How To Make a Paper Garden: Children’s DIY
How to make a Paper Garden
for school children and preschool.
Mostly easy projects that don’t take
a lot of shopping and preparation.
It’s harder to do a craft with children if you don’t have all the stuff you need.
Add the items you don’t have to your shopping list now,
so you’ll have it all in your stash when you want to do it.
We tried to pick projects that use common household items,
but there’s often something you won’t have.
We included affiliate links for items you may need to order.
How to Make Ladybugs for your Paper Garden
Spring is when the ladybugs come flying back into our gardens.
They are fascinating bugs, and when children know they are helpful and not hateful, they fall in love with them.
So here’s our 15 spring craft ideas, beginning with 5 ways to craft a spring ladybug:
1. 3D Ladybugs
What you need:
- 4 – 3″ diameter red cardstock circles
- 1 – 1 1/2″ diameter black cardstock circle
- 2 – 3/8″ googly eyes or make them with white paper with black dots.
- black marker, glue, scissors or circle punches
What you do:
- Punch out the circles, or use a small tin can or cup with the measurements you need to draw the circles.
- Cut out the circles.
- Fold 3 red circles in half.
- Glue a folded circle onto each half of the circle you didn’t fold.
- Open the last folded circle and glue it across the two folded circles.
- Glue the black circle at the fold of the red circles, on the bottom, with half of it poking out.
- Attach the googly eyes to the black circle.
- Add black dots with the marker to the “wings” of the ladybug: all the red circles.
2. Painted Rock Ladybugs
What you need:
- Look for smooth oval rocks.
- Black, red craft paint, small round foam stencil brushes, black fine tip marker.
- Small googly eyes, or white paint to paint the eyes on.
What you do:
- Paint the rocks red.
- Paint one end of the oval with a large black dot for a face.
- Draw a line from the face down the center “back” of the ladybug, to separate the “wings.”
- Stencil black dots on the wings.
- Add googly eyes to the “face.”
3. Folded Fan Ladybugs
What you need:
- Red, black paper
- Googly eyes
- Scissors, glue
What you do:
- Cut two 2″ diameter black circles. Fold one in half.
- Cut a 7″ red square. Fold into a fan with 1/2″ folds.
- Fold the fan in half, and glue the end folds together to make a semicircle.
- Glue one side of the folded black circle to the flat side of the fan, in the center.
- Glue the flat circle under the “head” and under part of the fan.
- Add googly eyes to the fold of the black circle that sticks out from the fan.
4. Paper Plate Ladybugs
What you need:
- Black paper plate or 9″ black cardstock circle
- Red construction paper or cardstock.
- Huge googly eyes, or make eyes from paper circles.
- Black chenille stems, or black paper strips for antennae
What you do:
- Cut wings from red paper and glue the fronts of the wings onto the black paper plate about 1/4 of the diameter from the edge of the plate. If it’s a 9″ plate, glue the wings 2″ from one edge. Let the back of the wings flap or curl up. Add black dots to the wings with marker.
- Glue the chenille stems or paper strips for antennae.
- Attach the googly eyes.
5. Ladybug Greeting Card
What you need:
- Black, red cardstock
- White paper square, about 3″
- Glue, scissors, brass fastener, hole punch or ice pick
- Googly eyes or make eyes with paper circles and black marker
What you do:
- Cut 1 – 7″ x 5″ red oval. This is the card back.
- Cut 1 – 5″ red circle. Cut the circle in half.
- Use the card back for a pattern, and cut a black piece of card from the tip of the oval, about 2 1/2″ down.
- Glue the black “head” to one end of the red card back oval.
- Punch tiny holes through the top center of each half of the red circle, then through the center of the red oval just where the black card stops.
- Attach each half circle and card back together with the brass fastener.
- This allows the “wings” to swing out, revealing the inside of the card. Attach the white square to the back red oval to write a message to the recipient of the card. Swing the wings back in, and the message is hidden.
- Add black dots to the wings with marker.
