Summer Kids Craft Camp Session 5: Painted Rock Cacti
It is no secret that I love cacti and succulents. If you came into my house, you would see them all over. The last time I counted, I think I had around 30 cacti and succulents! I just love these little plants. For our Craft Camp activity this week, we made some painted rock cacti. And these little guys don't even need to be watered!
Materials:
Paint brushes
Acrylic Paint
Small flower pot. Even a paper mache pot will work.
Rocks from your yard. You want to look for rocks that are sort of round and long.
Filler for your flower pot. I used shredded kraft paper.
Once you raid your yard for some good-sized rocks, you need to make sure you wash them off. The paint won't stick to dirt. Then start painting! We used a variety of green paint for the base and added white and lighter or darker green for the spines and spikes. Get creative with your spikes! Cacti come in so many varieties!
I also found two little rocks to act as "flowers" for my cacti. I painted these yellow and pink. These will be glued to the tops of two of my rocks. You can also use artificial flowers, pom poms, buttons, or beads as flowers on your cacti.
When my paint was dry, I glued my "flowers" to the tops of two of my cacti rocks using clear Gorilla Glue. You have to dampen one of the surfaces for the Gorilla Glue to work. I sandwiched the flower rocks between the cacti rocks to help hold them in place while they dried. Note that I'm only gluing them to one rock, not two.
When your glue is dry, you can add your cacti to your flower pot. Depending on the size of your rocks and flower pot, you may need to add some filler to your pot to boost up your rocks. I used some shredded kraft paper in the bottoms of ours, but you could also use sand, pebbles, or even pillow stuffing.
Arrange your cacti rocks to your liking, and you have a fun little decoration! My kids even wanted to paint their flower pots a little which you could do too. I don't have to worry about my kids getting poked by these cacti, and they won't die in their rooms! Win win!
