DIY Concrete Planters: a School Christmas Project
Check out this fun DIY Concrete Planters Christmas Project.
My g’littles school tapped me for an art class to help the students make parent gifts!
DIY Concrete Planters: our pick for a Christmas craft project.
Our g’littles school needed a volunteer, and the teacher called with an SOS.
I haven’t really had a lot of practice teaching craft classes, but I agreed to “volunteer.”
Would you have accepted this challenge?
I think my near-complete ignorance on how this should go down lulled me into accepting the challenge. I don’t even know the questions, never mind the answers.
So research and study began in earnest.
Instructions for DIY Concrete Planters are easy to find.
There are some that say they’re so easy to make that they only give about 4 steps from zero to finished.
That should fill me with confidence.
But somehow, it does the opposite.
No project is ever simple enough that I could do it in 4 easy steps. I tend to add detours and multiply the simplest process into a masterful maze.
So with the anticipation of disaster, I thought I should have a practice class in front of my mirror, so to speak.
Every new venture begins with a journal page crammed with Notes-to-Self.
New job; new Bible School class; even a new cleaning technique. I like to spell it out in great detail.
The Concrete Planters Project needs a detailed plan.
Nothing is too minute to go in the Notes-to-Self plan for a middle school art class!
- Smile and say to the class, “I’m so happy to be here today.”
- “Today we will be” …. say whatever it is we’ll be doing.
- Act excited and enthused. Say, “This is going to be so much fun.”
- The part I never write in the notes that comes next, is everyone smirking at their desktops. With me feeling as if the train is already going off the rails.
- Ignore hammering pulse and continue on with the plan. Never let them know you don’t know what you don’t know.
Of course, these steps are tongue in cheek. I know these students and we’re all friends already.
So as long as the alphabet stays lined up on the wall this children’s Christmas craft should go okay.
Let’s go through the real pre-plan.
The Concrete Planters Plan Notes
Gather supplies:
- Containers in two sizes to use for concrete molds. The smaller size mold fits inside the larger mold to form the hollow inside of the pot. Research said the small one should be 1.5″ smaller in width than the larger. One maker used two sizes of cleaned milk cartons. Another made her own cardboard molds to make octagonal and triangular planters. Love that idea, but maybe not for middle schoolers.
- Concrete or Kwikrete mix. Some add coconut fiber to the mix to make the planters stronger.
- Weights to keep the smaller mold down in the wet concrete. Dry beans, canned goods, bag of rocks: you can use something handy.
- Make sure the concrete settles well, because air pockets can weaken the planter. Prevent this by carefully shaking the mold after pouring. Or an option is adding concrete a spoonful at a time. I don’t see this happening with kids who always want everything done yesterday. We’ll go with poking the wet concrete with dowels.
- The dowels have a second purpose. Succulents need drainage, so we’ll tuck a piece of dowel in the wet concrete bottom to knock out later. The other option I saw was poking holes after the project was dry. For some reason I don’t picture that turning out well: shards of broken pots and no Christmas gifts for the parents.
- This completes the steps for our pre-plan. We’ll share the rest after this project is started. Our first session will be pouring the pots. Then they need to cure for up to a week. But while they cure they need to be rinsed with water every day. This will flush the lime from the concrete, which is not good for growing succulents.
Concrete Planters School Craft Part 2
Did you have any idea this little classroom project could have so many steps?
Me either.
And did I warn you?
I am pessimistic realistic about school projects. Therefore, I try to anticipate all the things that can go wrong. So as to make for a smooth kids craft time.
Please hold your breath for me till this is over! And say a prayer that we (the planters and crafters and I) survive.
Check out Part 2: DIY Concrete Planters Christmas Craft.
Think you’ll want to try this satisfying DIY?
Now I’m curious as to how it went and how the planters turned out! Don’t leave us hanging! I’m sure everything was fine, and your planters turned out wonderfully. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Our first class is this Friday, and yes, I will definitely let you know how they turn out. We’ll have a total of 3, maybe 4 classes before they’re painted and planted. The kids I’ll be working with are all interested in making, so I think they’ll do great. Hope I did enough research!
You’ll be fine Dorothy and the kids will love you. Concrete planters are a beautiful gift anytime of the year and from experience concrete is pretty forgiving. You can always try find quick setting concrete (about an hour) or use plaster of paris instead. Although then the planter can only be used for faux succulents. Either way I can’t wait to see them.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Michelle. My DIL and I did a concrete project. We covered huge green leaves with a layer of concrete, and when it was dry, it was supposed to be a fairy-like water bath for birds in our gardens. They were gorgeous, but something went wrong with our mix. Hers broke, I gave mine to my sister, because I would have to be filling the little holding bowl every 5 minutes in summer in our desert, and now she sold her garden, with house, and I’m not sure it survived to be moved. Anyway, I think this will be fun. Kim has made these, so she at least knows a little about it. What did you make with concrete? Did you blog about it?