every day. In this lively and educational reader, they'll learn how those plants grow. Kids will take this magical journey from seed pollination to plant growth, learning about what plants need to thrive and grow with the same careful text, brilliant photographs, and the fun approach National Geographic Readers are known for.

Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants

An easy and fun introduction to plant biology! With the able assistance of Thing 1 and Thing 2 - the Cat in the Hat explores the world of plants. Kids will learn about the various parts of plants, seeds, and flowers; basic photosynthesis and pollination; and seed dispersal.

Additionally, look at these other 5 plastic bottle craft ideas.

5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

  1. Use a plastic bottle to make this cool submarine on my post Renaissance Inventors: How To Make A Fascinating Da Vinci Submarine Craft.
  2. How To Make A Plastic Bottle Faux Succulents Terrarium
  3. Take a 2 or 3 liter plastic bottle and make this Ship Craft Ideas & Ship Terminology | Fun Ship in A Bottle Craft for Kids.
  4. DIY Bottle Organizers
  5. Fairy House Night Lights

More Gardening Ideas | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Similarly, look at more gardening ideas.

  • Gardening Projects For Homeschool Easy Composting With the Amazing Dr. George Carver (Free Printable About Compost
  • Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity
  • How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids
  • How to Make a Fun Kids Root Viewer
  • How to Easily Make Fun Seed Tape With Kids
  • 7 Science Garden Ideas and Make a Pizza Container Garden
  • How to Make Easy Herb and Olive Oil Garden Bread With Kids
  • 8 Peter Rabbit Garden Ideas | How To Make A Preschool Garden Box

Finally, look at these 2-liter bottle mini greenhouses to add to the other 5 plastic bottle craft ideas.

How to Make 2-Liter Bottle Mini Greenhouses

First, here is what you need:

  • empty and clean 2-liter bottles
  • x-acto knife
  • plastic wrap
  • rubber band
  • soil
  • seeds (I used sunflower for this project)
  • spray bottle filled with water
  • optional: plastic tray
How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

First, using the x-acto knife, cut the middle part of the 2-liter bottle out and discard.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

On the bottom of the bottle, cut a few drain holes using the knife.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

You’ll want the top portion of the bottle to fit just enough into the bottom portion to create the greenhouse.

Fill the bottom portion of the bottle with soil.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Poke 1-3 holes into the soil for the seeds.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Place a seed into each hole.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Use the spray bottle to moisten the soil enough with water.

Cover the top portion of the bottle with a piece of plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Place the lid on top of the bottom portion of the greenhouse.

Set the mini greenhouses near a windowsill that gets good sunshine.

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Use a tray underneath if desired. Observe over a few days.

After a few days, you should see the seeds sprouting.

If you do not see any seeds sprouting, you can try planting another until you get a sprout.

 Seeds not sprouting could be from just bad seeds, diseased seeds, etc.

Once plants reach a certain height, you can transfer to a bigger container or garden outside and watch them grow!

How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: garden, gardening, greenhouses, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, life science, plants, plastic bottle, science

2025 to 2029 Colorful Printable List Of Major Holidays (5 Years One Page)

August 13, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have the 2025 to 2029 colorful printable list of major holidays on 1 convenient page for your planner. Also, look at all my beautiful forms on my pages Homeschool Planner.

And check out my page Best and Unique 7 Step Curriculum Planner for a step by step guide to using my forms and creating your unique planner.

The list of major holidays on one page form is in two color choices.

2025 to 2029 Colorful Printable List Of Major Holidays (5 Years One Page)

Download and print both colors or one.

Typically, I place the forms near the front and back of my planner for a quick reference.

The form I have today is for homeschool planning.

It has major U.S. holidays on one page for easy reference. 

It is a nifty hard-working tool because I use it for both short-term and long-term planning.

These forms are used to help you plan not just your homeschool year, but vacations and days off in your school year.

By looking this far ahead, it helps me to decide when I want to take a family vacation.

And I use it with my homeschool planning calendar.

Next, look at more of my homeschool planner forms.

