Halloween Gardening

Oooooo these ghoulish little Jack-O-Lantern flower pots are such a cute Halloween activity with the kids! Best of all your kids can pick the plants they would like to plant and then create a spooky looking pot! 

• Terracotta pots

• Outdoor acrylic paint in orange and black

• Paintbrushes

• Newspaper and paper plate

• Cup with water to wash your brushes

• A lead pencil

So get out and about! Kids won't remember their best day of television or computer games.

Get set up to paint!  Place newspaper down on the table or surface where you're painting. Also be sure your kids are wearing old clothes as acrylic paints are definitely not washable. Squeeze plenty of paint out onto a paper plate.

Paint your pots orange and try and use wide brushes to give a smooth finish. We like to do two coats to ensure the surface is covered. 

Let the pots dry (which they will do so quite quickly). Then its time to decorate! Let your child draw a jack-o-lantern face on the pots lightly in pencil.  Sometimes its a good idea to try it first on paper to ensure you have the right affect. 

Then using a thin brush paint in the face with black paint. Your little halloween pot should come to life with character, don't be frightened to make it a bit scary!

Then let your pot dry. 

Show the kids how to gently transfer the pot from one container to the other.Tip the plant gently by supporting it at the base. Tap the pot to loosen the soil then then place in its new pot. If you're transferring to a larger pot, be sure to pack the soil around the plant and roots gently, and then water the plants to help them get settled in.