Herb window box

When we got the heat pump installed, the installer made the heat pump box into a “house” for my daughter. It’s a very simple house with one window and a door. She has never tired of playing in it.

A while back, Mr K decided it was time we decorated the “house”, so he proceeded to cover it with crayon art – with the little one lending a hand.

Today, we made a new sign for the door – corrugated cardboard flower shapes with button centers stuck onto a piece of black paper.

New sign

As we were finishing this, I thought we should make a window box too (I had a cardboard flower leftover).

Then I decided that it would be more fun to use real plant cuttings. We could tape them to the window box. So, my daughter and I had a bit of an expedition in the garden choosing herbs for her window box.

We came back into the house, rinsed the herb cuttings off, and then I decided not to tape the cuttings to cardboard as per the original plan, but to encase the cut ends of each herb in wet cotton wool and little snap-lock bags.

Now, the fun part begins.

1. Use about 2/3 of a piece of A4 corrugated card. Cut off the 1/3 and use for something else.
2. Fold the card in half and let your child decorate.
3. Cut leaf shapes out and staple on pipe cleaner stems. Make 3 or more.
4. Staple the other end of the pipe cleaner to the 2nd half of the card.

1. (5) Arrange the herbs.
2. (6) Tape the herb bags onto the card.
3. (7) Fold up the “window box” and use the pipe cleaner stems to secure the sides in a zig zag pattern.
4. (8) Use another pipe cleaner and wrap it around the “box”. Secure the ends and make a hook (to hook onto the window). Do this 2x more.

I must admit that the smell of fresh herbs in the house is really invigorating. Some coriander would have smelled heavenly too, but we do have to consider Mr K’s aversion to that particular herb.

Check out my related posts:

1. Cardboard House(s)
2. Ladybugs
3. “Girls”
4. Usborne Craft Books
5. Outlines