More Homeschool Planner Forms

  • 2024-2025 Homeschool Planning Schedule (Sky Color) Beautiful Form
  • 2024-2025 Homeschool Planning Schedule (Seafoam Color) Beautiful Form
  • 2024 to 2025 (Aster Color) Two Page Monthly Calendar
  • 2024 to 2025 (Prim Color) Two Page Monthly Calendar
  • 2024-2025 Printable School Calendars on One Page
  • The Ultimate and Beautiful DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner
  • A Unique Flexible and Beautiful Preschool Homeschool Planner. A planner which can be used for Prek to 1st grade entitled Early Learner Planner.
  • Grab the beautiful Dynamic Homeschool Colorful Planner.
2025 to 2029 Colorful Printable List Of Major Holidays (5 Years One Page)

Also, look at these pretties I love to add to my planner and a simple printer is best.

Don’t complicate this process.

15 Gorgeous Homeschool Planner Supplies

Whether you add a bit of eye candy or consider it essential supplies, you'll love some of these ideas.

Poppin Zip Folios, Aqua

Set of 3 slide-tab reusable plastic envelopes

Poppin Page Markers, Set of 8

Poppin Page Markers, Set of 8

Retractable Gel Luxe Pens

Love how these write.

Bubble Shape Sticky Notes

8 Bright Colors: Including blue, light blue, green, yellow, orange, rose red, pink and purple; colorful memo pads that look good and are hard to ignore.

Light Soft Color Erasable Highlighter Pen

Highlighter Pen, 6 Color Set 

6-in-1 Multicolor Ballpoint Pen

I love these because every color you need is available in one pen.

Plastic Binder Dividers with Pockets

You can add dividers to your planner by cutting off just a bit of it and it still can be coil bound, but let the office personnel where you take your planner to be bound to trim it for you.

Eco-friendly Wood & Plastic Free Rainbow Pencils

RAINBOW PAPER PENCIL:The inner body of pencils is made of rainbow -like recycled papers.Premium #2 HB grade lead for smooth writing and drawing.

Highlighter, Pastel Colors Chisel Tip Marker Pen

USA Brand ZEYAR, AP Certified. BRIGHT COLORS: the assortment of Great bright Fluorescent or Macaron inks protect and emphasize your handwritten texts, No shadow on the next
page

Bible Highlighters and Pens No Bleed

These work beautiful on your planners. Bible Safe Dry Highlighters: These no bleed highlighters are great for journaling and memorizing verses

Glitter Washi

Package Include: you will receive 30 rolls of glitter washi tapes in 30 colors, each measuring about 2 meters/ 2.2 yards in length and 1 cm/ 0.4 inch in width, abundant in quantity, enough to satisfy your daily decorating and crafting needs

BOSOBO Mouse Pad

► PERSONALIZED MOUSE PAD: Measure 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.1inch ( 200mm x 200mm x 3mm), small size but perfect size for work and game. Elegant geometric shape and exquisite illustration add personality to your office, perfect for all style desktop, office, home, computer, keyboard and mice.

Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer

You don't need an expensive printer to print your homeschool planner. I've used this mobile printer for years.

Eco Highlighter Pencils

Eco Highlighter Pencils - Set of 5 Colors - Will Not Bleed or Dry Out - Includes Wooden Sharpener

Semikolon Sticky Page Tab Markers

I've used these for years and love them.

How to Get the Free 2025 to 2029 List of Major Holidays on One Page

Now, how to grab the freebie.

It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie instantly.

1) Sign up on my email list.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Curriculum Planner Tagged With: curriculum planner, curriculum planner. homeschool., homeschool curriculum planner, homeschool planner, homeschool planning, planner, planning

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

August 12, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Gather up air dry clay and some craft paint to create fun desert crafts for kids with me today.

When you learn about something it doesn’t have to just be diagrams and dioramas that get tossed out after a few weeks.

Get creative.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

And do something that’s beautiful and functional while you learn about whatever your topic is.

In this case, we are headed to the desert to learn all about it.

