It’s time for some frivolous fun! If you and your preschooler are into growing things but don’t want a garden, you can grow some wacky spring critters.
To create an Easter egghead, take one egg and crack it in the middle. Use the inside and scramble it – yum! Then take the least-broken half of the egg, place it in an egg cup, and fill it most of the way with soil. Sprinkle some grass seeds on top of the soil, then add another thin layer of soil. Wet the soil slightly. Brush off any residual dirt.
Give the egg to your preschooler to decorate with bunny ears, plastic eyes, duck feet, or other spring animal bits. Place the finished creation on a windowsill and keep it moist but not wet. Over the next couple of weeks, the grass will grow and your egghead will have hair! Trim the hair flat with a pair of scissors.
A variation on the egghead is the nylon stocking porcupine or hedgehog. This is not particularly spring-inspired, but it’s fun. Get an old, slightly torn nylon stocking or half a leg off a child’s thin tights. Fill it halfway with soil. Add grass seeds along the top of the stocking, then fill it up and knot the stocking so that the soil does not come out. Again, decorate it like an animal, preferably a porcupine or a hedgehog. Add eyes, feet, even whiskers. Be aware that traditional glues may not last, since they will get damp when you water the porcupine. Whenever possible, sew or weave the animal parts onto the stocking. Gently water the nylon, and in a couple of weeks, your porcupine will begin to grow spines!
These are two of my favorite gardening crafts for preschoolers, and they’re a hit every time. Do you have any favorite silly gardening activities for preschoolers?