I remember growing cress and mustard seeds in egg cartons (and egg shells actually) when I was little, so this project really took me back to my childhood. This as a craft that Little Miss and I did at an Argos Garden Party and it comes from Dawn Isaac’s book, Garden Crafts for Children.
We’ve used just radish seeds in the one we made, but there are lots of different seeds you can use; we also had the choice of dill, beetroot, coriander and rocket; but you could also try mustard, cress, alfalfa and many more.
What you need to make caterpillar seed heads
- Egg carton
- Paints
- Paint brushes
- Pipe cleaners
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Cotton wool
- Sprouting seeds, such as cress, mustard, dill, coriander, rocket, radish
- Cut an egg carton in half, we used ½ dozen cartons, and paint. Then using a pencil, poke holes into each segment and thread pipe cleaners through, to make legs.
- Glue on some googly eyes
- Stuff each segment with cotton wool.
- Sprinkle each segment lightly with seed.
That’s it. Place on a warm windowsill and watch the magic happen. The seeds should sprout within three or four days. Just remember to keep your caterpillar well watered (we had to do ours nearly every day).
Little Miss was fascinated with watching how the seedlings emerged from the seeds and I must admit she even enjoyed eating the sprouts (she normally never eats salad of any description!).
See also my decoupage lanterns.
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