So in honor of that, we are going to take some air, dry clay and turn it into an adorable cactus jewelry holder that can be enjoyed long after the lesson is over.

Use beautiful books to delve into different types of cactuses and their characteristics.

And then re-create one.

I used Nature Anatomy along with our craft for this great desert information.

Of course, I also have another handful of desert crafts for kids to inspire you and your child on your learning journey.

First, look at some of these books.

18 Desert Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add some of these living books and references books about the desert to your library.

The Seed & the Giant Saguaro

Children's reader on the subject of deserts and what lives there Large book with very large kid friendly illustrations

Cactus Hotel (Rise and Shine)

It is another hot day in the desert. Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!Many different animals live in the cactus hotel. It protects them; and they protect it, by eating the pests that could harm the cactus.The cactus grows larger and larger and will live for about two hundred years. When one animal moves out, another moves in. There is never a vacancy in the cactus hotel.This story--about a desert, a giant cactus, and the animals who live in it--is one that even the youngest child will understand and enjoy.

Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus

A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual.

Where Is the Sahara Desert?

Imagine over three million square miles of sand dunes that are as tall as a ten-story building. That place is real -- it's the Sahara Desert! Vast, yes! And home to fascinating creatures such as ostriches and fennec foxes as well as amazing plant life. The shallow roots of the mesquite tree can grow almost 200 feet across to absorb water. Readers will also learn about the famous trade routes of the past with caravans of up to 10,000 camels, European explorers to the region (some very unlucky ones), and native populations like the Berber and Tuareg, the faces of the men are blue from the dye in the veils they always wear.

Where Is Antarctica?

Antarctica, the earth's southernmost continent, was virtually untouched by humans until the nineteenth century. Many famous explorers journeyed (and often died) there in the hope of discovering a land that
always seemed out of reach. This book introduces readers to this
desert--yes, desert!--continent that holds about 90 percent of the
world's ice; showcases some of the 200 species that call Antarctica
home, including the emperor penguin; and discusses environmental dangers to the continent, underscoring how what happens to Antarctica affects the entire world.

A Desert Scrapbook: Dawn to Dusk in the Sonoran Desert

In the early morning hours, an artist stirs. Gathering her paints and notebook, she heads into the Arizona Sonoran Desert to explore its treasures. Sketching, painting, and writing, she records all that she sees and as night falls, she spreads out her pictures to make this scrapbook of her day, from dawn to dusk.

This Place Is Dry: Arizona's Sonoran Desert

Surveys the living conditions in Arizona's Sonora Desert for the people and unusual animals that live there. Also describes the engineering accomplishment of Hoover Dam.

Desert Solitaire

In Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey recounts his many escapades, adventures, and epiphanies as an Arches National Park ranger outside Moab, Utah. Brimming with arresting insights, impassioned arguments for wilderness conservation, and a raconteur’s wit, it is one of Abbey’s most critically acclaimed works.   Through stories and philosophical musings, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness, the future of a civilization, and his own internal struggle with morality. As the world continues its rapid development, Abbey’s cry to maintain the natural beauty of the West remains just as relevant today as when this book first appeared in 1968.

Coyote Raid In Cactus Canyon

While the rest of the animals hide from view from a group of rambunctious coyotes, the fearless gang takes full advantage of the open space of Cactus Canyon and participates with great zeal in an array of nighttime activities, but an unexpected encounter with a rattlesnake quickly puts an end to the coyotes fun as they are sent running for cover, too!

Roxaboxen

Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.

Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry? All About Deserts

n this latest installation of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library, the Cat takes Sally and Dick to explore different kinds of deserts around the world,  from the hot, dry Sonoran and Mojavi to the bitter cold Gobi and Antarctica. Young readers learn why deserts are dry, and how plants and animals—including cactus, kangaroos, camels, penguins, roadrunners, and many others—have adapted to survive the unforgiving climate. Also included: how sand dunes are formed; the reason we see mirages, and how shallow water beneath the surface of the ground can create an oasis. Fans of the new PBS preschool science show The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (which is based on the Learning Library series) won't want to miss this hot new addition to the series!

