March 2005 Project of the Month Friendship Garden Your child can display pictures of his or her friends with this adorable pot. Materials: Wire coat hangers Needle or round nosed pliers Heavy-duty wire cutters Spray paint Silk flowers 3 inch ceramic pot Small piece of modeling clay Plaster of Paris Acrylic paints Poem print-out and pictures   Directions: Have an adult cut three lengths for each pot from the wire hangers with heavy-duty wire cutters. Two should be shorter than the third. Bend one end of cut pieces into curls with pliers. Check to make sure a picture fits snugly into the curl. Spray paint all sides of wire for uniform color. Choose a color that coordinates with your flowers or gold or silver. I found it helpful to stick the straight end of the wire piece into some foam so the piece could be spray painted in an upright position. Have child paint the ceramic pot. When the pot is dry place a small ball of modeling clay at the bottom of the pot covering the hole. Arrange the three wire pieces and silk flowers and hold in place by sticking an end in the clay. Prepare the plaster of paris as instructed on the box. You may wish to make it thicker than the instructions indicate so it dries faster. Fill the pot with plaster of paris. When dry this will hold the wires and flowers in place. Print and cut out the friendship poem* and place in the middle picture holder. Fill the other wire spirals with pictures of your friends. * A special thanks to Gryphon House Inc. publishers. Gold Ships (author unknown) is from The Complete Book of Rhymes, Song, Poems, Fingerplays, and Chants by Jackie Silberg and Pam Schiller. I did this project with a group of children ages 3-10 at a St. Valentine's Day gathering. I prepared the wires ahead of time and cut flower bunches off a garland, which was more economical than purchasing individual flowers. Do you have an idea for another Project of the Month for our Crafts for Kids Cubby? We'd love to hear from you. Email our moderators with your suggestions!