How to Make a Planter

Dear Diary,

Growing up, my mom transformed our backyard into a garden oasis. Her green thumb planted everything from green beans and tomatoes to red roses and sunflowers. Next door, my neighbor Mrs. Hess harvested a grape vineyard. I hoped to give my little girl the same outdoor experience, but I was missing one important thing–a backyard! Urban living has lots of benefits–like parks, coffee shops and even a Target in walking distance. But unfortunately, we can’t dig up our lawn. So, I headed to Assemble, which is a part of Pittsburgh’s growing maker community community. We got our hands dirty and learned how to make a planter, that’s easy enough for even toddlers to create. Follow these five simple steps, and you two can green your home. And if you don’t have a place to plant it, I’m sure you can find a family member or friend who would welcome your floral creation.

Gather your materials. You probably already have most of these items in your house. You’ll need child-safe scissors, masking tape, mason jars, newspapers, construction paper, markers, crayons, glue sticks and decorative items, such as plush pom poms, wiggle eyes and pipe cleaners.

Wrap your mason jar with newspaper. Tuck, don’t tape, the bottom to secure the paper planter. Be sure you tuck tightly, so your soil doesn’t spill. Remove the jar.

Decorate your planter. Cut strips of construction paper. Wrap it around the mason jar to determine the length. Then, get creative! You can sketch flowers and outdoor scenes. Caitlynn decides to draw a silly monster. She used wiggly eyes and markers. You can add hair or ears with pipe cleaner. When you’re done decorating, secure the sleeve onto the newspaper planter with masking tape.

Add soil. You can purchase a bag with seedlings already inside, or select something seasonable that you would like to see sprout up. Poke a hole into the soil with your finger, and stick the seeds inside.

To ensure your planter is biodegradable, be sure to remove the sleeve before you stick it in the ground.

Hey DFTM Fam–What summer craft are you making with your little one to become one with nature? If you live in the Pittsburgh area, be sure to check out the family friendly activities offered at Assemble, and become a part of the larger Remake Learning maker community.