Kids Craft Ideas: Rock Cactus Decoration

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Whether your child would like a new decoration for their room or an accessory for the kitchen window, a simple alternative to a real plant is a rock cacti arrangement. This project involves using paint to make creative patterns. The end result? A pretty "plant" for the home that you don't have to water. This project is suitable for children ages 10 and up.
Supplies
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You will need:

- A small- or medium-sized pot
- Enough small rocks to fill the pot
- Five larger rocks (possible shape ideas pictured)
- A paintbrush
- Green paint
- Red and yellow paint (optional)
- White paint pen
Step 1
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Fill the pot with the small rocks. These should reach up to about half an inch from the top of the pot. Smooth the rocks to create a flat layer for the base of your project.
Step 2
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Paint each of your larger rocks in your chosen shades of green. You can mix different shades of green or green with white to create different shades. For the rock cacti in this example, we chose three larger rocks for vertical cacti, a sphere rock for a pincushion cactus and a smaller rock for a succulent.
Step 3
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Next, use your paint pen to create designs on each cactus. Shake the paint pen before use and test it on a piece of paper before starting on the rocks. Possible patterns include small dots, lines with X's, succulent leaves, or a combination of all options.
Step 4
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As an optional step, you can paint yellow or red flowers atop the cacti for a final touch.
Step 5
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Situate the cactus rocks in the pot, setting the larger rocks in the back and the smaller in the front. Be sure to mix up colors and patterns so the arrangement looks more like a variety of cacti.

Congratulations! You've made a pretty new rock plant display.