Creating a miniature garden is fun and educational, and this activity set adds imagination to the mix. All of the necessary items for creating an "enchanted" garden are included in this special kit. The bowl-shaped plastic planter looks like terra cotta, and it's ready to decorate with the included paints. Children fill the planter with potting soil, plant seeds, and add rocks, gravel, a miniature house, and various tiny creatures.
First things first, children decorate the planter with paint and paintbrush. Only three colors of acrylic paint are included, so children may end up doing some color mixing in order to achieve the desired effects. Once dry, kids empty a bag of soil into the pot, and then strategically plant seeds. Some beans are also included, and these need to be pushed into the soil for optimum results. Kids add the included miniature house by placing it on rocks (also included). A gravel walkway can be added, after which children can water the plants. At this point, we stopped and waited for the plants to start growing before we continued. This way, we were able to add the shells, rocks (which can also be painted), and miniature creatures (a frog and mouse) in an artistic, as opposed to blind, manner. For example, the frog can be placed so that it is peeking out from behind some "trees", and decorative gravel can encircle the base of a plant.
The concept of this craft kit is simple, but the results are enjoyable. Children love to check the progress of their plants' growth, and then add or rearrange items in the "garden" as they go along.
The Wee Enchanted Garden makes a unique gift. It was well-received by our testers, and they treated their plants with great care and love!
