Toddler Activities: Make a Topiary With Your Child
Toddler Activities: A great gift or pretty house decoration
DESCRIPTION
This kids activity can be made from just a few items to make a very pretty gift or decoration.
MATERIALS
1 potted plant (Variegated Ivy suggested)
1 Foil Pot cover
1 Piece of topiary wire about 19 gauge
1 Bow
OTHER MATERIALS
Pliers
STEPS
- Bend wire to form shape desired(Adult help necessary for younger child)
- Select plant and place in pot cover.
- Gently hold up trailing pieces of the vine and push wire into soil in pot to secure.
- Wrap trailing pieces of ivy around the wire.
- Add a bow on the wire to decorate.
TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
If you are doing it with a group of children, set it up assembly line style.
Great kids activity that can be tailored to any holiday or occasion. Simply change the color of the foil wrapper and the bow to suit.
EDUCATIONAL NOTE
Variegated Ivy
Variegated ivy leaves will typically have green and white or yellow markings on their leaves. The white and yellow areas on the variegated ivy leaves lack chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll serves many purposes, the main ones being producing food for the variegated ivy plant and protecting the plant from the rays of the sun.
Because variegated ivy leaves have less chlorophyll, the plant produces less energy for growth. This means variegated ivy plants tend to grow much slower than
their all green cousins.
This means that variegated ivy requires slightly different care than green ivy.
A variegated ivy plant needs less sunlight and should be placed out of direct sunlight. Proper care of a variegated ivy requires that you place the
ivy plant in indirect or filtered bright sunlight. Variegated ivy leaves will burn if placed in direct sunlight. Variegated ivy will do best on a window sill
behind a sheer curtain. The second tip is to significantly reduce the amount of fertilizer you give the plant.
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