A homemade stepping stone for a personalized garden! (www.newsletter.schoolbox.com)
Add a personalized touch to your garden with these great, crafty stepping stones! All you need is some quick drying cement—which is easier to work with than it may sound—and some objects from nature. Kids at the Barn love adding their handprints to their stepping stones and placing them in the garden. It becomes their special spot that they’ll come back to over and over again. They also make great Mothers’ Day gifts to show mom how much you care!
Time: 30 minutes, plus overnight to dry.
Materials:
- Quick drying cement (can be purchased at crafts stores or hardware stores, like Home Depot)
- Large aluminum turkey pan (or a pie pan if you want a smaller stone)
- Water
- Thick stick or twig to stir with
- Decorative objects from nature
Adult Prep: Help kids stir water into the cement slowly and evenly.
Kids’ Activity:
- Send kids on a scavenger hunt to collect things from nature for their stepping stones. Different shaped stones, shells, or twigs make great additions to the stepping stones. Even odd finds around the house or backyard (e.g. golf balls, old tennis balls, etc) can add character to the stones.
- Once kids have collected their items, pour the dry cement into the aluminum pan, add water gradually, and stir with the stick until all the cement is wet and evenly distributed.
- Kids can place the loot from their scavenger hunt into the cement, as well as leave hand prints! You could also use sturdy leaves to make imprints in the cement. Just move quickly—the cement does dry fast!
- Leave the cement in the pan overnight to dry. In the morning, gently invert the pan and remove the hardened stone. Place the stepping stone in the garden, and enjoy it for years to come!
– Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, co-host, Family Food Expert Internet Radio Show, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitian magazine for her work with HealthBarn USA
A healthy lifestyle isn’t all about food: keeping kids active and fostering their creativity is essential for healthy development, too! In this blog, I’ll be sharing weekly activity ideas for families to do together.
