Kids love science and kids love to create- so put the two together and you get an easy to make terrarium.
Terrariums can come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and price ranges. For this little tutorial I did it on the easy and inexpensive side. I found several items at our local Dollar Store and the rest I had on hand and also purchased at the nearest garden center.
You will need:
- A glass container (I found a variety at the Dollar Store)
- Rocks (in your back yard or at the Dollar Store/craft store)
- Decorative dry moss (Dollar Store/craft store)
- Potting Mix
- Low water Plants (succulents, cactus, live moss)
- Decorative shells, rocks, small toys, etc
First- Place rocks in the bottom of your glass jar and not too many- only about 1/4-1/3 the way up.
Next you’ll place a fine layer of dry moss over top of the rocks- and again not too much. We used small glass jars so we didn’t have a lot of room to work with.
Now add a nice layer of potting mix, and lightly tamp it down.
Now add the plants. We added one succulent, one small cactus, and a little bunch of live moss. The plants are touching and there isn’t that much space- THAT IS OKAY!
Finally you can add a few decorative shells, rocks, or teeny tiny plastic toys. Its all about having fun! Be creative.
Now that the creative process of the terrarium is finished the science part is just beginning. Terrariums do not need much water. A small spray from a bottle is all it needs- just enough to make the soil barely damp, if using the same type of plants as above. Kids will love taking care of their plants and observing how different plants can survive in different environments.