Earth Day Projects for Kids

An easy and inexpensive DIY project for Earth Day.

This year for Earth Day we wanted to make sure we inlcuded some giving. So we decided to gift some plants to a few of our teachers. My 3rd and 6th grader were in on the Earth giving fun.

We decided to paint some clay pots and give a plant that will grow year round and provide something other than just greenery. We chose basil, well because we love and use it all the time. (And we know it doesn’t die easily, and that’s a plus when gifting a plant.)

We went to our local Wal Mart to grab the basics; pots, plants, and soil. We didn’t plan far enough in advance to seed these plants for their teachers. But that’s a good idea for next year. We already had what we needed to paint the pots like the earth. Because getting messy is something we do a lot around here.

Aside from our gifting project, we also are trying something new at #thehansencompound. I bought a few Green Houses from IKEA. HERE & HERE. So we gathered what we needed for some seedlings. I will do a follow up post in a month or so on how that went. We planted some herbs, watermelon, peppers, and tomatoes.

In the meantime, enjoy our Earth Day Projects for Kids! Easy and Fun!

We would love to know what you did for Earth day! Please share in the comments. And if you have any tips on successful indoor green houses we welcome advice!

DIY Flower Crown

The first thing you are going to need to do is get yourself some materials. I purchased everything you see here at JoAnn’s fabric store. I have an upcoming maternity session and had a vision for dark rich colors. Deep purples and blues. And a beautiful flower crown. The mommy to be is going to have a girl so I wanted to keep the session feminine and of course glamorous. (I also made a matching dress, but you can see that after the photos are finished.) Mommy to be has me booked for the newborn session and I will be using the same color scheme for that little miss when she arrives.

DIY FLower Crown Materials

What you’ll need for this DIY Flower Crown:
1. Flowers – I used fake flowers because I am making a matching baby mini crown or tie back.
2. Some wire
3. Wire cutters – I used 4.6m wire
4. Scissors
5. Floral tape

I started by cutting the wire about 20″ in length. I came up with that using a very scientific method. I took one end of the wire, and wrapped it around my head in the shape of a crown. Then I clipped it in a very calculating manner.

I shaped the wire into a crown and pressed it against the table to flatten it out. Then I cut my flowers from their stems. For the larger flowers I cut off the entire stem. For the smaller ones I left a little room for taping.

Flower Crown Layout

Then I created a layout for the crown. Once I decided on my flowers placement, I began wiring them starting on one side.

Taping on flower arrangement

Since the little flowers had some slack to work with they were really easy to attach to the wire. And I must say, I’m not a big fan of the floral tape. Does a great job, it’s just my super grip strength that kept snapping it. Grrrr.

The larger flowers posed a different challenge. I wanted them to be somewhat flimsy so they can be moved after being placed on a head. So I decided I was going to string them on. And it worked! I used denim thread because it’s sturdier than all purpose thread. I would recommend that or embroidery thread. Then I tied the larger flowers in place and taped the thread to help stabilize the flower but still have some wiggle room.

Finishing the crowns ends.

Once I got all my flowers placed it I knew I needed to finish the ends. Obviously having that exposed cut wire is a bit of a concern and I knew I needed to keep my client crown-stab-free. After getting this far without any accidents,  I was feeling pretty strong about my crown game. I tied a knot onto the wire and positioned it up a few centimeters. I wrapped the tape around the end of the wire to make it softer. Then wrapped the tape up over the knot and then back down again to be sure the twine didn’t just pop off. And SUCCESS!

Add final touches

Then I admired my craftsmanship. I may have even worn it for awhile in pride.

Complete DIY Flower Crown

Slouchy Beanie Tutorial

Slouchy Beanie

Here is the slouchy beanie tutorial I promised! And it was so easy. You can find the pattern I printed for free HERE, by Heidi and Finn, she also has a tutorial to follow along to.

1

I love remnant fabrics, I get just enough to make something. And have acquired a pretty extensive collection of fabrics for a fraction of the price. So whenever I feel the need to get crafty I am sure to already have something. On the flip side, trying to find just the color or fabric I desire… ends up looking like Joann’s threw up in my living room. But I found this piece about a year ago. It is a reversible, one side pockadot and the other stripes. Black and white is pretty timeless so I knew this was perfect for this project. Since I didn’t want any seems to show when reversing it I needs to make two layers. SO you could just use two completely different fabrics. Or you could keep it simple and stick with one layer. That would cut the time put into your beanie.

Materials Needed
about 1/2 yard stretchy fabric
scissors
sewing machine
chalk to trace
printed pattern

Cut pattern

First you will need to trace your pattern your pattern twice and cut. Oh, I tweaked the original pattern and made it full length since I was making it double sided. I would recommend shortening it by about an inch though.

Sew along the sides only

You want to sew your sides, but only the sides. I added the red lines on the previous picture as an example.

then sew the center lines

Once you have your side edges down, turn it so that the center edge is now rounded.

center line example

It should look like this. Be sure that you do this for both layers. You want to also remember to have them on opposite sides when you are stitching so that your pattern changes when you are reversing it.

put right sides together

Once you have the two layers stitched you will need to put the right sides (the sides without the seem lines) together by stuffing one layer inside the other. The sew along the edge leaving a small opening.

8

I make sure that I match my long stitched sides together. But that part really doesn’t matter. I just think it looks cleaner in the end. Sew all along the edge, leave a small hole. I suggest back stitching when you start and when you end.

turn inside out

Using the small opening you left, turn it inside out. Now it will look really funny, just tuck one of the sides into the other. How you close that opening is up to you. I added a little patch of fabric and sewed all around it.

stripe side

pockadot side

There you have it, a completely revisable beanie! Jersey knit fabric is best for this project.
My sewing machine settings:
Tension 2
Straight stitch
Width 4

my first attempt

Here is the first attempt using the tutorial from Heidi & Finn. But then when I was almost done I didn’t want to add the headband part. So I skipped that part and then zigzag stitched it closed. The zigzag made the edge a little wonky. It’s still cute. Especially on this guy.