With Spring just around the corner we are beginning to notice all the plants emerging from the ground after their winter sleep. I still find it exciting, all those little bulbs and shoots peeking through the soil ready for warmer days.
We're also getting excited about what things we are going to add to our garden this year.
The boys started a little vegetable patch last year, growing tomotoes, beans, peppers and herbs that we bought from a garden centre, and this year we are going to try and start as many vegetables from seed as we can.
This cute craft is a lovely way to explore how seeds grow and it's really easy to make; you will love how the little seedling emerges from the soil and starts growing before your eyes!
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I love crafts like these, not only are they fun to make, but lots of fun to play with as well.
And not only is creating together a lovely tactile way to learn, it's also a great way to bond, and perfect for celebrating events such as Earth day, or to just go with any green-fingered learning of your own.
When crafting with my children I find it helps to get all the materials and tools ready before starting, and I pop a tray or newspaper underneath any painting
To make the paper plate seedling craft you will need:
Paper plate
Brown, blue and white paint
Glue
Scissors
A large pompom or cotton wool bud
Craft knife and mat
Start by drawing a line in pencil across the bottom third of your paper plate - this will be the top of the soil where your seedling sprouts from.
Using your brown paint, colour in the whole are below this line, right up to the edges of the plate.
To create your sky colour, you can either mix blue and white paint together until you're happy with the colour (like we did), or you can use a ready-mixed sky blue.
Acrylic paints give the best coverage, but you can use whatever paints you have to hand, tempura / poster paints also work well.
Paint the remaining two thirds of your paper plate blue - this will be your sky.
Next you are going to make your clouds!
Take your pompom or cotton bud, dip in white paint and gently press on the plate in random patches.
You can make your clouds any shape you want, big or small, let your imagination decide!
Next you need to cut out two small leaf shapes from your green card and glue them to the end of your craft stick. This might be a bit tricky and one for the grownups to help with.
This next stage is definitely one for the grown-ups to do. Using your craft knife, cut a horizontal line where the soil meets the sky, wide enough to fit your seedling through.
Separate the soil from the sky slightly and push your seedling through the gap.
Enjoy your seedling sprouting up from the soil by pushing the craft stick up and down!
Watch the video:
Celebrating Earth Day? Why not try our our planet earth seed bombs
Have you tried our seedling craft? What else have you made with paper plates? Leave me a comment below!
For more playful and creative learning ideas visit: