Make this simple miniature Japanese garden from paper, pebbles, and an egg carton.

Supplies Needed:
  • A small piece of very thick green paper (for the base of the garden), roughly 10 inches square or bigger
  • Blue, brown, orange, and green construction paper
  • Paper egg carton
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Markers or crayons
  • Some tiny pebbles

Instructions

1.
  • Start with a small square of very thick green paper to make the base of the garden. A piece about 10 inches square (about 25 cm) works well.
  • Cut some blue paper to make a stream through your garden and glue it to the green base.
  • Glue on a small paper goldfish.
  • A strip of brown paper makes a nice bridge across the water.
Making the paper garden.
2.

To make a tiny pagoda, use 3 paper egg carton sections:

  • Cut each section’s wide part so that it has four legs.
  • Glue the three sections together as shown in the second picture below.
Paper egg carton sectionsPaper egg carton sections
3.

Glue the pagoda to the garden’s base.

Glued pagoda to the paper garden.
4.
  • To make a tree’s trunk, roll up a small rectangle of brown construction paper and glue it to form a tube.
  • Cut a few short slits on one end (you’ll use these to glue the tree to the garden).
  • Open up the slits and glue to the garden’s base.
A paper tree trunkAn unfinished paper garden.
5.

Cut some leaf-like shapes from green construction paper and glue them to the tree trunk.

An unfinished paper garden.
6.

Glue some small pebbles on the garden base to make a little rock garden.

A finished paper garden.