Total Time 1 hour Ages school-age
Kids love to dig in the garden and grow something to call their very own. Now they can make their own personalized plant pokes, a great summer gardening craft.
by Amanda Formaro
What you'll need
- Wooden plant poke
- Acrylic craft paint (black & green, and whatever other color you choose)
- Black Sharpie marker or craft pen
- Paintbrush
- Old toothbrush
- Acrylic sealer spray
Helpful Tip:
Wooden plant pokes are available at Michael’s Craft Stores for less than 50 cents each. They can also be found at discount department stores and other arts and craft supply stores.
Try to place your pokes where they will not be constantly hit with water from a sprinkler.
To keep your pokes lasting all summer, take them out every few weeks and dust them off, then spray on another coat of acrylic sealer.
How to make it
- Paint the stick of the plant poke with two coats of green acrylic paint
- Paint the head of your plant poke whatever color you choose. Do two coats to start with, paint a third if needed (light colors may need a third coat). Allow paint to dry 20 minutes between coats.
- Once paint is dry, use black Sharpie or craft pen to write child’s name and plant (“tulips,” “green beans,” “basil,” etc.) on the front of plant poke.
- This step is optional and can be skipped if you prefer to keep the project simpler for smaller children. Put a small amount (about the size of a dime) of black paint on a paper plate. Add a couple of drops of water to the paint to thin it out a little.
- Using an old toothbrush, pick up some black paint. Before applying this method to the plant poke, test it on a piece of newspaper. Flick the bristles of the toothbrush by dragging your finger or thumb across them. This causes the paint to spray off the brush onto your “target”, in this case, the newspaper. Once you are happy with the result, flick the paint all over the front of the plant poke.
- You can also shade the outside of the plant poke, and again, this step is optional. Using a paintbrush and thinned out black paint, paint a watery border around the edge of the face of the plant poke. Use a piece of paper towel to blend it to your liking.
- Allow paint to dry completely and finish off with a spray coat of acrylic sealer. Let dry and repeat for a total of two coats.
