Teacup Planter

What You Need:

• Teacup
• Saucer
• Dirt
• Real or artificial flower

What You Do:

1. Have your child fill the saucer halfway with dirt.
2. Let her place the teacup on the center of the saucer.
3. Now to choose the main attraction! Help your child decide if she wants to display a real or artificial flower. Can she think of the advantages and disadvantages of each? Real flowers often look more vibrant, but if she doesn't take care of it, the flower will die. An artificial flower will look the same all the time, but that's because it's fake. What kind of flower does your child want to use?
4. Talk to her about coordinating the color of the flower to the color of the teacup. While it's not necessary at all, she can choose to match the colors -- or to use complementary shades. Does she know her complementary colors? Review the pairing with her: red and green, orange and purple, yellow and blue.
5. Have your child use her fingers to dig a tiny hole in the dirt.
6. Let her place the roots of her real or artificial flower into the hole.
7. Have your child carefully pat the dirt down.
8. Help her find a place to display the teacup planter. Remember that real flowers will need sunlight, but she can put her artificial flower anywhere.