Much like everyone else, my family has been taking a lot walks. Along our walks, we have been picking up items that would usually be thrown away by the landscapers who maintain our neighborhood. Our finds have included acorns, sprouting trees, and a yucca plant seed pod. One day, after our walk, we decided to plant our yucca seeds. To avoid a trip to the store, we decided to recycle some of our empty water bottles and toilet paper rolls to make seed starter planters. I also thought it would be a great recycling project for my kids!
An Easy Recycling Project for Kids
My oldest and I made two different types of planters. The first was made using a toilet paper roll. Toilet paper rolls really seem to be piling up around here, with everyone home. I decided it would be a good idea to reuse them as seed starters, instead of throwing them away. Plus, toilet paper rolls are biodegradable,, so there is no leftover pot once the seed grows and is ready to be planted in the ground!
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Supplies:
- empty toilet paper rolls
- empty water bottle
- tape (I used masking tape)
- dirt
- seeds
Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Seed Pot
- Cut a toilet paper roll in half.
2. On one end of a toilet paper roll half, fold two edges towards eachother.
3. Tape the two edges from step 2 together, then fold the other two edges towards eachother.
4. Tape the two edges from step 3 together.
5. Fill your little seed pot with dirt, add the seed, then cover it with just a little dirt. Water, and set aside in a sunny spot!
The second planter we made was out of water bottles. We have a lot of these right now, with all of us home. While we do recycle them through the city, I thought repurposing them would be great too!
Recycled Water Bottle Planter
- Cut the water bottle in half.
2. Trim the top of the bottom half of the water bottle, about a half inch past the point where the water bottle starts opening back up after necking down.
3. Place the top of the water bottom upside down, into the bottom part of the water bottle, as shown below.
4. Place a few small stones in the bottom of the water bottle planter.
5. Fill the top half of the water with dirt, then place seeds on top of the dirt.
6. Cover the seeds with dirt. Place the top half of the water bottle into the bottom half, with the opening pointing down. Fill the bottom half with water. Now the you have a self watering planter. All you need is to keep the bottom part full of water!
We set all our planters in a nice sunny spot, and keep them moist to make sure the seeds can germinate.
Our recycling project was really fun! The boys loved digging in the dirt, and planting the seeds. I can’t wait to watch our seeds grow!
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