Mothers’ Day is Sunday, May 12th!
Supplies:
• A mold – about 12” X 12” to 15” round or square. (see options, right)
• 1 bag Vinyl Concrete Patch (available at hardware stores)
• Assorted Decorations: Decorative flat stones, marbles, shells, small tiles, Scrabble letters to form names or phrases (search thrift shops for this one!) large glass beads,
• Small plastic gloves for kids – and big ones for adults (hands are sensitive to concrete!)
• color pigment for concrete, if desired
• cooking oil, silicone spray or liquid wax

First you will need to find a mold. You can buy one in a craft store. A five gallon bucket works well if you can have someone safely cut the top off, leaving only about 3 ½” height. Another option is to search the aisles for a large plastic pan that is made to go under a plant. You want sides that  are perpendicular to the bottom (not angled sides) and about 3” deep. You can also build a square frame by nailing 4 – 14” boards together. “Grease” the mold with a thick layer of cooking oil, silicone spray or liquid wax.
Place out a tarp then lay out your mold on a flat surface with approximately ¾” of sand smoothly and evenly over the bottom. (if mold is open-bottom, lay on a flat surface that you are not worried about hurting, like an old piece of plywood, then place sand inside.)

Adult: Mix Vinyl Concrete Patch as directed, adding color if desired; add last bit of water slowly, stopping to make mixture thick so decorations will stay on top when applied. Pour over the evenly laid sand, carefully reaching all corners. Now with gloves on, let children place tiles and other decorations on top  of the stone. (No worries if they make a mistake, you can pull it out, smooth it over and let them try again.) Help kids press items flat or just below surface so they do not break when stepped on.
Smooth the top with plastic glove and set aside to harden for about six hours. Then tip mold over and tap lightly. Allow to harden overnight before placing in garden.

NOTE: Encourage kids to practice designs on the ground or on paper before using wet cement, as time is limited to the drying time of the cement.