A Note From The Home Depot
Join Natalie Dalpias of The Creative Mom as she and her two children build fun and educational planters with easy DIY kits from the Home Depot. Then stop by your local Home Depot and pick from a wide range of simple, delightful kits for your DIY kids!
I’m Natalie, from TheCreativeMom. My kids and I love doing the Home Depot Kids Workshops together, and today we are thrilled to show you how to make this cute picket fence planter!
We had the best time working on this project together. It was simple enough that the kids didn’t get overwhelmed, but it held their attention and challenged their creativity.
My kids have grown up doing the kids workshops in the Home Depot store, but we have also loved doing them in our own home. We usually set up a table in our living room, or we sit at the kitchen counter and work on these projects together.
If you purchase online, the Kids Workshop kit comes with everything you need to build your Picket Fence Planter. If you purchase online, the Kids Workshop kit comes with everything you need to build your Picket Fence Planter.
- 1 Bottom Piece
- 2 Picket Fences
- 2 Sides
- 2 Pots with Saucers
- 12 Nails
- 1 Sticker Sheet
- Instruction Sheet
- Home Depot Kids Apron
- Kids Workshop Certificate of Achievement
- 1 Apron Pin
You’ll also need a few things you can find around your home or in your local Home Depot store.
Step One
Start by opening up your kits, lay out your pieces and read through the instructions. You’ll also need to sand to remove any rough edges. Remember to sand in the direction of the wood grain.
Some kids may need help hammering in the nails. We found that it was easier for them if I held it steady while they hammered the nails in. For my youngest, I started the nails and then he was able to finish hammering them in.
Step Two
Turn the project on an open end, and add thin lines of wood glue to the top edges of the side pieces. Place one of the picket fences on top; make sure the sides and the bottom edges are even, and nail it in place with four nails.
Step Three
Turn the project over and repeat to attach the other picket fence with four nails.
Step Four
Now our picket fence planter is all built, so you can add a little personality. We decided to paint our planters, and then we added the stickers.
Jack was planning on making this as a gift for his grandmother, so he picked her favorite colors and made sure to use the “Happy Mother’s Day” sticker that came in the kit.
Hank wanted to keep the planter for himself so he could watch the plants grow. So he picked his favorite colors and used all of the stickers except for the Mother’s Day sticker.
Workshop Extension Activity
One of our favorite parts of the Kids Workshops is doing the Workshop Extension Activity included in the kit. Home Depot has partnered with Discovery Education to give you a fun little activity that you can do with the project you just built.
For the picket fence planters, we get to plant seeds in our planters. We get to pick whatever seeds we want, then we get to experiment with different water and lighting and monitor the growth.
We chose soil and seeds from the garden center at the Home Depot, then we planted our pots. My kids chose basil and carrots. I’m not sure how well the carrots are going to grow in these pots, but that’s the fun of the experiment.
Then we labeled the plant markers that came in the kit and marked what our plants were.
After we were all done with our planters, we got to fill out the certificate of achievement that was included in your Kids Workshop kit. And you can pin your workshop pin onto your apron. My kids are trying to collect a bunch of different pins from different projects.
These kids' workshop kits never disappoint. We’ve been doing them for years, since my oldest was able to hold a hammer.
I like to keep a few of the kits on hand in our home for rainy days when my kids are bored. Sometimes when I’m working on a project that my kids aren’t able to help with, I will pull out one of these kits for them to do instead. And they feel like they are working alongside me.
It’s been so much fun to be able to do these kits in our home. We give the kids workshop kits two thumbs up! My kids have loved every single one.
This Picket Fence Planter was especially fun, because my kids are excited to give them to their grandmother for Mother’s Day. We know she will cherish this homemade gift for years to come.
