Alien grassheads are great fun to make, especially in winter, as they will grow inside when greenery is in rather short supply. You can even give the aliens a haircut! So, combine craft and gardening to make an amazing alien, guaranteed to raise a smile!
You will need:
* Old pairs of tights or stockings
* Grass seed
* Sawdust
* Elastic bands
* General craft supplies for making features
* Glue sticks
* Scissors
* Felt tip pens/paints/glitter glue
* Yoghurt pots
* Paper
MAKING THE ALIENS
1 Children begin by cutting the foot off a pair of old tights or stockings.
They will need one foot each for this activity. Save the remains though, as they can be chopped up to make a great stuffing for other future craft projects.
2 Fill the foot of the tights with a small handful of grass seed. This will become the alien's hair when it grows. Top up with sawdust until the fabric is filled out to the required size.
3 Tie a secure knot in the fabric and cut off any excess. Mould into an oval shape. Sawdust is the preferred material for this activity, as it is easy to manipulate. Be aware, though, that some children with asthma may be affected by the material, as sawdust can be an allergen. In this case you could adapt the activity by using compost.
4 Next, children can create lumps and bumps on their alien by pinching out small sections of the fabric and twisting it tightly, trapping some sawdust inside. Wrap an elastic band around each bump to secure it, and repeat a few times! Elastic bands of different colours and thickness look particularly good.
5 Using general craft resources, the children can add features. They may decide to turn a few of the bumps they have created into the alien's eyes - three or four perhaps! They could do this by sticking on self-adhesive wobbly-eyes, or drawing or painting features on paper and attaching them with a small amount of glue stick. Glitter glue looks great and can be used straight on to the fabric; a little bit will seep through but it won't ruin the overall effect. Spots of paint can also be added. Children may want to use some wool for hair, which will eventually mix in with the grass when it grows. Do remember though, that the grass can only grow through in the places without decoration, so a lot of features will result in less growth.
6 Finally, the children should cover a yoghurt pot in paper and decorate it for the alien to sit in. Some may like to paint the pot, while others might prefer to turn it into the alien's body by adding pipe-cleaner arms and paper feet.
ALIEN CARE
The grass will grow best if the alien is placed in its base on a window-sill in a warm room, where it will get a good amount of natural light. Avoid leaving it in too much of a draught. The aliens need watering little but often for the seeds to grow. This needs to be done carefully so as not to ruin the decoration. The sawdust should feel damp afterwards, but there should be no more than the occasional drip into the yoghurt pot.
Don't drown it! However, once the grass begins to shoot, you can water the creation more freely.
...AND COIFFURE
When the grass has grown to a sufficient length, the children can have fun styling the 'hair' of their alien with scissors! The grass does tend to grow quite quickly, and so this is an activity that the children can enjoy time and time again!
