Homeschooling Recycling Craft; Clay Pots and Plates

Do you have an old set of dishes with a great decorative trim? How about a garden shed full of terra cotta pots that are never used? Now you can combine the two to make one of a kind planter for gifting or for your own home. Involve your children or grandchildren and make memories that will last longer than the pot!

You will need one or two dinner plates for each 6 inch terra cotta clay pot. Ceramic tile adhesive and ceramic tile grout; both are available at your local hardware store. Large chains such as Lowe's or Home Depot carry a wide variety. If you are going to leave large spaces between the plate bits you can use floor grout. If you have small spaces between the plate bits then you need to use wall grout.

You can use tile nippers to trim the plate pieces. I have my kids cover the plates with an old towel and then bash them with a hammer. We use the tile nippers to trim the pieces so they will fit together like a puzzle on the pot. You will also need a plastic knife, some old rags, and I cover our work surface with newspaper to help with clean up.

Wash and dry the plates and pots you are planning on using for this project. Smash plates as described above. We use the decorative trim pieces of the dinner plates, but you can use the entire plate assuming it is uniform thickness. To glue the pieces to the pot, butter the back of one piece with a small amount of tile adhesive, just like you would butter toast!

Line up the outside edge of each buttered plate piece with the upper edge of the pot and stick it on. If the rim is wide place a second row of pieces under the first row; aligning them with the lower edge of the pot rim. If the pieces are not fitting together very well use the tile nippers to trim them. Once the rim is covered allow it to sit overnight.

Once you have allowed the tile adhesive to dry overnight squeeze some tile grout between the plate pieces to fill in the spaces. If your grout comes in a can spread it on with a rag- use the rag to push the grout into the spaces between the plate pieces. Let the grout dry for about 15 minutes before you wipe the surface of the plate pieces clean with a rag. Let the grout dry for about 30 minutes more before wiping again, this time with a damp rag.

Allow the pot to dry for two to three days. Then you can fill it with soil and plant something in it. You can customize looks for each season- plant mums in the fall and daises in the spring. Use plates that coordinate with the season to further customize you look. If you are homeschooling your children you can use these pots to tie into lessons about plant life cycles; recycling and its effect on our environment, or just as a fun arts and crafts project.