Kresseigel, Wuschelkopf und Co.

Cress Hedgehog, Fluffy Head

In this article, you’ll find a simple way to make a fuzzy head or cress hedgehog.

Fuzzy heads are perfect for activities related to sowing, planting, or spring. Children can watch something grow and then harvest it.

Materials

Flower pot saucer, potting soil, cress seeds, thin knee-high socks, thin string, googly eyes or photo cardstock, small cotton balls, paint, glue.

Preparation

Soak the cress seeds in water two days before you need them so they can swell.

If you want to make a hedgehog, the knee-high socks need to be sewn shut (don’t cut anything off!).

Paint the cotton balls: black for the hedgehog, pink or red for the fluffy head. If you’re making the eyes out of photo cardstock, you’ll need to cut them out and paint them if necessary.

Instructions

The soil should be well moistened. Use a spoon to fill the sock with soil. Once you’ve added the desired amount, tie the back of the sock closed and cut off the excess (don’t cut it too short). Now you can shape the hedgehog or head. To do this, tuck the tied end under the head or hedgehog. Once the shape is complete, use a coffee spoon to spread the cress mixture onto the hedgehog or head. Caution: Do not cover the entire head or hedgehog with the mixture! Only the desired parts: the back of the hedgehog or the hair on the shaggy head (see picture above)!

The googly eyes can only be glued on once the head (hedgehog) has dried a bit. Cardstock eyes can be pinned in place with straight pins. The cotton balls are glued on as noses.

For the fuzzy heads, you can tie off the nose and ears. That looks funny, too!

Care

The fuzzy heads need to be sprayed with water about twice a day (wash out old spray bottles thoroughly and fill them with water).

Eggheads

Materials

Empty eggshells, cotton balls, cress seeds, waterproof markers

Instructions

Wash the eggshells and let them dry. Once dry, paint funny faces on the eggshells. Moisten the cotton balls with a little water and place them inside the eggshells. Now sprinkle some cress seeds onto the damp cotton balls. Moisten the cotton daily with water (see picture 2).

The egg heads can be placed on an egg cup, a plate lined with moss, or in an egg carton.

• Content and image: Forum Kind, Issue 2/05, page 15. Plants: Cress hedgehog, Fuzzy Head, Eggheads. Sow, plant, observe, grow. © Copyrightwww.forum-kind.ch
• Author: Miljam Leuenberger