Terra Cotta Pot Change Holder Craft for Kids

Materials

• Gather all your materials before you start to keep from having to stop in the middle to run back to the craft store. Grabbing newspaper or an old sheet helps ensure you won't have a huge mess to clean up after you finish the change holder. For each change holder, you'll need two small terracotta pots that are the same size, paint and paintbrushes, glue, hook-and-loop dots, four small dowels, craft foam and other decorations such as googly eyes.

Getting It Ready

• As we know, pigs are popular choices for banks, but if your child is into dogs or mice, use paint that matches your child's animal of choice. Paint the outside and bottoms of the two pots in that color. Make a face on the bottom of one pot, painting it on or gluing on googly eyes, as well as ears, a nose and mouth cut from the craft foam. A chenille stem becomes a tail on the base of the other pot. Glue hook-and-loop dots spaced evenly around the top rims of the pots, which are your connectors; just make sure they line up when you push the tops together.

Putting It Together

• Terracotta pots will roll unless you steady them, so paint, and then glue the dowels at an angle near the top rim of each pot to serve as legs. Then push the two tops together so the hook-and-loop dots hold tight to create the "body." Don't get discouraged when you see the unsightly joint. The bank doesn't close all the way in the center because the hook-and-loop dots keep the pots from touching, which allows space to drop in the coins. To hide the joint, cut a coin slot in the center of a 3/4-inch strip of craft foam. Wrap the strip around the center joint with the coin slot on top, and glue the strip to one of the pot rims. It should cover both rims but is only actually connected to one, so your child can still pull the body apart to access his hard-earned cash.

Another Idea

• For a simpler craft, choose a terracotta pot that has a drainage plate that fits upside-down on the top rim of the pot. Help your child paint and decorate the pot and drainage plate. This change holder doesn't have to be an animal -- it just needs a theme. For example, if your child is into princesses, go with pink paint and some glitter on the pot and plate. Glue a mini tiara, which you can buy in a party supply store, to the bottom of the plate. Then set the plate on top of the pot as a lid. You can line the lid with felt to keep it from chipping the pot when your child opens it to add change.