One Day in the Desert

‘A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood. With a measured yet vivid style, this introduction to desert ecology makes a memorable impact."

Deserts

This intriguing yet simple description will captivate young readers who have an interest in the unfamiliar.

A Walk in the Desert (Biomes of North America)

Take a walk through the desert. This hot, dry biome of the southwest is full of life. How do plants and animals of the desert live? As you wander through the desert, discover how each and every plant and animal relies on the others to live and grow.

Wildlife of the Southwest Deserts

Learn about the fascinating creatures of the desert Southwest including: Venomous Animals Insects and Arthropods Rattlesnakes, Lizards, Desert Tortoise The Roadrunner and other Birds Bighorn Sheep, Kit Fox, Coyote.

Indian Uses of Desert Plants

Now in its fourth edition, this is a beautiful book with both historical and contemporary images showing the most important plants used by Native Americans. Medicinal, food resources, tools and shelter are just some of the uses discussed. Plants shown and described are among the most widespread plants in the desert Southwest.

Desert Snakes

Learn all about desert snakes with the beautiful book by James W. Cornett.

The Namib Desert

An excellent introduction to the natural history of the Namib Desert of southwest Africa. At its heart, second only to the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru as the driest place on Earth. Also, it is the oldest desert on our planet and the only desert with a megafauna including elephant, giraffe, and rhinoceros. The lofty orange dunes, highest in the world, are also shown and discussed.

7 Desert Crafts for Kids

  • Here are 8 Desert Craft Ideas | How To Make Egg Carton Cactus for another unique craft to go along with learning about the desert.
  • Recreate the Puffy Paint Cactus Craft Idea For Kids, using different types of cactus as inspiration.
  • Making 3D Felt Cactus Plants is great for older kids, middle to high school. Giving them more of a challenge.
  • Use colored sand to recreate the gorgeous colors of desert landscapes with Desert Sand Art: Hands-on Learning (Colors of the Desert).
  • Every art piece is unique when you make these Desert Sunset Paintings.
  • Preschoolers will love this Popsicle Stick Camel Craft as they learn about the characteristics and differences of Bactrian(single hump)or Dromedary (two hump) camels.
  • While maybe not exactly a craft your child will enjoy creating and recreating desert scenes over and over with the Desert Play Doh Pretend Play.

Fascinating Facts About the Desert

Before we get into our fun craft for the day let’s learn a little bit more about the fascinating desert.

 They are home to a variety of plants, animals, and people who have adapted to the dry climate.

  • The Desert-Deserts are dry, sandy places with very little water. They are often very hot during the day and very cold at night. Deserts can be found all over the world, but they are most common in Africa, Asia, and North America.
  • Plants and Animals-The plants and animals that live in deserts are adapted to the dry, hot climate. Many desert plants have long roots that help them reach water deep underground. Some plants, like cacti, store water in their stems and leaves ,they provide shelter for animals, and help stabilize the soil with their roots.

Desert animals often have long ears or tails that help them cool down, they may also be nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night.

People-People have lived in deserts for thousands of years.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

They have learned to adapt to the harsh environment by building homes that are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

They also use special techniques to grow crops and raise animals in the desert.

How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

You will need:

  • Air dry clay
  • Craft paint
  • Wood craft sticks
  • Paint brushes
  • Clear spray coat
7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

First, you want to do is build your cactus structure out of craft sticks.

This will help give your base some form and keep it in place while it dries.

Cut your wood pieces to size and hot glue them together to create the basic shape of your cactus.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Now get out your air, dry clay, and start covering the base form completely, completely smoothing the joints as you go.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

If you like, you can even create a pretty bloom to hot glue on the cactus later.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

The next step is to create a base did this by grabbing a small plate and pressing the clay into it to get the shape and size

Move from the plate so that both sides can dry completely.

You can crimp the edges like a pie, leave as is, or cut smooth edges.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Once you’re satisfied with your cactus, let your pieces dry overnight.

