DIY Watering Can For Toddlers
Hello,
Luke loves the little garden we have set up for him on our rooftop. Honestly, it’s not much to look at, there’s not much in the way of “peaceful garden atmosphere”, but it brings him so much happiness and he’s always keen to ‘talk’ about the plants and what we need to do to look after them.
All we have is one grow bag, which contains sweet peas and tomatoes, one long terracotta pot that currently holds four sunflowers – these need to be repotted soon.
Also, remember those basil seeds we planted? Yes, they’re out there too during the day time to soak up some lovely sun.
I am proud to say my son has little green fingers and, as part of our daily routine, he waters all his plants.
Traditional watering cans just aren’t practical for toddlers, so we made this very quick and simple up-cycled watering can that is great for kids.
Luke is 20 months old and enjoys having the opportunity to be in control – as all toddlers do. Having his own space is important and being able to do something every day is great and he seems to proud of himself afterwards.
To make this wonderful recycled kid-friendly watering can, all you’ll need is an empty milk bottle and a sharp knife.
- Simply remove the lid and poke through some good sized holes. Milk bottles are great for this project because, as well as holding a lot of water, the lids are made of a softer plastic than say, fizzy drink bottles.
- Once the holes have been made, fill the milk bottle up and replace the lid.
I showed Luke what to do once…
And since then he’s loved having his own responsibility each day.
I think that no matter what your housing situation, having some form of garden/house plant collection is important when raising a child. Not only are they good for your soul (!!) but they’re great for teaching responsibility, for having something important that must be done each day as part of a routine (that’s not boring/mundane) and gardening is great for gross and fine motor skills.
And let’s not forget: Go Green, Recycle, Have Fun Outside!
What sort of things do you grow with your children? Do you have a bunch of pots on the kitchen window sill, or a huge open veggie plot for your kids to roam? Whatever your situation, I’d like to hear it! I’m thinking about writing a round-up post in the future about some quirky or easy DIY garden/plant features that are easily do-able for kids, no matter what your housing situation. If this is something you’d be interested in, please let me know in the comments and if you have any posts you’d like featured, don’t forget to give me a tweet @gloryiscalling.
Lukeosaurus And Me
Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.
19 Comments
Mum to a Monster
This is a simple but great idea. we will be doing this
Lukeosaurus And Me
It’s great and with a toddler about, there’s always a milk bottle lying around! Thanks for stopping by. xx
Jenny
We made a couple of these last week! Super fun and in plentiful supply 🙂
Lukeosaurus And Me
They’re great aren’t they? We have had the same one knocking around for nearly 2 months now. xx
Claire Miller
I loved this! My son Jack is 13 months old and this will be great in the summer and future. I’ve saved the link! xx
Lukeosaurus And Me
Oh I’m so happy you like the idea! 🙂 It’s really good fun and can be used a lot in the summer with water play times as well, you’re right. Thanks for stopping by, do let me know if you make some and how they work out for you! xx
Nayna Kanabar
Your son is really enjoying the gardening.I love the idea of the milk bottle watering can.
Lukeosaurus And Me
Yeah, he is really enjoying having his own little space to look after his plants. 🙂 xx
twinmumamongstotherthings
My twins are only16 months old (and therefore have only been let loose in the garden a couple of times!) but I will DEFINITELY be doing this with them when they are bigger. Absolutely flippin’ adorable! x
Lukeosaurus And Me
I’m so glad you think that! Thanks lovely! Luke’s s=just at the age where he is learning to copy and wants to do everything, so this is working out really nicely for us! 😀 Thanks for stopping by honey. xx
Nadine Heather
I don’t know if you know this but I’m a MASSIVE fan of your little man and his beautiful little face. Look at him being a grown up with a responsibility!
Lukeosaurus And Me
Hehe, why thank you Nayface!! He’s growing up way too quickly for my liking. Just sayin’…! xx
Jenny
Aww, so cute! Love his big smile, he is clearly loving his little garden! Great idea witht he milk bottles, I’ve been meaning to do this for A and O, but it’s been raining so much here anyway! 🙁 Lovely post, Ray. xx
Lukeosaurus And Me
Thanks Jenny! 🙂 I remember my dad doing it ages ago when I was younger and thinking it was odd, now I know why he did it! It’s been quite warm down our way, it only rained today so we didn’t get to do it! 🙁 xx
Sara@HandyHerbs
What a fab idea for the watering can! I think it’s so important for kids to nurture things. Like you say, gardening helps develop other skills too.Great he’s having so much fun along the way 🙂
Lukeosaurus And Me
Thanks honey! I can’t think of a better activity for kids to do, it has a bit of everything and so much learning potential! Xx
Lukeosaurus And Me
Thank you! 🙂 He’s a cutie if I do say so myself. 😉 xx
Lukeosaurus And Me
Haha, I am glad you approve Becky! 😀 I think he’s cute too, but what can I say? He gets it from his mum!! xx
Leandra
I love how you have started your rooftop garden with Luke, his face says it all, I think he loves his new job 😉
Thanks so much for linking up to #toddlerapprovedtuesday this week x