Help children create a weatherproof garden stepping-stone.
Gardening crafts get children outside and working with nature. However, rain, snow and sunshine can all wash away the fun if the craft isn't suited for the great outdoors. Luckily, there are plenty of weatherproof garden projects and crafts for kids that can stand up to the elements once they're completed.
Clay Pots
Encourage kids to have a colorful garden-themed afternoon by decorating their own clay flower pots. Kids of all ages can get involved in this project as they use the rounded pots as canvases for their art pieces. Simply wash the pot with soapy water to ensure all the dirt is off. Then let your kids get as creative as they choose by decorating the pot with acrylic paints using paintbrushes, stencils and stamps. When they're finished, top it off with a coat of a waterproof sealer, such as an acrylic all-purpose sealer, to ensure it stands up to the elements once it's filled with a flower or plant and placed in the garden.
Plant Markers
Organize your garden by creating plant markers. Start with an 8-inch-long rectangular slab of a reconstituted wood, such as MDF (medium density fiberboard). An adult should cut the wood into a triangle shape using a jigsaw. Make sure to file any edges that might have splinters. Then let kids decorate one plant marker for each row of seeds they plan to grow. Help younger children correctly spell the name of each plant or vegetable. Add some extra flair by using bright colors and making designs on the plant markers. Coat the markers with a clear all-purpose acrylic sealer paint that will allow the markers to stand tall through any kind of weather.
Stepping-Stones
Create a pathway through their garden by helping children make stepping-stones. Start by mixing some quick-setting concrete in a bucket, following the manufacturer's directions. When the mixture reaches a peanut butter-like consistency, pour it in a container to shape your stepping-stones. This might be a round baking pan (coated with cooking spray) or the bottom of a plastic milk container. Place the container on a level surface and allow it to set for a few minutes. Decorate the stepping-stone with anything the children choose, from hand prints to mosaic tiles. Let the concrete set and dry for about four days before placing it in your garden.
Wind Chime
Help kids create a decorative weatherproof wind chime for their garden. Begin with a piece of PVC pipe about an inch or two thick and six to 10 inches long. Find weatherproof objects that can be dangled from the wind chime, including tiny plant pots, wooden balls, beads, bells, sea shells and buttons. If the item doesn't already have a hole in it, an adult can use a drill to make one. Tie a few items along a piece of fishing line or other weatherproof string, using knots to keep them in place. Attach the decorated strings across the pipe, with each string dangling about one inch apart. Using another piece of string, tie one end to each end of the pipe so that the wind chime can be hung in the garden.