Paint each of your pieces and set them aside to dry again.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Now the final step is attaching everything using hot glue.

Attach the cactus to the base plate and then the bloom to the cactus.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Once the glue has set, take the piece outside and give it a good 2 to 3 coats of clear sealer, you can choose either. It’s up to you.

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Look how cute it is sitting on a dresser holding random earrings, necklaces and bracelets

7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: desert, earth science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, science

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

August 9, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re taking a leftover pool noodle from summer and creating a fun pitcher plant craft to demonstrate how this amazing plant works. Also, look at my free lapbook and Carnivorous Plants unit study.

In tropical and subtropical regions of the world, you can find pitcher plants.

Those places are warm and have humid climates that pitcher plants need to thrive.

Pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants are unable to attain enough nitrogen from the soil where they grow.

This is an important requirement for plants.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

So, in order to survive they have adapted by trapping and absorbing insects which provides them with nitrogen and phosphorus.

They have several different ways that help them attract and trap bugs.

For example, they have pitcher shaped leaves, bug enticing nectar, slippery walls, and enzymes. 

While it’s kind of gross it is really neat and fascinating!

Pitcher-shaped leaves. The pitcher-shaped leaves of pitcher plants are designed to trap insects.

It has leaves that are brightly colored. Too, they have a slippery surface, making it difficult for insects to climb out once they fall in.

Sweet nectar-Pitcher plants produce a sweet nectar that serves as bait for insects.

This nectar is located at the rim of the pitcher and near the opening, enticing insects to investigate.

Slippery walls. There are tiny, downward-pointing hairs in the inner walls. This makes it slippery and difficult for insects to climb out.

These hairs act like a one-way door, allowing insects to enter the pitcher but preventing them from escaping.

Digestive enzymes- Pitcher plants produce digestive enzymes that help them break down and absorb the nutrients from the insects they capture.

These enzymes are secreted into the liquid at the bottom of the pitcher and break down the insect’s body over time.

Books About Carnivorous Plants

Also, add these books to your home library.

11 Carnivorous Plants Resources

Add some of these books and resources for a carnivorous plants unit study for multiple ages.

Eaten Alive by Carnivorous Plants: Grades 2-4

Eaten Alive by Carnivorous Plants. This is a natural science book for a young audience. There are over 760 different kinds of meat-eating plants in the world. They attract, capture, and digest their prey in order to supplement the nutrients that are deficient in the soil they grow in. This book describes all four major types of traps used by the meat-eating plants. Children will learn all the tricks these plants have in store for their unsuspecting prey.

Killer Plants: Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants, and Other Deadly Flora

Carnivorous plants: they're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well.

Carnivorous Plants Coloring Book: Carnivorous Plants Gift With Venus Fly Traps, Pitcher Plants And More

This Coloring Book is a lovely tool to express your creativity and embody your colorful ideas.

35 pages to color With custom sized pages (8,5" x 11") and soft cover this book is perfect for keeping it at hand wherever you go. With it's artful cover page this coloring book will always brighten up your life and be an eye-catcher for everyone else.

Meat-Eating Plants -A Carnivorous Plant Story: Science for Young Readers

Meat-Eating Plants - a carnivorous plant story. There are over 760 kinds of meat-eating plants in the world. They developed this amazing meat-eating habit in order to survive in their mineral-poor environment. There are four major types of traps used by carnivorous plants: pitfall trap, sticky-leaf trap, snap-trap, and suction trap in the water. All these trap mechanisms are explained using amazing color images. Youngsters will explore the wonders of nature as they read along about these amazing plants!

Predator Plants: 20 Questions Kids Ask About Carnivorous Plants

Get ready to dive into the thrilling world of carnivorous plants with "Predator Plants"! This enchanting guide is designed to captivate the minds of both kids and their parents. With 20 fascinating questions answered, this comprehensive book unravels the mysteries of these
botanical wonders, exploring their unique characteristics and abilities.

Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant (Curious George)

Elizabite is a carnivorous plant who eats insects as appetizers and enjoys hotdogs for snacks. Whether it walks, talks, flies, or barks, Elizabite is ready to make a meal of it. Her cheerful, hungry smile and infinite appetite attract much attention - a scientist examines her, a professor studies her, and everyone agrees that she is one of a kind. In an effort to control her diet and her unpredictable temper, Elizabite's admirers chain and muzzle her. But not even a barbed wire fence can prevent her from following her heart's (and stomach's) desire! Only when her unique appetite prevents a crime does Elizabite win the respect she deserves.

Nature Venus Fly Trap - Fun and Easy to Grow Kids Terrarium Set

  • Easy And Fun To Grow - Franki "The Ferocious" Fly Trap - Great Kids Gift
  • Just Add Water! - Everything Else To Keep Your Terrarium Is Included.
  • Watch Out Flies! - Plants Will Grow Into Bug Eating Monsters!
  • Each Kit Comes With A Genuine Jasper Stone (Color Varies)

Hungry Plants (Step-into-Reading, Step 4)

This book offers readers a bug’s-eye view into the strange and fascinating world of carnivorous plants. From the “jaws” of the Venus flytrap to the pretty sundew plant whose delicate tentacles entrap its prey, the unique anatomy and behaviors of meat-eating plants are detailed with clear, engaging text and art.

Plants that Eat Animals (Rookie Read-About Science: Plants and Fungi)

Discover a variety of carnivorous plants, including the Venus fly trap, sundew, pitcher plant, and bladderwort. The natural world comes alive for young readers (Ages 6-7) with Rookie Read-About "RM" Science! With striking, full-color photos and just the right amount of text, this series immediately involves young readers as they discover intriguing facts about the fascinating world around them.

DK Readers: Plants Bite Back! (Level 3: Reading Alone)

There are plants that prickle, sting, and even munch insects for lunch! So, never bite a strange plant—it might bite back!   Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging,
age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge.

Venus Fly Trap - Kids Terrarium Kit - Grow Your Own Seeds. 6 Plants That EAT Bugs

Live Carnivorous Plants Including Venus Fly Traps, Sundew and Pitcher Plants.

Just Add Water! - Everything Else To Keep Your Terrarium Is Included.

10 Incredible Facts About The Pitcher Plant

  1. Pitcher Plants can be houseplants. They do best as terrariums with adequate sunlight and mildly acidic soil.
  2. Pitcher plants can be found in various habitats. They can be found in rainforests, swamps, bogs, and even some coastal areas. And they can be found growing on the ground, on trees, or even on rocks.
  3. Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants, this means that they trap and eat insects and other small animals to obtain nutrients.
  4. They have modified leaves that evolved into pitcher-shaped structures, perfectly designed to capture prey.
  5. The inside of the pitcher is lined with downward-pointing hairs and glands that secrete a slippery liquid. This liquid attracts insects with its sweet aroma but makes it difficult for them to climb out once they fall in.
  6. Once an insect falls into the pitcher, it drowns in the liquid. Then it is broken down by enzymes and bacteria, releasing nutrients that the pitcher plant can absorb.
  7. There are approximately 170 known species of pitcher plants. Each has unique characteristics.
  8. Pitcher plants are found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with the greatest diversity being in Southeast Asia.
  9. Some pitcher plants, such as the Rafflesiana pitcher plant, can grow to be over 10 feet tall, which makes them the largest carnivorous plants in the world.
  10. Pitcher plants play a very important role in the ecosystems by helping to control the population of insects, like mosquitoes, which can carry diseases.
How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Pitcher Plant and Other Carnivorous Plant Resources

  • Carnivorous Plants Unit Study
  • Carnivorous Plants For Kids and Make a Fun Paper Plate Venus Flytrap Craft
  • Free Carnivorous Plants Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Free Carnivorous Plants Notebooking Pages & Easy Hands-on Science Activity
  • Get a two for one resource in this C is for Carnivorous Plants: Book and Craft.

