Build a Terrarium

Here is a great idea for recycling those 2 liter soda bottles.  Small hands can create a mini ecosystem and learn what it takes to make them work and you can feel better about one less bottle making its way into the landfill.  Explain to your children that they will be providing the water and sun for the little world they are making...its survival is in their hands. Don't be surprised if some feelings of eco-responsibility sprout right before your eyes!

• 2 Liter soda bottle – cleaned with soap and water
• Scissors
• Soil
• Small plant that likes humidity
• Pebbles
• Small plastic animals
• Bits of bark
• Masking tape

1. First, cut off the top of the bottle, down a few inches so that your child can easily reach into it. Save the top.  Put tape around the edge of the area you just cut to cover the sharp edge.
2. Now have you child sprinkle some pebbles into the bottom of the terrarium for drainage. 
3. Fill the terrarium ¾ full with soil and make a hole in the soil for the plant.
4. Carefully place the plant into the hole and fill around it with soil.
5. Arrange some pebbles, plastic animals and bits of bark to make it look like a nature scene.
6. Lastly, water your plant and put the "lid" back on the plant.  Leave the small plastic cap off of the bottle.  You now have a terrarium!  Make sure to put it somewhere there is light from the sun.

Tell your child as you are working that it is important for plants to have water and sunlight to grow.  Plants turn water and sunlight into energy in a process called "photosynthesis".  The terrarium is a mini landscape like you would find in nature but the missing parts are rain clouds and sunshine so we have to add those parts. Because we have a lid on the terrarium, it retains a lot of humidity so it will not need watering very often.  Turn the terrarium every once in awhile to give the plant equal sunlight on all sides.