Grow your own Dirt Baby

Dirty babies are such a great way to get kids in the habit of taking care of plants.  And, with the summer weather, while the sun is out, it's the perfect time to teach little hands what it takes to keep a living plant alive.

Here's how it's done.

Materials you'll need:

• Knee-high stockings (Panty hose)
• Rye-grass seeds or other grass seeds
• Potting soil
• Wiggle eyes, pipe cleaners and/or felt
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun

Depending on how many you want to make, you will need stocking/panty hose to make each Dirty Baby.

Here's what to do:

Now this is the fun part, kids can get in there and get their hands dirty and make the Dirty Baby to however they want it to look.  The grass can be the hair or a beard with the dirty baby upside-down.

Open the stocking and roll down the top to where the bottom is easy to access.  Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of grass seeds into the stockings and then add about a cup of potting soil or more depending on the size you want to make your dirty baby.  Make sure you place the seeds in first before the soil.

Shake the Dirt Baby so the soil stays at the bottom of the stocking and roll the hose back up.  Grasp the panty hose and shake the soil to the very bottom to make a ball with the soil and the grass seed on the bottom.  Make it as round as you want or even into the shape of a football for a funky head shape, if you like.  Then tie a pretty tight knot into the hose to secure the contents.  Leave about an inch at the knot after you tie it and then trim the rest off.  You won't need the rest of the stocking that you cut off, or you can save this piece to use later on in your garden.

Now you get to decorate the Dirt Baby with the wiggle eyes, pipe cleaners and felt.  It's your call on what you want your dirt baby to look like.

Place your Dirt Baby in a dish to catch any water run off while it grows.  I used a small salsa dish here but, any small saucer or bowl will work just fine.

Over the course of the months you will see little changes in the growth of your Dirt Baby.

Be sure to keep it well watered and in a window so that it can have as much light as it needs to grow.

Your Dirt Baby will grow his "hair" and will need to be trimmed from time to time.

And, eventually you will have one hairy little Dirt Baby!