Botanicum is a wonderful resource full of incredible vintage illustrations and covers a wide variety of plants including our Pitcher Plant.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

You will need:

  • Pool noodle
  • Green felt
  • Red paint or markers
  • A small knife
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun/glue stick
How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

First, cut a couple of lengths of pool noodle.

Cut it down to the size you would like your pitcher plants.

Vary them in height.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Then take the knife and scrape the bottom 3/4 tapering the shape a bit.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Hollow out the center a little more to make the opening larger.

Measure and wrap felt around your pool noodle secure the back with hot glue.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Cut a piece of pipe cleaner 1 ½”  = long hot glue on the back of the plant, hiding it behind the felt seam.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Fold the felt inside on both ends of the pool noodle and secure with hot glue

Next, cut two small slices off the pool noodle, an 1/8” or less.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Shape your small slices a little bit to give them a bit more of a leaf shape.

Then cut felt slightly larger and hot glue with the end of the pipe cleaner in between the two pieces.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Use red paint or markers to color veins along the length of the plant and all over the top as well as the inner lip.

Allow the paint to dry completely.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Cut a few more long leaf shapes from green felt and hot glue to pipe cleaners your leaves and plants inside of a pot.

Your small piece of pipe cleaner makes it easy to demonstrate how the plant opens and closes to trap its prey.

How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: carnivorous, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, life science, pool noodles

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

August 8, 2024 | Leave a Comment
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Creating this letter s handprint craft, you can’t get any more hands-on. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more letter fun and handprint crafts. Too, check out my page Strawberry Unit Study.

It is a fun and simple craft to do when learning about delicious bright red strawberries, their life cycle, and of course a taste test in their different forms.

Of course, you can absolutely create this craft on a piece of paper instead.

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

But I think it makes for a really cute piece of kitchen decor with sweet little hands to remember.

Or save space and add different fruit handprints as you learn about them to create a wonderful fruit collage to display.

Strawberries are not only delicious but are a great science lesson for kids learning about the life cycle of a plant.

They learn geography when they locate the largest grower of them on the map, and math as they measure out ingredients for a tasty recipe.

Books About Strawberries for Kids

Next, look at some of these adorable resources to add to your learning day.

Grab a book or two for your home library.

11 Strawberry Unit Study Resources & Books

Add one or two of these strawberry unit study resources to make your fun spring unit study come to life.

1000+ Red Strawberry Seeds for Planting

Big pack: 1000+ Non-GMO red strawberry seeds by Monique939-002..

Interesting: Whether they are spotted in your yard or as part of a tasty treat, strawberries are sure to spark attention! Liven up a fruit salad, muesli or trifle.

From Seed to Strawberry

How does a tiny seed grow into a sweet, juicy strawberry? Follow each step in the cycle from planting seeds to eating yummy strawberries in this fascinating book!

Strawberry Girl

Strawberries—big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Strawberry Night Light

How fun.. What an adorable gift or to use in your school area.

Strawberry Shortcake

Your child will quickly fall in love with this Strawberry Shortcake pillow and be excited to jump into bed. Great for playtime, naptime, or bedtime this will make the perfect gift for your loved one. 

Saving Strawberry Farm

One penny.

In the hot, mean summer of 1933, a penny is enough to buy caramels or red hots or peppermint sticks or licorice strings. Is it enough to buy Miss Elsie's Strawberry Farm?

There's only one way to find out. Davey takes a deep breath and shouts, "One penny for trawberry Farm!"

Set during the Great Depression, and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Rachel Isadora, Saving Strawberry Farm brings Davey's Midwestern town to life as friends and neighbors plan to
save the farm the only way they can -- with a secret penny auction!

Strawberry Shortcake Coloring Book Super Set/ Over 100 Stickers

Delight your Strawberry Shortcake fan with this Strawberry Shortcake Giant Coloring Book Bundle with 144 coloring pages and 50 stickers.

This giant Strawberry Shortcake sticker activity book set features Strawberry Shortcake and her friends.

Includes two premium Strawberry Shortcake coloring books filled with coloring activities and games. Includes 50 stickers!

