Planter Projects Back to School Teacher Gift
The perfect back to school teacher gift to send with your son or daughter doesn’t have to cost much. You’ve probably already invested a lot in their school supplies. If your child would like to do a little extra something for his or her new teacher, try this fun project involving our 6″ Terracotta Pot from The Home Depot, some chalkboard paint, and a sturdy houseplant. This project is great to get the kids involved with!
get startedHere’s What You’ll Need to Get Started
Gather Your Materials
We found chalkboard paint, brown paint for the bottom of our 6″ Terracotta Pot, chalk, and a set of three foam paint brushes all for under $15. Additional items that you may want include are artist tape and some scrap paper or newspaper to paint on.
Make a Mark
Before painting anything, make a mark with a pen about an inch above the bottom of the pot. This will indicate where to place the artist tape or other tape so that you can paint a straight line for a wood grain pattern at the bottom.
Paint the Bottom Portion of Your Chalkboard
Make the bottom portion of your pot look like an authentic chalkboard by painting it brown. We used regular paint for this part, not chalkboard paint. Your artist tape will act as a guide to ensure you are painting a straight line. Be sure to wait at least an hour between coats.
Wait....and then Use Chalkboard Paint
Once the bottom of your pot is completely dry, start painting the top with black chalkboard paint being careful not to paint in the area you already finished. Chalkboard paint typically takes one hour to dry and you really only need one coat. But, that is entirely up to you!
Create Wood Grain Pattern
Once the chalkboard paint has completely dried, create a wood grain pattern on the bottom by gently brushing your foam brush in light strokes against the pot. You can use your black chalkboard paint to do this.
If you choose to buy a terracotta saucer, paint this brown as well and add the same wood grain pattern.
Cut Out Stencil
Writing on a terracotta pot with chalk might not be the easiest part of this project. We suggest looking on the internet for any shapes or letters you might want to trace or color over with chalk on your planter. This is the perfect part to get the kids involved in! Here, we printed a small butterfly and cut it out with scissors.
Place Stencil Firmly on Pot
Holding or taping your stencil firmly to the pot, color over the shape with the long surface of your piece of chalk to create a pretty, distressed look.
Letters, Numbers, Words
Create some additional lettering or words, maybe even the new teacher’s name!
Add Plant
Finish up your back to school teacher gift by adding some greenery such as this Baby Rubber Plant that is especially good for indoor container gardening. It will be very low maintenance for the teacher to take care of as it needs medium light and watering only when the soil feels dry.
Check out these other kid-friendly container gardening projects
– How to Create a Fairy Garden
– How to Create a Dinosaur Garden
