How to Make the Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Plain plastic, clay or pottery planter(s) and drainage trays
Water-based varnish or other good sealant
Acrylic paints (2 or more colors)
Small painbrushes
One 1-inch paintbrush per child
Children and/or pets
Big water bowl or hose
Sponges
(optional) Permanent marker
(optional) Plants and soil
(optional) Camera & printer

Step 1

Use your choice of sealant and a large paintbrush to put at least 3 coats of sealant over both inside and outside of the planter(s). Water-based sealants dry quickly, so you can easily put all 3 coats on in a single afternoon. For best seal, wait until the next day before you do any painting. Waiting is the hardest part to do, but it’s worth doing.
Step 2

Lay out garbage bags, paper sacks, butcher paper, freezer paper or whatever you choose to protect the floor or driveway. Do NOT use newspaper: the ink will rub off on everything and everyone! Put kids in shorts and t-shirts they hate or no longer want to wear. Chances are good that somebody will put paint on somebody else, and you don’t want the day to end in tears because a favorite outfit got painted. Plan for everyone to get messy and have fun so you won’t be disappointed or upset.
Step 3

Decide ahead of time what your theme is, or if each child will paint what he chooses. I recommend choosing a theme, thereby avoiding World War III. You can’t go wrong with simply painting the palms of kids’ hands and feet, then leaving a painted imprint of them on the outsides of the pots. If you use this theme, practice getting a good hand or footprint on a paper plate first, to see where you’ll need to apply the most pressure. Bring the pot to the hand or foot rather than trying to do it the other way around. Or have each child draw a design of their choice around the outside of the pot and sign their own creation. Or combine footprints, handprints and small free-hand flowers, “I love you, Mommy” or some other sentiment. For a mama who has a pampered pup, quickly paint the sole of the paw and make several prints on the pot, then clean that paw and paint with the opposite paw to create a two-paw design. Although acrylic paint is safe to use this way, carefully clean all paint from paws before it dries or gets licked off.
Step 4

Have fun with it. Squirt a large amount of each color of paint into a paper cup or bowl to use for brushing paint on soles of feet and hands. You should have only as many colors as you have children, to avoid the possibility of anyone accidentally mixing colors due to double-dipping. Each child uses the color of their choice until they are finished with it, at which time the cups can be rotated to the next child, etc. Provide paper plates and a squirt of each color for older kids or the young Picasso who wants to mix and make additional colors. Again, less is more and simpler is better to keep peace and harmony.
Step 5

Allow the painted pots to dry completely and “cure” for a couple of days. Write the date and the child’s (or dog’s) name on the bottom of the pot with a permanent marker. Use at least 2 coats of sealant to protect the irreplaceable creations. They will be subjected to the elements as well as frequent waterings, so sealing both before and after painting is mission-critical. Allow a couple of days for the final coats of sealant to “cure” before filling pot with soil.
Step 6

(optional) Take pictures at various stages of the painting escapades, especially when children have paint on hands, feet or any of the places they weren’t supposed to paint. Wipe and rinse feet and hands with sponge and water as needed. If you can get a friend or neighbor to snap a few photos of Dad cleaning paint off the kids or (Heaven forbid) the kids attacking Dad with paint, that’s all the better. You can also let the children paint each others’ faces after the plant pots are finished and removed from the paint area. Take plenty of pictures of this, too.
Step 7

(optional) Take the kids to the local plant nursery and allow them to choose from a pre-selected group of plants to fill their painted pot(s), if you’re so inclined. Tell the nursery employee what type and size of pot you need to fill and ask them to pick out two or three combinations of flowers that the kids can choose from. They’ll probably ask you if you want an arrangement that can be hung or one that will sit on a table, but otherwise they will know what types and sizes of flowers will be appropriate. Having a limited number of possibilities will keep the experience more pleasant for everyone. Don’t forget to buy some good potting soil while you’re there, too (ask the attendant what kind and how much it will take to fill all of the planters).
Step 8

(optional) Have a little planting party while Mom gets her nails done or shops for groceries. Leave about a one-inch space between the top of the soil and the top of the pot, for ease of watering. Don’t forget to put the pot on its catch tray before watering!
Step 9

(optional) Have each child choose a favorite photo from the day’s activities. Print it out and frame it, or just set it loosely in the plant pot. The kids can make simple frames out of posterboard if they are so inclined.

If you end up with several great photos of the painting event, buy one of those little 10- or 20-page single-photo albums and fill it with the day’s photos. Present it to Mom along with the flowers or pots.