I had to keep my oldest busy over Spring Break. She found joy in putting her hands in dirt and digging in the garden – what kid wouldn’t? You can see from my previous post that we made terrariums. Since all the garden supplies were out we continued the planting theme using one of her old toys.

My daughter got this horrid looking T-rex at a party when she was 4. It stuck around the house for FOUR. WHOLE. YEARS. We’d find it among her “Pet Shop” toys or tangled in some ribbon or doll’s hair (which she never plays with). I usually would use toys like this as a gift topper instead of a bow. I didn’t know who to “gift” it to—she hasn’t gone to any not-so-girly parties lately. I couldn’t bear to put it in the landfill. I had hoped to sneak it into a geocache along with her other little toys, but it’s too big to fit in some of the geocaches around here.

I’ve seen toys like this turn into toothbrush holders since they’re hollow on the inside. So I thought, why not make it into planter?

The dinosaur went under the knife…

Once dried, we layered it like we did the terrariums: small gravel, a layer of activated charcoal, and lastly, potting soil. Then came the plant…She sacrificed her “favorite succulent” for this project.

We wrapped the roots in moss and shoved it into the dinosaur so that it stays put. We added a little water and it was done.

It sure makes a stunning centerpiece in the middle of our dining room table. It’s a fun and quirky thing to have in the house. It makes me want to raid the kids’ closet and see what else I can plant things in.

A doll head maybe… or would that be too creepy?

Have you upcycled any of your kids’ toys? Let’s hear about them! Comment below!