Plant World for Kids – Get your kids introduced to Terrariums
Gardening is a fun-filled activity for kids and is therapeutic which will teach them life lessons and this encourages kids to have a healthier lifestyle. With gardening, kids can touch and feel the dirt, seeds, and flowers, see the vibrant colors and varied sizes of the plants, hear the sound of the vegetable when it is taken from the plant and smell the amazing scents of the flowers. It is scientifically significant that kids are more likely to eat veggies when they develop an interest in gardening. For a start, let us begin teaching our kids about making their own terrariums, tiny plant world in simpler ways.
What is a Terrarium?
Terrarium is a miniature of a garden or a forest itself inside a glass container or a plastic container. They are relatively inexpensive to put together. It teaches your children the photosynthesis process and how a mini ecosystem works. Cactus or succulents are relatively maintenance free. It also provides children, especially urban kids, a space in which to appreciate and interact with nature.
What are the materials needed?
- An enclosed container – pickle jar, cookie jar, fish bowl or an aquarium
- Rocks – pea gravel, small rocks, pebbles or marbles
- Potting soil – Sterilized soil
- Small indoor or tropical plants of different colors and textures
- Activated Charcoal-Filters water and help prevent the growth of Fungi
Optional:
- Moss
- Decorative rocks or pebbles, or both
- Fun décors, like tiny pine cones, shells, ceramic animals, or a garden gnome
How long does it take?
It takes up to 1 hour to do a terrarium and you can do indoors. Terrarium is suitable for all seasons.
How do you build a terrarium?
Step 1: Clean the container you chose, with soapy water and dry it off completely.
Step 2: Let’s make bedrock by filling rocks in the bottom of the container for about an inch or so. These will help the soil drainage and avoid the roots from getting water-logged. Also, add few granules of filtering charcoals to avoid odors and maintains proper moisture levels.
Step 3: Let’s now fill the container with one-half of potting soil-mix, leaving enough room space for the plants. Make sure the potting mix is sterilized to avoid fungi and molds. It is important to balance the moisture level in the soil-it should not be either dry. If your soil does not contain slow-release fertilizers, then it is better to add organic fertilizers like worm castings. Also, you need to grow your plants slow and small; much of these are not needed.
Step 4: It is finally time to add your plants. Choose plants that are small, slow-growing, and will suit well in humid condition. Arrange the plants depending on the size and location of the terrarium. Place the tallest plants in the back and shortest plants in the front to have a better view of your terrarium. If your terrarium will be viewed from all sides or you plan to rotate it, plant the tallest plants in the middle and the shorter plants along the outside. There is a wide range of plants to choose from. Most garden centers have an area reserved for indoor plants and you can usually find a variety of plants in 2 to 4-inch pots.
Step 5: In addition to plant material, you can also be creative and add other objects to create mini-landscape scenes. For instance, you may want to add decorative rocks, small animal figurines, small bridges or mirrors to look like mini ponds. Place the terrarium in indirect light.
Step 6: Monitor your terrarium periodically. Prune or remove plants with excessive growth. You want to avoid plant leaves touching the sides of the container as much as possible to prevent constant water sitting on the foliage. Also, check on the moisture levels as some water may be lost over time.
Building a Terrarium helps to sharpen your kid’s mental focus and it boosts creativity and furthermore, as quoted by Gertrude Jekyll, ‘A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.’
Image Credit: evergreenenterprisesinc.blogspot.com
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