How to Make a Children's Vivarium out of a Water Bottle

Soak the water bottle in warm soapy water to remove the label. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of soap. Using the funnel, fill the bottom of the water bottle with about 1 inch of white pea gravel. Use the skewer to smooth the gravel into a level surface. Add 1 inch of granular charcoal and smooth to a level surface. Cover the charcoal with a thin layer of sphagnum moss and explain to your child how this moss will make a natural filter that will keep the soil from seeping into the layers below.

Moisten the potting soil by sprinkling it with water, but do not saturate. Children enjoy playing with dirt so allow them to work small amounts of water into the potting soil in a bowl. Using the funnel, add 3 inches of potting soil to the bottle. Make two holes in the soil with the skewer, about 1 inch across and 2 inches deep. Manipulate the small houseplants into these holes and cover the roots with dirt.

Spread 10 to 15 wheat grass seeds onto the surface of the soil and use the skewer to disperse them. Allow kids to count the grass seeds, with an emphasis on how each will grow into an individual plant. Lightly push the seeds down into the soil so that they lie just under the surface. Strategically place the river rocks where ever they look the best. Don't worry about covering the grass seeds because the grass will grow around the rocks. Drop in two earth worms. The worms will dig into the soil and will be visible through the side of the bottle.

Children may want to decorate the outside of the bottle with markers or acrylic paints. They can write their name around the top and add colorful bugs, caterpillars and other small rain forest creatures around the sides. Another idea is to paint a scenic backdrop, including mountains, trees and clouds, onto one side of the water bottle vivarium so it can be seen through the other side.