Frugal Craft: Make A Baby Food Jar Garden

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

30 May 2007 06:28 AM

Baby food jars seem so useful, it is a shame to throw them away. Here is a great little craft that the kids can do. They can make a little garden inside of the baby food jar. With some adult supervision, even preschoolers can make this craft.

For your baby food jar garden, you will need the following:

• A baby food jar with the lid. Any size will do, but a bigger jar will allow you to make a more elaborate garden.
• Small dried or fake flowers. I used some baby breath that was left over from Valentine's Day flowers. The dollar stores sell tons of different inexpensive silk flowers.
• Play dough or clay. Why not try this recipe for home made play dough?
• A rolling pin or dowel to roll out the play dough.
• Hot glue gun

Making the baby food jar garden is very easy to do. Here are the step by step instructions:

1. Using your rolling pin or dowel, roll out the play dough or clay.
2. Place the mouth of your baby food jar on the clay and cut around it, making a circle that is the same size as the jar.
3. With your hot glue gun, glue the play dough or clay circle onto the baby food jar lid. Obviously, this step should be done by an adult. Wait a couple of seconds for the glue to taken, and the proceed to the next step.
4. Give the kids the dried or silk flowers and let them stick them in the play dough or clay for their garden arrangement. Keep in mind the height of the baby food jar.
5. Allow the play dough or clay to dry. Then carefully screw the lid onto the jar. Display your garden lid-side down.

This craft can work with other types of jars, too. Try gardens in pasta sauce jars and mayo jars, for example.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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