Garden Guardians
A great project for kids!
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Supplies needed for one
guardian:
-
1 30” 1x2 or 2x2 piece
of wood
-
1 14” 1x2 piece of wood
-
1 8” to 10” square of
3/4” outdoor pressboard or plywood
-
1 “birdhouse” gourd
about the size of a child’s head and
neck
-
acrylic paints, yarn for
hair, straw for body and string or twine
-
children’s clothes (old
pantyhose needed if using a short sleeve
top)
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Making
the form:
Fasten the 30” and 14” pieces of wood together to form
a cross with the crosspiece being no more than 4” down.
Secure the 30” cross upright to the center of the square
piece of wood. Scrub the gourd throughly and let dry.
When dry, cut off a portion of the narrow end using a sharp knife
or fine saw blade. The gourd should slide snugly down on the top of the
cross to a point near the crossbar.
Adding the details:
Remove the gourd from the form. If you’re using a short-sleeved shirt,
place the pair of old pantyhose on the form upside down with the
crosspiece in the legs. Adjust the leg length to form arms, tie off and
cut off excess. Stuff with straw and tie the waist to the upright. Replace
the gourd head and complete dressing your creation, stuffing with straw
and tying off where necessary. Paint a face on the gourd, glue yarn onto
the gourd for hair and don’t forget to put a hat on the guardian’s head!
Place the guardian in your garden to provide protection from bad thoughts
and frowns.
