​Today’s idea is all about recycling. Well, kind of. We are taking one thing, this plastic plant tray, and using it for something totally different than what it was made for.  We’re using it for an awesome garden center obstacle course.

We went out to buy some more tomato plants and weren’t the only ones there.  There were so many people buying plants that these trays were laying around empty so we decided to line them up and jump in and out of them.

We also jumped over them! We must have jumped around for at least 30 minutes. Think about it, by making a quick obstacle course you’re stretching out and working out your garden muscles for when you get home and plant!
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It was a great way to take a break while shopping for plants. When we were done, we went back to staying focused on finding the perfect plants for our garden.
 

If you want, start by painting a design on the flowerpot. I painted the word, “HERBS”  on the pot I’m going to plant parsley in. The other pot was painted by my daughter with a giant yellow sun, since "all plants need the sun!" Let the paint dry for a couple hours.
 
Next, it’s time to get the silk flowers ready for gluing.  This is actually fun because kids get to pull or yank the flower heads off the plastic stems and they won’t get in trouble. Most of the time they slide right off. Then carefully snip off the plastic tip.  You want the flower you’re gluing on to the pot to have a flat surface.

White glue works but we found low-temp glue guns to work way better.   Just hold the flower on for about a minute and when you let go it should just stick there.  Repeat this with however many flowers you want to use.

The last and probably most important step is to spray an acrylic paint sealer over your creation!
 
Stick a plant inside your newly decorated pot and watch it grow.  Mother’s Day is this Sunday and this is a fun gift to give to your mother or grandmother too. There’s always something extra special about giving a gift you have made all by yourself. It’s one of a kind and I’m sure it will make someone special smile!
 

​Grab a bucket and lets go digging for worms!

​We’re trying to catch worms today for two reasons. One is because it’s fun and I like worms. The other is because while we’re hunting worms we’re also digging up the dirt and getting it ready for planting!
 
So grab a bucket and small shovel and lets get digging!
 
Worms love cool, dark places so it’s best to go on a worm hunt when it’s not too hot outside or even in early morning or late afternoon.
 
Be patient while you’re digging.  Worms don’t have eyes or ears but they can feel vibrations in the ground you make from stomping around. If they hear you, they’ll take off.  So take mouse-like steps so you don’t scare them away!
 
When you find one put it your bucket.  After collecting one or a ton, give the worms a name.  If you’re with friends, give a high-five to the one who found the longest or fattest worms! After playing with them for awhile, let the worms get back into the dirt so they can help your garden grow!
 
Note to Adult Helpers: If you can’t find worms, try mixing up the game and look for another bug like rolly pollies. The object is to turn the chore of digging up garden dirt into a fun activity.