Cool ideas for fun, themed mini gardens to make with your kids!

Here are some fun ways to make themed miniature gardens! Let your creative imagination run wild to invent your own tiny land!

Prehistoric Land

Credit: Jungle Creations

You will need:

Volcano:

• Air-drying clay (black)
• Glue gun
• Red glitter glue gun sticks

Miniature garden:

• Bowl
• Fake grass, moss, greenery, etc.
• Soil
• Small toy dinosaurs
• Rocks

 

Method:

1. Take some black clay and roll it into a ball.
2. Place the ball onto the table and begin to flatten the sides down.
3. Flip it over and push upwards in the middle of the clay, so that it creates a cone shape.
4. Continue to use those sculpting skills to finish constructing a volcano shape.
5. Leave to dry, normally takes 3-4 hours, but depends on the type of air-dry clay you have.
6. Grab the glue gun, with the glitter stick in, and run glue onto the clay volcano to get a cool red lava effect!
7. Leave to dry.
8. Start to build up the garden anyway you like using toy dinosaurs, moss, grass, soil, rocks, etc! Then add the volcano and admire your own prehistoric land.

 

Winter Woodland

Credit: Jungle Creations

 

You will need:

Trees:

• 2 x pegs
• Wire
• Green yarn
• Scissors
• White paint
• Small paintbrush
• Cork top

Miniature garden:

• Jar
• Fake snow

 

Method:

1. Get two strips of wire and twist the ends around one peg, then twist the other ends of the wire around another peg, this should create a gap hole in between.
2. Grab the yarn and begin to wrap a considerable amount around one hand.
3. Remove the yarn from your hand, keeping hold of it’s looped shape, and then cut either end of the loop. This will give you lots of pieces of yarn at the same size.
4. Place these pieces of yarn, evenly in the wire gap.
5. Push down the wire so that it is flat against the yarn.
6. Start to twist the pegs, so that the wire twists against the pieces of yarn.
7. Once sufficiently twisted enough, start to trim down the yarn, cutting it into a tree shape.
8. Remove the pegs and fold down the top piece of wire.
9. With the bottom wire, push it into the cork, making sure it’s secure.
10. For added texture, paint bits of the yarn with white paint to give a cool snow effect!
11. Get the jar and pour in some fake snow.
12. Place in your beautiful handmade woolen tree!
13. Pour in some more snow over (and add another tree if you make a second)

 

Tropical Island - Treasure Chest

Credit: Jungle Creations

 

You will need:

Treasure chest:

• Balsa wood strips
• Super glue
• Scissors

Miniature garden:

• Large glass bowl
• Medium glass bowl
• Water
• Food colouring
• Sand
• Mini palm trees
• Coins
• Gems
• Small aquarium plants

 

Method:

1. Use small strips of wood to create the base of your chest. Glue them together to make a small rectangle.
2. Cut thinner strips of wood for the sides, you will need 3 strips for each side, 2 sides will be short and 2 sides will be long. Use the base rectangle as a guide for how long you need the sides to be.
3. Glue all the sides to the base so you have a small box.
4. Using the same method, make a lid for your chest, if you want it curved then cut curves into two sides of it and stick wood across the top to finish it off. Now Stick this at a jaunty angle to the base box.
5. Add some fake coins and gems inside the chest as the discovered buried treasure!
6. For the tropical garden itself, place the medium bowl inside of the large bowl.
7. Mix up a jug of blue food colouring and water and then pour this into the large bowl, around the outside of the medium one.
8. Place some aquarium plants into the water and pour sand into the medium bowl.
9. Now you can add the tropical island details! Such as the palm trees, loose treasure, plants, starfish, etc.
10. Last but not least, the treasure chest! Place it on the sand and there you have it; your own *tropical island (*beautiful weather not guaranteed…)