DIY Herb Pallet Garden

For Mother's Day/my Mother-in-Law's birthday, the three daughter in laws built her this herb pallet garden.  It was so simple and turned out so cute!  I now need to build one for myself :)

We started with a small pallet.  I then cut spare boards from other pallets, as well as some leftover 1 x 4 boards to fit the bottom of each row and screwed them in.  

We then used chalk board paint to create a writing surface, and stenciled our herb names onto each space.  Soil filled in each of the boxes, and then we planted our herbs!  We included basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, lavender, and strawberries.  You will need about 1/2-3/4 of a regular sized bag of soil to fill a small pallet like this.  

I loved how simple it was to create, and how cute it turned out!  I can't wait to find another pallet for my own herb garden at home.  

Frugal Fun: Make a Birds Nest

Ever find some birds nests in your trees?  My kids love looking for birds nests and they even get to see the eggs sometimes!  If your kids enjoy the birds nests as much as mine do, they may enjoy this simple and frugal fun project.  

Have you kids collect sticks from around the backyard (front yard, park, etc.).  Make sure they get a lot of sticks in all shapes and sizes.

Once they have collected plenty of sticks (just like a momma bird would), let them make some mud!  Mix dirt with water and let them stir away to make a nice, thick texture.  

Have them mix the mud in with the sticks and form a nest shape.  Older kids will be able to do this just fine (one of my kindergarten students did the one in the above picture), but younger kids will need some help.  

Let the "nest" dry outside in the sun.  Once dry, your child can use plastic eggs, pine cones, etc. as pretend eggs for the nest!  

"Hand"made Leaf Wreaths

Here is a fun fall craft you can do with your kids.  You will need:

Brown, red, orange, green, and yellow construction paper
Scissors
Pen or pencil
Glue

Are you out of construction paper?  Add an extra step to your project by starting with plain white printer paper and having your kids color with brown, red, orange, green, and yellow crayons (I would save the coloring for the end, but you could have your kids start with the coloring if you want).

First, trace your child's hand onto the paper.  Repeat several times.  If your child is old enough, have them use the scissors to cut out their traced hands (I usually let kids 3 years and older give it a shot-it's excellent fine motor skills practice).  If needed, help your child cut out their hands (to save time, stack a few pages together and cut out multiple hands at once).

 

Added optional step:  Go outside and collect some leaves with your child.  Crumple the leaves into a bowl.  Have your child glue the leaf crumbs to their traced hands.

Now, you will need a round wreath-like frame.  You can cut one out of a piece of paper, or, if you have a paper plate at home, simply cut out the middle section of the plate (this is the sturdier option).

Lastly, have your child glue their hands onto the circle.

Let it dry and hang it with tape or string!