I think any time of year is fun to do a DIY project with the kids – but summer offers more flexibility for outdoor type crafts.  To that end – the kids and I decided to make some planters to sit on our front stoop that would showcase a special plant for each of them and a mélange of little green ones for me.

List of supplies:

• Metal containers
• Stickers
• Spray sealant
• Loose rock, crushed aluminum cans, or packing peanuts
• Good potting soil (I use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control)
• Plants

Tools needed:

• Hammer
• Philips head screwdriver
• Block of wood

To start out with – I popped over to our neighborhood home improvement store and picked up a few metal containers from the paint section.  You can repurpose containers you already have or check out the Goodwill store or other stores.

This time I picked a long metal bin, a metal paint can, and a small metal bucket just like another I had at home and would use for this project.   I also dropped by the local nursery to pick up some unique plants – one is called “Dracula” – that I thought the kids would like.

I picked out some stickers from my sticker stash that we could use on the planters.  A variety of them is good – including alphabets, characters, animals, etc.  Then I sat the kids down to start designing.

I laid out some rules for where the stickers could go – some folks might not need any rules for this and that is completely fine.  Unfortunately my OCD will not allow the random placement of stickers – even on a project for the kids.  We compromised and I asked for symmetry on the fronts of the buckets and told them they could do whatever they wanted on the backs.  And yes – I have started a “counseling” fund for each of them.

Once the stickers were situated and resituated so that my eye wouldn’t twitch, my husband kindly pounded water drainage holes in the bottoms of the buckets using a wooden block inside and a hammer and screwdriver on the outside.  He would prefer I didn’t mention that he couldn’t find his cordless drill battery.  So let’s pretend I didn’t mention it.

After the holes were poked in the bottoms of the containers – I followed the directions on the can of spray sealant (you can find at your local craft store) to seal the outsides of the containers and the stickers.  Sometimes these will need to set over a 24 hour period before you finish them by adding your plants.

After the recommended waiting period – it was time to lay down some filler on the bottom of each one.  I used river rock because the wind can get pretty strong at our place (no sassy remarks here, please) and I get very annoyed when my containers tip over.  You can also use crushed aluminum cans (depending on your container size) or the non-dissolving packing peanuts.  This gives a layer at the bottom of your planter for water to drain through and out the holes without taking all of your soil with it.  It also takes up some space so you aren’t using an entire bag of potting soil on one planter.

Next, you’ll want to check the depth of the plants you’ve selected in their designated planters.  Is there enough space?  You want to have the top of the root ball covered by your potting soil.  Ideally you will also have some room between the top of the soil and the top edge of the container.

Break up the root balls of each plant with your fingertips.  Place the plant within the container and add filler potting soil around it until it reaches the top of the plant root ball.  Press soil down gently but firmly to make sure the plant is supported in its new home!

Water your plants – keeping an eye on whether or not the water drops the soil level in your container.  If it drops it significantly, you’ll want to add more soil.  Water the plant until water begins to drain out of the holes you made in the bottom.

You’re all done!

Alternatives to this activity:

Decoupage:  You can use paper cut out shapes, preferably from a thinner paper – not cardstock – and decoupage (I use Mod Podge) them onto the containers.  I used multi-colored 2.5” polka dots I had punched out of scrapbook paper and decoupaged them around the top half of an oblong metal bucket.  After the decoupage dried I followed the directions above starting with the spray sealant.  This was my favorite planter until my husband ran over it with his car.  And yes – I will bring this up until we are old and gray.

Painting:  You can use acrylic craft paints to paint a design on the containers – stripes, dots, or whatever the kids would like (unless you have issues like me – then perhaps a stencil is in order.)  Once again – you want to do that, let it dry, then begin at the “apply sealant” stage above and continue through the rest of the directions.  When I did my painted container I placed it up close to the house – where it remains in its original shape today – unmolested by heavy vehicles.