Craft a Garden Buddy using Garden Materials!

Children and their grown-ups will explore the natural and designed elements of Japanese gardens—including plants, stones, bridges, and water features—before turning garden and recycled materials into a miniature creature, doll, or imaginary character. The activity connects creative play with ideas of nature, balance, harmony, and Japanese culture.

Workshop plan

• A 10-minute introduction to Japanese gardens and materials such as pinecones, bamboo, stones, and plants
• About 40 minutes of hands-on building and decorating
• A 10-minute show-and-tell, followed by taking the finished creation home

Supplies include pinecones, leaves, wood, branches, rocks, googly eyes, glue, and hot-glue equipment. An accompanying parent or caregiver must supervise the hot-glue gun. The workshop is recommended for ages 5 and older and is designed to support fine-motor skills, creativity, cultural appreciation, environmental awareness, and shared parent-child making.

Instructor Emiri Uchida is a former teacher from Japan and the garden’s Japanese outreach coordinator. She will introduce the garden concepts and guide families through the craft.