Gardening : Other : Garden-Made Animals : Home & Garden Television

Create playful animals from dried pods and other "findings" from the garden.

Use pipe cleaners, rosemary and string to make a rosemary snake.

Environmental expert Michael Fritzen shows how to turn an out-of-control garden into a project for children.

Standing Animal

Materials:

pipe cleaners (green ones are easily hidden with plant materials)
cord
hot-glue gun

Steps:

Use groups of three pipe cleaners for the extra support, in a shape roughly like a capital letter "H."
Line up one group of pipe cleaners horizontally, and space two groups of three perpendicular to the first group.

Figure A

Bend up the two perpendicular groups and twist a little to hold their shape (figure A). This creates the four legs on the body.

Tie greenery to this skeleton and add embellishments such as googly eyes and leaf ears.

Snake

Materials:

same as above

Steps:

Connect a group of three pipe cleaners at each end by twisting. Repeat with another group.

Figure B

Connect the two by twisting (figure B).

Fill in with rosemary or pine, or any soft, pliable greenery.

Attach with cord, overlaying vegetation so it hides the cord from the previous bunch (the way you do when making a wreath).

Add embellishments.

Also in this Episode

Garden-Made Animals