Help develop your little one’s gardening skills with this fun and decorative craft. Follow these steps to make your own window garden, the perfect starting point for your little gardener.
Materials:
- Empty 6.75 oz Juicy Juice juice box(es)
- White acrylic paint
- Acrylic paint (any 2 colors you like)
- Paint brush
- Paper plates
- Paper cups
- Kid-friendly scissors
- Potting soil
- Flower seeds
- Spade/planting tool (Adult supervision)
- Fun stickers
- Painter’s tape (Optional)
Step 1:
Cut off the top of an empty Juicy Juice 6.75 oz juice box. Try to cut in a straight line all the way around the top.
Step 2:
Next, hold the juice box at both ends and cover the outside of the juice box with white acrylic paint. Place the juice box on its top and allow it to dry evenly.
Step 3:
Let the first coat dry for about 15 minutes, then add another coat of white paint. Place it back on its top to dry more. You shouldn’t see any of the Juicy Juice label once the second coat is dry.
Step 4:
Next, take a paper cup and add the 2 acrylic paint colors of your choice. Pour the color that you want to see the most on your planter first into a paper cup. Then, pour the second color into the cup, changing the position of the cup so the paint goes into the cup at a different angle, allowing the paint to gently mix.
Step 5:
Pour the paint from your cup over the juice box, leaving some white space on the box. This will give it more dimension and it will be easier to pick it up in the next step. If you’d like, you can use painter’s tape around the juice box for the sections that you want to keep white.
Step 6:
Let this coat of paint dry for 30-45 minutes, then move your planter to a new plate to continue drying. This will ensure it doesn’t stick to the plate.
Step 7:
Wait for the planter to fully dry (about 24 hours). When it has dried, you can add fun stickers wherever you want.
Step 8:
Now it’s time to add the soil! This is best done by a parent or adult using a spade to easily move dirt from your bag or garden into the planter. We recommend adding the soil into the planter outside or over a sheet of paper to keep from making a mess. Once you’ve filled it up to just below the rim, plant some flower seeds about 1.8” deep (a ruler can help here) and lightly water them.
Step 9:
Repeat these steps for as many planters as you’d like, then put the planters in your window. Make a schedule and have your kids water their window gardens once a week. Then watch and wait as your garden grows!
