Kids Homemade Greetings Cards -  from the Garden-Plantable Greeting Packaging!

By creating plantable greeting cards kids can learn valuable lessons about reducing waste, reusing paper materials, and recycling. These greeting cards are a wonderful gift idea, and a good way to make a greeting card that can be thrown out after it’s read. It’s a dual gift, perfect for any occasion.

Materials

• 1-1/2 cups of 1-inch scraps made from newspaper, construction paper
• Large bowl of warm water
• Masking tape
• 6- by 10-inch piece of window screen
• Blender
• 9- by 13-inch baking pan
• Packet of wildflower seeds
• Bath towels
• Markers

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Instructions

1. Place the scraps of paper in a bowl of warm water and soak overnight.
2. Fold the strips of tape over the edges of the screen, this will make it easier to handle.
3. Place the soaked paper into the blender, then fill the blender halfway with fresh water.
4. Blend until the mixture looks like a thick, creamy soup.
5. Add water to the baking pan until it’s a quarter full, then pour in the blended pulp.
6. Add the packet of wildflower seeds and mix well with your hands.
7. Slip the screen into the pan so that it slides beneath the pulp and seeds.
8. Lift it gently, catching the pulp mixture in an even layer on top and allowing the water to drain off.
9. Lay the screen on a bath towel, moving it to a dry area when the fabric below is saturated.
10. Let the paper dry for at least 24 hours.
11. When the paper has dried completely, gently remove it from the screen.
12. Add a message to fit the occasion with the markers.

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Younger children may need additional help with this project, but school age children will enjoy creating these cards with very little help, with the exception of assistance with the blender. Making these wonderful recycled cards is a wonderful way for children to show they care about the receiver and the environment.

This idea is also very useful for youth groups or other organizations to use in fundraising sales. Instead of investing in candy bars, keep all the profits and sell packs of recycled plantable gift cards. A lesson in business and finances could easily be coupled with sustainable living with this fun project.