Make-at-School Mother's Day Gift Idea!

My class made their Mother’s Day gifts this week! This is a project that I’ve done for three years now, and it’s always such a big hit I just had to share. It takes a little bit of effort, but the outcome is worth it, and more importantly, it’s something different that Mom probably hasn’t gotten before. So what is it? Grass Heads! (basically home-made Chia Pets)

This may seem daunting, but I’ve done it with 1^st, 2^nd, and 5^th graders so I know kids of all ages can handle it! Obviously with the younger ones, you just have to model very clearly and be explicit with your directions.

Here is all you need to know to make these cute, springy Mother’s Day gifts:

The Materials

♥ 1 knee-high stocking per kid (I get the kind that come as a pair in a plastic bubble for 33 cents at Walmart…that’s around 4 bucks for my whole class)
♥ grass seed
♥ hamster bedding (1 bag was enough for 25 students)
♥ 2 googly eyes per kid
♥ 1 rubber band per kid
♥ 1 styrofoam bowl per kid
♥ 8 ounce plastic cups for measuring and scooping
♥ any materials you want to accessorize with (pipe cleaners, scraps of material, etc.)

The Directions
*The kids need to work in pairs to help each other. One student will need to hold the stocking open while the other stuffs it with grass seed and bedding. *

1) Put about 1/8 cup of grass seed in the bottom of the stocking.

2) Put about 4 cupfuls of bedding in the stocking

3) Smush the stocking to turn it into the shape you want.

4) Tie a knot in the bottom of the stocking and cut off the extra material. 

5) Write the student’s initials on the bottom of the grass head near the knot. Hot glue on the googly eyes and have the students create their grass heads’ noses by pulling a little bedding outward and wrapping a rubber band around it.

7) Soak all the grass heads overnight.

8) Put in a sunny spot and water regularly (spray bottles are great for this!)

9) Decorate with accessories, if you so desire. (I had first graders hot glue on “dresses” and stuff. They also like to make things out of pipe cleaners to glue on…ears, mouths, glasses, barrettes…)

10) Send home for Mother’s Day!

I recommend you do this outside...it gets messy!

This is a great book to invest in! It has lots of great ideas. I got mine on Amazon.com for just a few dollars.

I will post update pics of the Grass Heads as the grass grows. Like I said, this is just something fun and different you can have your students take home as a gift for Mom on Mother's Day. Have fun! I know your students will!