Watching a seed grow into plant is so fun for kids! But if you’ve got a black thumb like me, you might forget to water it! This is a fun family project that everyone can participate in!
We made this Balloon Terrarium last weekend and I was so excited to share it with you…but I’ve been waiting to post a picture of the grass actually growing. Sadly, I don’t think we added enough water and it’s not going to grow. We’re going to try again, though, so when I get a picture I’ll update!
Here’s what you’ll need: a clear or semi-transparent balloon (I got ours at Party City for $0.19 each), potting soil, seeds of some kind (we used grass seed because we already had some here at home), a funnel, and water.
1. Insert the funnel into the balloon.
2. Let your little one pour the dirt into the funnel.
3. If you want, add a little dinosaur in there too!
4. Add water. This is where we went wrong. We just let it barely dribble. I would suggest adding about 1/4 cup water.
5. Blow up the balloon. We wanted Big Brother to feel like he was contributing…
6. Tie it off and place it in a sunny spot. The orange thing in there is our plastic dinosaur
Watch it grow (that is…if you put enough water in it to begin with). If you have older children in your home, you can talk about the water cycle. And the best part is…you don’t have to remember to water it!
Love this!!! Been scrolling through your blog on my reader, can you tell. ;-) Love all the great ideas you share. Thank you!
can't wait to try this
Jenae- i just love this project! I shared it here: http://dollarstoremom.com/2011/09/make-a-balloon-terrarium/
That is such a cool idea!!
I saw the link to this on Dollar Store Mom. It caught my eye because I am a student teacher right now, and next week the students are learning about plants, how to plant a seed, and plant parts. I quickly emailed my cooperating teacher to see if I could do this instead of having the students plant a seed in a plastic cup (which is what almost every other class in the school has done). I am so excited to do this with my three classes (all second grade).
How much soil did you put in the balloon? I am going to test a few different amounts of soil/water out today, so that hopefully I can have it perfected for the lesson on Wednesday.
i love balloon terrarium
Surfed over here from Pinterest. It is a very cute idea, but do you pop the balloon after the plant has matured?
Brilliant idea! A safe practical terrarium with the added bonus of a gorgeous hands on experience for the and not so little. Why hasn’t this been thought of before?
Will flowers work for this? I have a pack of flower seeds someone gave me and im all about using them!
This sounds so awesome! We have some grass seed so I’m definitely going to have to try this out! Who knew this was one more use for a balloon?
I love this concept! I am just curious.. How well does the terrarium last with the ‘limited’ oxygen in the balloon? Would love to try this with my 3 year old. :)