Ask A Las Vegas Expert: Easy Crafts To Do With Your Kids

Cindy Dixon has been developing and teaching gardening programs and activities for adults and children of all ages at the Springs Preserve for eight years. Cindy has an extensive background in education and has taught in public schools in both Las Vegas and New Mexico. She is currently working on her master's degree in Permaculture Education. The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre park and museum complex that features botanical gardens, trails, wetlands and wildlife exhibits. Every weekend, the Springs Preserve provides a variety of fun and educational activities created to help kids to explore the desert.

Plant markers can be used for your houseplants or to label plants in your garden. You can make them out of ordinary household items like wooden spoons, terra cotta pots or small rocks. Just visit a craft store and pick up your "markers" along with paint, decorative embellishments and glue. Kids will have a great time personalizing each one.

Bird feeders are a fun project for kids and will help bring wildlife to your yard. For each bird feeder, you will need a pine cone (forage for those already on the ground), string, peanut butter, a popsicle stick and birdseed. Take a pine cone and tie string around the top for hanging. Smear peanut butter all over the pine cone with the popsicle stick. Next, sprinkle or roll the pine cone in birdseed. Let it dry and hang it outside! 

Test tube vases are a great way for kids to enjoy flowers without using a huge water-filled vase. For this craft, you'll need test tubes, wire and snips. Cut a piece of the wire twice the length of the test tube and fold it in half. Wrap the wire around the top of the tube and then twist until both wires are together. Now, make a hook and fold the wire back around the top of the test tube. Children can embellish the test tube with more wire and beads. 

Related: Top Botanical Gardens In Las Vegas

Mosaic stepping stones are great crafts that can be used as memory pieces around your yard. To make a nice sized stepping stone, use a leftover pizza box as a mold (you may want to line it with parchment paper or plastic wrap first). Pour in the plaster and let kids decorate it with pebbles, sea glass, buttons and other leftover trinkets. Kids can even add an imprint of their hand or foot. Let it dry before placing it outside.

Seed balls are an innovative way to fill in dead spots and plant wildflowers in the desert soil. You'll need five parts clay, three parts compost or soil, one part seeds of your choice, water and a tub to mix the ingredients. First mix the dry ingredients in the tub. Adding small amounts of water at a time, make a mixture that is semi-sticky. Roll the mixture into marble-sized balls that are firm and not crumbly. Dry the seed balls for at least a day and then scatter them in the area you wish. You will only need about one ball per square foot. Over time, the balls will be melted by the rain and turn into seedlings.

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