Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Kids

The weekend before or the Saturday before Mother's Day is a good day to throw a gift making party for kids. These ideas work for all ages (except perhaps toddlers. The younger the child the more uncomplicated the gift.

Paper Plate Fancy Hats

Use a sturdy but flexible dinner sized paper plate as the base for the hat. Thread a one inch wide satin ribbon through the plate. The ribbon should be about one yard long so the mother will be able to tie it under her chin. That's how she'll keep it on.

Assemble a variety of stick on bows, ribbons, flowers, and package decorations. Check your craft store and scrap booking aisles for additional decorations. Each hat will require from 6 to 10 decorative items. Colors can range from pastels to bright.

Each child should arrange the bows on the paper plate without sticking them on. When they're satisfied with the arrangement the bows can be stuck to the plate. Firmly press. Occasionally a bit of extra glue might be necessary.

Older children can use low temp glue guns for heavier items than bows. Have a cup of ice water at the ready for burned fingers.

Younger children might prefer stickers, crayons, glue glitter and paint rather than bows.

Succulent garden

You will need for each child:

4 to 6 inch terra cotta bowl planter
Smooth stone to place in bottom of planter
Potting soil to fill planters
Variety of succulents Variety of succulents You can find the below items in the aquarium section of pet stores
Sea Shells
Tumbled glass pieces
Smooth pretty rocks or pieces of quartz

Each child should have a small terra cotta bowl to use as the planter. The bowl shouldn't be more than 4 to 6 inches in diameter, larger than that requires too many plants and patience to complete.

You will also need enough potting soil mixed half and half with sand for each bowl. If a commercial cactus potting mixture is available that works well.

Buy succulents which do not have any thorns or stickers. A large variety is usually available at plant nurseries or big box stores that have a plant section. Buy the larger size pots that have many little plants, hens and chicks is a good example of an appropriate plant. Breaking up a bigger potted succulent into smaller plants is much cheaper than buying individual small plants in their own pots.

The day before the party use sharp scissors to cut off baby plants from the mother plant. You will need at least six baby plants for each bowl.

The day of the party bring out the potting soil, bowls, and group each type of succulent baby plants together. The children place a round smooth stone or rock at the bottom of the bowl over the drainage hole so the soil doesn't run out when the bowl is watered. The bowl is filled with potting soil and patted down.

Now the fun part. Each child selects their baby plants and pokes the stem end into the soil firmly. Use the shells, smooth pretty rocks or pieces of quartz to decorate around the plants. Don't water the pots, that makes a drippy mess. Instead instruct the child to water the planter when they get home

Most succulents like bright light so a patio or window sill is perfect.