How to Make a Terrarium

You will need:

A clear 2-liter bottle with bottle cap
Potting soil (or dirt from your backyard)
Rye grass seeds
Clear packing tape
A spray bottle filled with water
Scissors or an Exacto knife (and your caring adult's help/permission)
Ladybugs! (or any bug you find and would like to observe for a while)

How to Assemble:

1) Rinse out an empty 2-liter bottle
2) Have your adult help you carefully cut the top off of the bottle. Make the cut about three inches down from the lid of the bottle (see picture). Be sure to keep this part all in one piece!
3) Fill bottom of container with about 4 to 5 inches of potting soil
4) Sprinkle a few teaspoons of rye grass on top of the soil and cover with a little bit more dirt-- just a quarter of an inch or so
5) Wet the soil and spray the walls of the bottle with water
6) Add bugs if desired
7) Place the top back on the bottle and tape it together with packing tape.

Ta-da! You have a terrarium! The grass should start to grow in just a few days. Every week or so check the moisture level, unscrew the bottle cap and add a few teaspoons of water as needed. If you put bugs in there make sure they have the food they need (like aphids for ladybugs). Remember that bugs don't live very long, so this won't be a forever pet. You can also make this bug-free and have fun watching how tall the grass will grow. You could also add stickers or other decorations to the bottle, just make sure some sunlight can get through. Enjoy!

Alyssa's terrarium was made about seven weeks ago and although the cricket has passed on to The Great Terrarium in the Sky, the grass is still growing!

Make Your Own Pet Wave

Here's all the information you need to make your own pet wave! (With a grown-up's help.)

You're going to need a clear plastic bottle with a cap, baby oil, water and some food coloring. (Hint: the smaller the bottle, the less baby oil you'll need.)

First, fill the bottle half-way with water and add a couple of drops of food coloring. Mine's blue, like the ocean, so that I can pretend to be a shark. ScribbleJayne made her pet wave yellow, no special reason, she just likes yellow. Next, fill the top half of the bottle with baby oil. Twist or glue the cap on the bottle really tight (so your pet doesn't get away) and... you've got a new pet! Just tip the bottle back and forth to get your wave going. Pretty cool, huh?

What color will you make your pet wave? Do you have any other pets?

Your pals,
ScribbleJim & ScribbleJayne

Craft Time with MiNDY

Build your own radio studio for your own radio show.

Supplies:

find lots of little caps (bottles, toothpaste, etc)

the lid to a gift box of shoebox

glue

Idea:
The sound board has a lot of buttons that light up and dials that turn.

To Do:
Make your own soundboard by gluing the buttons and maybe paint them. I think MiNDY said add Christmas style lights?

To make is more realistic, use a broken old computer or make a screen from a box lid. Put your playlist on the screen

Get some earmuffs or big headphones.

Get some music:

KiDS Place LiVE

Some CDs or records

Any player for your songs

Get some listeners (family, friends, stuffed animals).

Get a phone, but not one that rings loud, so you can take requests.

For a microphone, you could use a brush or a toilet paper tube with a golf ball glued on top.

Get some guests, too!

Craft Time with Absolutely Mindy - Tater Toddler Dolls

Supplies:
Giant Russet Potato (or sweet potato)
Toothpicks
Baby Sock
2 small nails or thumbtacks (not red)
ABC Gun
Toothpaste cap
Milk jug cap
alfalfa sprouts/Easter grass


To do:
Blow off all the dirt.
Take the toothpicks, jam one in the left side, jam one in the right side, jam one underneath on the left, jam one underneath on the right.
Take a wad of gum, stick it on the bottom toothpick, then some on the other bottom toothpick.
Pull off the arms and legs. Oops.
Pull the baby sock up over the potato; leaving enough room for the "head" of the potato.
Shove the toothpick arms and legs back in the potato.
Take the two thumbtacks and shove them in the face where the eyes would be.
Take the toothpaste cap and find something sticky in the back of the refrigerator, scrape it out and smear it on the top of the head to make a tiny hat.

Suggestion:
Use a popsicle stick for arms and legs.

How do you suggest a mouth could be made?
- One caller suggested using a red leaf for a mouth.
- Macaroni for a mouth.
Other suggestions for improvements?
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