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You are here: Home / Naturally Frugal Mom / How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

May 28, 2014 by Jody 2 Comments

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How to make a Pirate Grotto Garden for kids - Because some kids would rather play in a pirate garden than a fairy garden!

I love having the kids in the garden with me whether they are helping me plant or playing nearby  so I make it a point to create play spaces throughout the yard and garden. About a month ago when I made THIS (Insert fairy garden link) for my little girl I had a pouting little boy on my hands who also thought a fairy garden was a great idea. Wanting to give him something a little more boyish I had to start brainstorming ideas immediately.  It took me a couple weeks but I finally came up with an idea that he loves.  My son loves anything pirate, and is at the stage where action figures are his favorite toy so any place they can be used is an instant hit.

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

Start by finding something to  create your garden in, I used this old wagon that is no longer played with, a few holes drilled in the  bottom for drainage and it was ready to go.  Find a spot for it, like under a tree, this area has plenty of filtered sunlight making it more cool and inviting. The other benefit of using the wagon is that it can be moved easily for weed eating or to change up the play space.

Items needed to create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

The next step is to fill your container with sand, I filled mine about 2″ from the top.  Then select some plants to go in your garden. Since its a pirate island I wanted to use tropical looking plants-succulents are a good fit as well as these little Coleas that give some color to the little space. Since not much grows well in straight sand other than sea oats I either left the plants in their pots as long as they had room for some growth, or I planed them with a mound of  good garden soil and topped it with sand.  As they grow too large for the space I will replant them somewhere else and put in new plants. The wonderful thing about these little areas is that they can grow and evolve into bigger, better, or even completely different things. While I wanted to keep it mostly natural items so that it is functional and beautiful, I couldn’t find any mini palm trees so I made my own with a stick from the yard, green craft foam, and my handy dandy glue gun.

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

To create a water feature as if our pirates had just landed on the beach I cut down the side of my play sand bag, and duct taped one side to the inside of the wagon. You could also use a piece of visqueen plastic, duct taped carefully on ends. A handful of blue  glass pebbles from the Dollar Tree give it a blue ocean look. Just scoop out and shape the sand to create your water area. To disguise some of the edge I used rocks to create a rocky shoreline-similar to the way you use large rocks to disguise a pond liner. Fill with water and make sure its water tight, its now  ready for a sea loving scallywag.

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

Pirates need a cave to hideout in and do pirate things so we I made one by spray painting a pot black, as well as lightly spraying some rocks as well. These were hot glued on 3 sides of  the top half of the pot- the bottom half was buried under some sand.

pirate grotto garden for kids with a cave

Add in seashells, toys, and other little miniature pieces to set the scene, I found this barrel in the fairy garden section of Hobby Lobby ” Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of fun!” as my son says. The red X was easily made from a piece of craft foam, and we used our Playmobile and Imaginext figures and accessories for play time. Throw in some mini sea  creatures and all that is left is to add in a child with some imagination and you have a play space that will keep them busy for hours.

How to Create a Pirate Grotto Garden for Kids

 

More Outdoor Activities for Kids

  • How to Create a Magical Fairy Garden
  • Backyard Bird Watching with Kids
  • Outdoor Spring Activities for Kids
  • 15 Spring Crafts for Kids
  • 10 Water Play Activities for Kids
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Comments

  1. Joey Lynn Resciniti (@BTaC_blog) says

    May 15, 2014 at 9:29 am

    So cute! I love that you put it in a wagon. Totally portable playtime!

    Reply
    • Jody says

      May 15, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Thanks! It was fun an really a labor of love, it is harder to find cute and fun boy activities!

      Reply

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Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches by Alea Milham

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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