National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

Adult and child readers will learn all about plants together in this new Co-reader from National Geographic Kids. Find out how plants grow as well as the different parts of plants, seeds, and flowers.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the big hungry bear . . .

How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red ripe strawberry?

This classic story is beloved for its humor, expressive illustrations, and surprise ending—pure read-aloud fun!

Watch a Strawberry Grow (Bullfrog Books: Watch It Grow)

In Watch a Strawberry Grow, early fluent readers learn how strawberries grow. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn about how this delicious berry is grown and harvested. An infographic illustrates the life cycle of a strawberry. Children can learn more about how strawberries grow using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites

The Strawberry Garden

Grandfather Ethan planted strawberry seedlings in the garden bed, and when they grew big strawberries that were all shiny and red - everybody wanted to taste them: the cow, the crow, and even the cat. It's a good thing that the scarecrow was there to scare them away! But what happens when little Nora, the granddaughter, wants to collect the shiny red strawberries?

Also, look at these facts about strawberries.

6 Sweet Strawberry Facts

  • There are over 200 seeds on the surface of a single strawberry.
  • Strawberries are one of the first fruits to become ripe in spring and they only have about a 3-week harvest period, so pick ’em while they are ready!
  • They come in more than just the color red; by crossing wild strawberries and using the seeds we can get white, pink, yellow, and golden-hued shades.
  • Technically strawberries are part of the rose family, they are in the Rosaceae family and the subfamily Rosoideae, which also includes roses.
  • Strawberries have more vitamin c than an orange, well 7 strawberries do.
How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

While strawberries are grown in every state, 80% of the strawberries produced in the US are from California.

More Letter S Handprint Craft Ideas

If you need a handful of more ideas to teach the letter S to your child, I found some great themes to recreate from handprints for anytime of the year.

  • Create an S is For Sun with sweet little hands.
  • Learn 7 Fun Facts About Swan | How to Create a Handprint Swan.
  • Turn wiggly little fingers into a S Is For Spider Handprint Craft With Letter S Worksheet.
  • A trip to the beach could turn into a great S is for Sand lesson with this Beach Craft: Make a Sandy Handprint Keepsake.
  • I just love this handprint sunflower craft, less mess than paint, simply trace and cut.
  • Brrrrrr S is for Snowman, how cute are these 10 little snow guys all in a row? Great for counting practice as well.
How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

I know this is a foot craft not a hand, but it deserves honorable mention.

Just look how ‘stinking’ cute this Footprint Skunk is (and two bonus letters turned woodland creatures).

More Hands-on Strawberry Activities for Kids

Also, if you want to include your older children with a study of strawberries, look at my activities below.

  • Printable Strawberries Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Free Printable Strawberry Notebooking Pages
  • Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Finally, look at how to make this strawberry letter s handprint craft.

Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

Is it art, homeschool, or kitchen decor?

It can be all 3 and it is a wonderful keepsake that is fun for little learners to make as well.

You will need:

  • Letter tiles or stickers
  • Canvas
  • Red craft paint
  • green craft paint
  • Black sharpie marker
How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

First, paint the top portion of both palms green for the stem and hull/calyx (the leafy greens at the top).

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

Paint the remainder of the palm and the 4 fingers red, overlapping the color just a bit.

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

Press firmly onto the canvas with the fingers closed.

Be sure to press it down all over with your own hand to transfer as much of the paint as possible.

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

Carefully lift the hands straight up off the canvas.

Repaint and repeat as many times as you like.

Use a paintbrush to extend the green top a little more.

Allow the paint to dry completely.

Let your child add seeds with either a sharpie marker or a cotton swab dipped in black craft paint.

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

While that is drying, grab letter tiles or stickers and adhere them to the bottom of the canvas, going over each letter and the sound it makes as you add them.

For younger children you could even just add a variety of S’s to concentrate on the s is for strawberry lesson.

How To Create A Sweet Strawberry Letter S Handprint Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: alphabet, handprint, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, phonics, preschool, strawberry

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