Making a Terrarium with Kids

We are using a Waldorf inspired curriculum from Oak Meadow.  I love this approach to teaching.  It really focuses a lot on teaching about the world around us.  Last week we studied about the water cycle and the water table.  To help learn about these processes we decided to make a closed terrarium and watch the water cycle in action.  We also took a field trip to the Ouray Hot Springs to learn more about the water table.

Here's what we did to make our closed terrarium:

Materials needed:
glass container - I had a cookie jar with a lid that creates an easy to assemble closed terrarium
charcoal
mini gravel
potting soil
2" plants
fairy decorations

First you put a layer of the gravel, then the charcoal and last the potting soil.  Pot your plants.  We made it sloping so we could put the african violet on top.  Then add your decorations.  Water the plants and put the terrarium in indirect sunlight.  Watch what happens in the first 24 hours.  If it gets so steamy in there that you can't see the plants just lift the lid to let it ventilate some.  You should only need to water about once a month or so.

Here is an awesome link to use for your terrarium that also includes a water cycle worksheet and a chart to write down the observations from the terrarium's water cycle.

Terrarium Directions and Teaching Tools from Fairchild Garden