- Glue googly eyes to the black “head” part of the oval.
5. How to Make Paper Garden Flowers
1. Calla Lilies
What you need:
- Thin pastel colored paper plates, dessert size
- Green paper straws
- Green crepe paper streamer, for leaves
- Yellow chenille stems
- Glue, scissors
What you do:
- Roll the paper plates into a cone shape.
- Poke the green straw through the tip of the cone.
- Stick a piece of chenille stem into the green straw inside the cone.
- Form long narrow leaf shapes with crepe paper and glue to the flower stem.
2. 3D Paper Tulips
What you need:
- Thin card stock in tulip colors
- Green paper straws
- Green crepe paper streamer, for leaves
- Glue, scissors
What you do:
- To make this spring craft idea, start with your tulip pattern: Fold a 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ paper in half the long way
- Place a cup or tin on the bottom as a quarter circle guide.
- Draw a curved line, in a little, then back out to the edge as you get to the top.
- Draw “mountains” across the top. Mark the center between the fold and the edge of the paper. Place a dot at the center, about 1/2″ down from the top. With a ruler draw a line from the fold to the dot, then from the edge to the dot. Cut on this “mountain” line.
- Open up the paper, and carefully trace around it onto cardstock for a pattern.
- Trace this shape onto your tulip colored cardstock 7 times for each tulip. Cut out.
- Fold all the tulip shapes in half.
- Glue one half of each tulip to another half, until all the tulips are glued in a pile.
- Glue the top tulip half to the bottom tulip half. The tulip is a circle now.
- Glue the green straw to the bottom of the tulip.
- Glue narrow crepe paper leaves to the stem.
NOTE: Make giant tulips by making a larger pattern to trace. Use a long dowel wrapped in green crepe paper for the stem. Place them in a tall pot.
3. Curled Paper Hyacinths
What you need:
- Regular printer paper in flower colors, and green. If you use construction paper be sure it’s very thin.
- Scissors, glue
What you do:
- Cut the flower color paper in half the long way.
- Draw a light guide line about 1/4″ from one long edge.
- Cut 3/8″ strips all along the paper, from the edge opposite the guide line to the guide line.
- Curl each strip around a pencil, right up to the guide line. Set aside.
- Cut a green paper in half the long way. Begin to curl one corner of the long side on an angle. Place glue on the entire piece of paper. Finish curling until you have a tight narrow cone shaped stem.
- Get your curled flower paper. Place glue along the guide line. Begin at the top of the stem and wind the flower guide line around and around on an angle down the stem, with the curls facing out.
- Cut the other half of the green paper in half. Mark a 1/2″ guideline along one long edge. Instead of cutting strips this time, cut pointy leaves, each about 3/4″ wide, stopping at the guideline.
- With leaf points up toward the flower curls, about half way down the stem, glue the leaf strip down the stem at an angle. Curl the leaves this way and that for a real-leaf look.
4. Q-tip Dandelions
What you need:
- Foam floral ball
- Yellow cotton swabs, cut in half
- Yellow food coloring
- Green and yellow craft paint, small paint brush
- Green printer weight paper
What you do:
- Ahead of time: dilute the yellow food coloring half and half with water. Dip the white parts of the cotton swabs into the dye. Drain and let dry. Cut them in half. It’s okay if some are a little longer than others.
- Paint 1/3 of a foam ball green, and the rest yellow with the craft paint. Let dry.
- Stick cotton swabs all over the yellow 2/3 of the foam ball like porcupine quills.
- Make a green stem like you did for the hyacinths.
- Make individual leaves and glue onto the stem if desired. Dandelion leaves are long and narrow, but curvy on the sides, and curvy out from the stem.
5. How to Make a Paper Flower Garden
What you need:
- recycled egg cartons, one, two or three, depending on the size of your flowers and how much space they need.
- green or brown craft paint, foam craft paint brush
What you do:
- This is how to make the paper garden for your flowers.
- Cut the bumpy side of the egg cartons apart from the lids.
