Kids Craft: Eggshell Flowerpots

As we all know, I’m not really a crafty person; I leave that up to my incredibly talented sister. However, if you give me a pile of dirt, I can turn it into a beautiful work of art. So, when I came across Martha’s Eggshell Flowerpot Craft – I knew I’d hit the jackpot. Here was a craft that even I could do – and I could do it with all of the kids too.

Since the craft required some clean, halved, eggshells, I decided to whip up some tasty omelets for dinner. Once I had the eggshells on hand, the rest was easy because I always have some leftover seed packets lurking around.

So when my sister and her children slept over this weekend, I knew exactly what we’d do to kill some time; we’d make the Eggshell Flowerpot Craft. Our version didn’t turn out half as pretty as Martha’s, but then again, I doubt she had four crazy kids potting the seeds up!

This Eggshell Flowerpot Craft is incredibly easy to do with your little ones, and I can’t wait to see their excitement once the seedlings start to emerge.

EGGSHELL FLOWERPOTS

Materials:

• Egg carton (use styrofoam, or plastic, if little kids will be watering the seeds)
• 12 egg shells halves, rinsed clean
• Potting soil
• Seeds 
• Water

Directions:

Step 1: You’ll need 12 eggshell-halves to do this craft, so start by saving your eggshells. As you use your eggs, gently crack them open so that you have a decent-sized “planter” left over. (If you want to be meticulous, you can use a spoon to gently tap open an egg – but who has time for that?) Rinse the egg shells and gently place in a paper towel-lined bowl to drain, and dry, until you can use them.

Step 2: Once you get to the very last egg, save your egg carton  – you’ll need it to nestle your eggshells in. (Hint: I knew that I’d have some overzealous helpers, so I bought a styrofoam container so that I could use the upper lid as a “water catcher” for my bottom lid.)

Step 3: When you’re ready to plant your seeds, tap a small hole into the bottom of each shell, so any extra water can drain out. (You might also want to tap some holes into the bottom of each eggshell “holder” to allow any excess water to drain out of the carton. Then, you can place the upper lid underneath the bottom lid to avoid messy spills.) Gently place your empty egg shells into the egg carton.

Step 4: Pick some seeds that you’d like to grow and plant them according to directions on the seed packet. (Clockwise: My nephew chose Sunflowers, as did my daughter, my niece picked Marigolds, and my son went with Watermelon!)

Step 5: Nestle eggshell planters into the egg carton and place on a sunny windowsill, where they can be watered easily. When the plants have grown to about 3 inches and have at least two sets of true leaves*, they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. (Note:Since your eggshells were washed prior to use, you can smush them up and add them to your soil as the plants go into the ground. Eggshells are great sources of calcium.**)

 *As per Martha, the first leaves to sprout will be the cotyledons or seed leaves, which supply nutrients to the young plant until the first true leaves (resembling those of the parent plant) appear.

**To avoid critters feeding on them, they must be cleaned before going into the ground, or your compost bin. If you have chickens, please make sure you cook the shells in an oven first, or else your chickens might decide to pick at their freshly laid eggs.

Thanks for reading,

Denine

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