Special education teachers understand the value of a hands-on education. It’s also essential for kids to go outside, experience nature, and get dirty. Earth Day is next week, which presents the perfect opportunity to share the importance of nature and the environment with your kids. It’s also the perfect opportunity to bring nature inside, where you can observe it up close. This Earth Day, make a terrarium from a recycled soda bottle and other materials you likely have around the house or can easily find at a local craft or hardware store.
Support your child’s special education program with this hands-on activity. Here’s how to make a terrarium from a recycled soda bottle.
What You’ll Need
- Clean and empty 2-liter plastic bottle (you’ll want one that flares out near the bottom rather than being the same width all the way down)
- Box cutter or craft razor
- Scissors
- Tools to separate plants
- Rubber band
- Plants (small houseplants that thrive in humid conditions are best)
- Fine sand
- Pebbles
- Activated charcoal
- Potting soil
- Decorations (glass beads, miniature statues, etc.; optional)
How to Make It
Put the rubber band around the bottom of the soda bottle, just below where the bottle begins to flare out. Make sure the rubber band is level; this is your guide for cutting the bottle. Use the utility knife to puncture the bottle just above the rubber band. Use scissors to finish cutting the bottle. Trim about an inch off the top and bottom halves of the bottle. Set the top half aside.
Pour about half an inch of sand into the bottom of the bottle, and then add a layer of pebbles. These layers help with drainage and keep your plants from becoming waterlogged. Add a layer of activated charcoal on top of the pebbles. Activated charcoal helps to prevent mold or mildew from growing inside the terrarium. The last layer is soil. Put 2 to 3 inches of soil on top of the activated charcoal and poke holes where your plants will go.
Now it’s time for the plants! Use your tools to separate the plants and place them in the holes you prepared in the soil. Add your decorations, and then slide the top half of the bottle over the terrarium base. Place the terrarium where it will receive indirect sunlight, and remember to mist or water it every other week or so.
Special Education Programs | Watch Me Shine
Our team at Watch Me Shine understands that special education goes beyond the classroom. Whether your children are with us or at home with you, we are dedicated to helping them thrive and grow.
