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Materials Needed
- Scrapbook
- Sticky-backed Plastic
- Old Seed Catalogues/Seed Packets
- Camera
- Scissors
- Paper
- Glue
- Felt Pens and Crayons
- Added Embellishments from the Craft Store (optional)
Putting It All Together
Creating a garden scrapbook is really easy. First, start by asking your child to draw picture of him/herself in the garden, sign, date and write their address at the bottom. This drawing will serve as the first page of their very own garden scrapbook. Next, collect samples of leaves and plants from the garden to be used in the scrapbook. Help them label each plant and put sticky-backed plastic over them to help “preserve” them. Other than the plant samples, anything is game. Encourage them to draw various areas of the garden and to take pictures of individual plants or entire areas of the garden (maybe even throughout the rest of the summer into fall and winter to see how it changes). It is also nice to encourage them to record all of the critters they see throughout the garden, from ladybugs and bees to frogs, lizards and birds; drawings of these, too, are nice additions. In addition, they can cut out pictures of the plants they are growing from saved seed packets and seed catalogues. Special embellishments can be purchased at the local craft store in the scrapbooking aisle; anything from shovels and bugs to letters and numbers. Let their imagination take them on their scrapbooking journey!
Tips and Advice
- If fresh flowers and leaves are used, tell your child not to choose thick, fleshy samples as they will rot. Make sure they completely enclose the sample in a piece of plastic that is larger than the sample. They may choose to press their samples. Though this option takes a lot longer, it is well worthwhile. LEARN MORE ABOUT PRESSING FLOWERS.
- Make your own garden scrapbook, too! Put it together while your children are putting theirs together, this will add importance and value to their own work.
- Remind them to continue to record happenings and observations in their scrapbook. One day, this will be something they will enjoy looking at with their own children.
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