- Glue the desired number of egg carton bumpy sections together.
- Paint green for a green grass garden, or brown for a dirt garden.
- Poke the stems of your flowers into the top of the egg carton bumps.
Paper Garden Vegetable Crafts
1. Curly Top Carrots
What you need:
- Orange construction paper or cardstock
- Green printer weight paper
What you do:
- Cut orange paper into 7″ square.
- Roll up into cone shape, starting across a corner. Have the top of the carrot about 1″ across.
- Cut a 11″ x 5.5″ green rectangle (half sheet) for each carrot.
- Mark a guideline 1/4″ from one long edge of the green rectangle.
- Cut 1/4″ strips from the opposite edge to the guideline.
- Curl each strip around a pencil, some half way, some just a little.
- Put glue on the guideline, and roll the strip along the glue, with the curls out.
- Glue this curly stem to the top of the carrot. I rolled it up and fit it inside the top of the carrot.
2. 3D Radishes
What you need:
- Thin red cardstock
- Green printer weight paper
- Scissors, glue
What you do:
- Cut 6 – 2″ red circles. Fold them in half. (Shape the circles by cutting the “top” flatter, then making a slight point opposite from the top. It looks like a round valentine, without the dip in the top.)
- Place glue on one red half circle, glue a red circle half on top, with the folds in the same direction.
- Keep stacking half circles, folds all the same way, until all 6 are glued in a stack.
- Place glue on the top half circle, lift the pile, and glue the top half circle to the bottom half circle.
- You have a round 2″ ball!
- Cut a 3″ x 3″ green square for each radish.
- Mark a guideline 1/4″ from one edge of the square.
- Cut 1/4″ strips from the opposite edge to the guideline.
- Curl each strip around a pencil, some half way, some just a little.
- Put glue on the guideline, and roll the strip along the glue, with the curls out.
- Glue this curly stem to the top of the radish.
3. Lettuce
What you need:
- Thin green cardstock
- scissors, glue
- scrap paper to make pattern
What you do:
- Fold a 6″, a 5″, a 4″ and a 3″ square of scrap paper, each into quarters.
- Draw a wavy line across the open end, cutting off the top corners, coming down at the folds like a petal.
- Use one quarter of each size to make a tracing pattern out of cardstock.
- Cut green cardstock into squares: 1 each of 6″, 5″, 4″ and 3″.
- Fold each square into quarters. Use the corresponding size pattern to cut the open tops.
- Open the squares. Cut a triangle out of the 6″ shape, about 1″ at the outside edge, to a point in the center.
- Overlap the cut edge and glue.
- Cut a slightly wider triangle out of the 5″ shape and glue.
- The 4″ and 3″ will get progressively wider triangles cut out, so the resulting glued shape is a tighter and tighter cone.
- Glue all 4 shapes in a stack, largest to smallest. Curl some edges to look like lettuce.
4. Green Peas
What you need:
- Thin green cardstock
- Green florist wire or green narrow wired ribbon
- Scissors, glue
What you do:
- Make a white paper pattern again: Fold a 2″ x 3″ piece in half the long way. Cut from fold in a pointy narrow half oval. When this is opened it looks like a split open peapod.
- Cut this out of green cardstock. Roll pieces of green paper into balls and glue into the peapods.
- Make a green stem like for the hyacinths above. Wrap florist wire or wired ribbon around the stems, then attach peapods, leaving curls here and there like real pea plants.
- Cut green paper leaves if desired and glue to the wire.
5. How to Make a Paper Vegetable Garden
What you need:
- Box or lid, about 12″ x 14″ x 2″ high
- Green printer paper or crepe paper streamer
- Brown paper curly shreds
What you do:
- Now we’ll show you how to make the paper garden!
- Wrap and glue the 2″ outside strip of the box with green paper or streamer paper, cutting strips above the 2″ to look like grass.
- Fill the box with brown curly paper shreds for dirt.
- Add your paper vegetables.
