If it feels like spring's taking too long to sprout, liven up a winter windowsill by making this mini

greenhouse -- a recycled take on a cloche, traditionally used outdoors to protect early plantings.

Materials

 Clear 2-liter soda bottle

 Small flowerpot
 Potting soil

 Seeds
 Saucer
 Craft stick marker

1. Lead a discussion by starting with "What do children need to grow?"  Then, ask the
students what they think plants might need.

2. Explain that we will be decorating our own pots and planting a seed
3. Decorate-Have material in middle so students can share material
4. Using a spoon, ask children to fill the pot 3/4 full of potting soil.
5. Show children how to press two seeds about 1/4-inch down into the soil
6. Water! Use a spray bottle to lightly water
7. Put all pots in a place where they will get filtered sunlight
Instructions

1. Cut the top from a clear 2-liter soda bottle.

2. Find a flowerpot that fits inside the dome.
3. Place the pot on a saucer and poke in a craft stick marker. Slip the dome over the
pot. Be sure to water the soil when it looks dry.

Tips:
Consider planting herbs, such as parsley and basil, that can be transplanted outside once
the weather warms, or grass, which grows fast and is fun to trim with scissors.

Here's a twist on the traditional snow globe: fabric flowers, plastic figures, and a pinch of glitter
in a recycled jar celebrate the coming of the warmer season.

Materials

 Clean jar with lid

 Fabric flowers
 Small plastic figures
 Hot glue gun
 Floral wire (optional)

 Glitter and confetti

 Teflon tape, also called plumber's tape, found in hardware stores
 Scissors
 Green paper
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Instructions

1. Turn the lid upside down. Loosely arrange the flowers and figures on it,
periodically placing the jar over the items to check for fit.
2. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the flowers and figures to the lid. To attach the
butterfly in our globe, we first hot-glued the figure to one end of a piece of floral
wire, then hot-glued the wire's other end to the lid.
3. Fill the jar with water to within a half inch from the top and add the glitter and
confetti.
4. Dry the rim of the jar and wrap one layer of Teflon tape around the threads to
ensure a leak-proof seal. Immerse the decorations in the jar and tighten the lid.
5. Cut and fringe the green paper to make a decorative base and glue it around the
lid.