Dollar Tree DIY terrarium for kids for less than $5

Terrariums are so cool. They are a great first project for kids wanting to experiment with gardening in a fun way. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get started. Here’s how to make a DIY terrarium for kids for less than $5. And you can buy everything at the dollar store. Check it out!

My son bought a build-your-own terrarium off of Amazon for his birthday. It was really cool but I kept thinking, “we could totally make one of these ourselves.” So, that’s what we did. We decided to save ourselves some money and head to the dollar store to get the supplies. It turned out to be an awesome low maintenance way to make a mini greenhouse and your own little ecosystem! Here’s how you can do it too.

Gather supplies for your DIY terrarium for kids

The first step is to collect supplies. You can literally buy everything that you need for this fun kids project at Dollar Tree. Especially during the spring time, they start selling supplies for gardening and fairy gardens. Everything cost $10 but there were enough supplies to make two terrariums. So, each terrarium only cost $5! Here’s what you’ll need.

• Tall Tupperware with lid (or glass container)
• Bag of colored crushed glass
• Bag of colorful pebbles (or small rocks)
• Packet of wildflower seeds (or chia seeds)
• Fairy lights
• Fairy garden figurines
• Bag of colored sand
• Stickers for decorating the outside
• Dirt (or potting mix)

Start filling your terrarium

The great thing about these terrariums is that you can make them however you want. It literally only takes about five minutes to put it together. You will want to layer your supplies one by one in the bottom of your jar in the order listed below:

• Dirt
• Sand
• Pebbles
• Glass
• Dirt
• Seeds
• Pebbles

There’s really no rule on how much of each layer your put in your terrarium. You just want to make sure that there is room at the top to put your figurines and fairy lights. You will also want enough dirt so that the roots of your plants will grow strong. Wipe the sides of the container to keep it clean.

Decorate and add lights to your terrarium

Now for the fun part. Place your fairy garden figurines on the top of your terrarium layers. I love the mushrooms and the mini gnomes. But you can put whatever you want. Then, I cut some holes through the lid for circulation and also to feed through the fairy lights. Don’t forget to add a little bit of water with a spray bottle for the seeds. Then screw on the lid to make an enclosed environment and you’re done!

Watch your terrarium grow

You’ll be surprised how fast your DIY terrarium for kids will grow. Just leave it on the kitchen table or counter. I only watered it once and by day four, sprouts were already starting to come up. By day 12, they were almost reaching the top of the container. You can turn off the fairy lights during the day and only turn them on at night to conserve the batteries. It has been such a fun addition to our little kitchen.

I hope you enjoy making this fun terrarium as much as we did! This is the perfect projects for little hands, little fingers and kids of all ages. Let me know how it goes in the comments below. Here’s a little video I made of how to make your terrarium.

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