![Sock cactus garden](https://rangerrick.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/CactusGardenfromSocks_MarkGodfrey_695X316.jpg)
Turn your old socks into a no-fuss cactus garden.
What You Need
- Construction paper
- Craft glue
- Flower pot
- Plastic-foam ball
- Googly eyes
- Green paint
- Pebbles (enough to fill pot)
- Plastic grocery bags (optional)
- Rubber band
- Old sock (green ones save a step)
- Toothpicks
What You Do
- Make the cactus shape
Push a plastic-foam ball into the toe of a sock. (The sock should fit snugly around the ball.) For a tall cactus, add plastic bags or other stuffing after the foam ball. Wrap a rubber band around the sock to keep everything tightly in place. - Paint the sock green
You can skip this step if you use a green sock!
You may need a few coats to completely cover it. - Add pebbles
After the paint has dried, place the sock in a flower pot, then fill the pot with pebbles. - Add eyes and spikes
Glue on googly eyes. Then break toothpicks in half. Press the pointed ends into the sock until it is covered with “spines.” - Decorate the cactus spikes
Cut flower shapes from construction paper. Stick them on a few of the toothpick spines, as shown.Craft by Michele Reyzer. Originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of Ranger Rick magazine.