Kai-lan & Friends Juice Box Planters

Juice boxes are already waterproof, so they make terrific seed starters. Our cover-ups tie on to boxes like little garden aprons, and they include a ruler marked out in inches so junior gardeners can check to see how their plants are progressing.

Watch Kai-lan every day on Nick Jr.

Materials

• 3 juice boxes
• Printable character cover-up images
• Glue stick
• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
• Self-laminating sheets
• Hole punch
• Jute or other sturdy garden twine
• Potting soil
• Easy-to-grow seeds, such as zinnia seeds

Directions

1. Step 1

   Cut the top off each of the juice boxes. Rinse and let dry thoroughly. With the tips of scissors or a pen, punch three tiny holes in the bottom of each box for drainage.

2. Step 2

   Meanwhile, print the character cover-up images. Kids can use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to color them in. When they're finished, help kids cut them out.

3. Step 3

   Parents laminate each cover-up. Turn it over, and mark a ruler at 1-inch increments.

4. Step 4

   Use the hole punch to add one hole to each side of each cover-up. Snip a l0-inch pieces of jute. Pass one end through one hole from the back to the front of the cover-up. Repeat with the opposite end of the jute, passing it through the remaining hole. Set aside.

5. Step 5

   Have kids fill each box with potting soil. Then add 1 to 2 seeds, such as zinnias, to each box. (Follow the planting directions on the seed packet.)

6. Step 6

   Center one cover-up on the front of each box, tying the jute at the back, apron style. Place the boxes on a windowsill. When kids want to measure the growth, they can untie the cover-up to use the ruler on the back! Garden note: Make sure not to over-water because these planters are small. A tiny, tiny bit every two or three days is fine. And you may be able to go even longer.