Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
For your first step you need to go to the hardware store. The best material to use is called vinyl concrete patch. It has vinyl hardener added to the concrete mix for strength. It costs more than a bag of cement but if you want the stepping stone to hold up it is well worth a few extra dollars.
My favorite step is gathering materials. You can have the kids do it themselves or you can prepare a selection of cool stuff to choose from.
I have also used shells, toys, marbles, coins, whatever. I try to put a coin from the year the stepping stone was made into the mix. That makes it easy to remember the date it was made.
As for molds, a five gallon bucket works nice. I cut the top 5-6 inches off and use it as a round mold. You can also build molds from wood using 2X4 pieces and make shapes from squares to octagons.
Follow the directions on the bag for mixing the concrete. Products may differ. Try to make it fairly thick. Remember you will be putting items into the top.
Now have the kids start pressing the pieces try chose into the top of the stone. If they make a mistake you can always take out the pieces, smooth out the top and start over. I try to get my kids to pre pick what they want on the stone and try some layouts. This keeps them busy while I mix and set up the molds.
My first stop is Goodwill. I find plates, cups, dishes with cool patterns and pictures. Later, depending on the age of the kids you can have the kids help break up the plates with the hammer. Be careful, put the plates in a sack or put masking tape on them before going after them with a hammer. If you are lucky maybe you will have an old cracked plate from grandmas house to use. That will personalize the stepping stone as a gift.
Avoid broken glass, I have put mirror pieces in but make sure the edges are submerged in the concrete mix.
Use a pile of sand to work on. brace the 2X4 with bricks or screw them together. The sand base will make it easy to pick up your finished project.
Smooth out the sand in the bottom of the mold. Pour the mix into the mold to make a stone about 2-3 inches thick.