Earth Day is April 22nd. It’s a great opportunity to get your hands dirty, help the planet, and have fun with your family. Here are a few DIY projects to celebrate the planet that we all call home!
Soda Bottle Herb Planters
Recycle your old plastic bottles, save money on fresh herbs, and add greenery to your porch or kitchen with plastic bottle herb planters. Bonus points if you plant any of these outside as they help keep bees in business: lavender, rosemary, or oregano.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Marker
Sturdy 1-liter plastic bottles with caps
Utility knife
Scissors
Label remover or vegetable oil (optional)
Potting soil
Herb seedlings
HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
- For each planter, mark a line 5 inches from the bottle’s base. Use the utility knife to puncture the bottle at the mark, then use scissors to cut all the way around the bottle.
- If you want, remove the label, using the label remover or vegetable oil to get rid of any extra adhesive.
- With the cap in place, invert the bottle’s top portion and insert it into the base. Fill it, leaving about an inch of room at the top.
- Transplant a seedling, adding soil and pressing it gently until the seedling is secured in the planter. Find fresh herb plants at your local grocery store!
- Lift out the soil-filled top portion and remove the cap. Add about an inch of water to the planter’s base, enough that the mouth of the bottle will be submerged in the water when in place.
- Give the seedling some more water to help it get established, then place it in a sunny spot.
- Following the care instructions that came with your herb, add water as needed to the planter’s base.
Build a Critter Hotel
A critter hotel provides shelter to insects in your yard, like crickets or ladybugs. It can also be a temporary shelter for other creatures, like toads!
WHAT YOU CAN USE
Old wood fragments from pallets or crates
Dry straw
Moss
Twigs
Bark
Pine cones
Soil
Hollow stems
Bricks with holes in them
Terracotta pieces or shingles
Pretty much anything dry and natural that you can find!
HOW
- Create or find your base structure. This can be some wood pieces nailed or glued together to form a box, an old birdhouse, a wooden crate,
- Fill the structure with your natural pieces. Don’t pack it too tight, as this is made for things to crawl inside for shelter.
- Place it in a dry place with solid ground. For extra measures, add a roof with old clay tiles to keep the inside dry. Keep it away from your house, but place it near nectar-rich flowers to help will attract ladybugs and butterflies.
Butterfly Feeder
Butterflies are an important part of ecosystems as pollinators. Try this simple DIY project to attract butterflies to your yard this spring and help pollinate the world!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Empty tin can, cleaned
Colorful flowers (real or artificial)
Sugar
Water
Sponge or cotton balls
HOW
- Clean the empty can. Decorate it with bright colors if you want. Butterflies are attracted to them!
- Fill it with some colorful flowers to attract the butterflies. They can be fake to make your feeder last longer!
- Saturate a few cotton balls or a sponge with a sugar water mixture. The ratio should be 9 parts water to 1 part sugar.
- Place your sponge/cotton balls in the bottom of the can and set the feeder outside. Butterflies should come pay you a visit!
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