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Photo Credit: Amy Dee Stephens

“It’s a great house, and the neighbors are nice. Hop on over for a visit!”

Why are toads so happy? They eat whatever bugs them!

Despite their warts, native toads are yard-friendly. They’re mega bug-eaters, and your children will delight in watching these hopping critters make their way through your garden before bedtime. So welcome toads “home” by providing a safe place for them to rest and stay cool during the day – with a toad abode.

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Photo Credit: Amy Dee Stephens

Kids are exited to help their animal friends – and each toad house is a proud work of art!

Making toad houses from terra-cotta pots can be easy or complicated. (Believe me, I learned this the hard way.) But here are my favorite kid-tested methods – and you won’t need to use a hammer or safety goggles (not even a Band-Aid®).

The Painted House
Basic materials: 6- or 8-inch clay pot, acrylic paint and paintbrush
Helpful optional materials: an unopened bag of rice, beans or macaroni
Method: Paint away!

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Photo Credit: Amy Dee Stephens

Cradle your pot on a bag of macaroni for easy painting.

The beauty in painting a clay pot is threefold: It’s cheap, it’s creative and it dries fast. I’ve had kids as young as 3 happily paint a pot for 20 minutes. The clay absorbs paint so quickly that it practically dries as it’s applied (literally in about a minute). And because the paint is opaque, additional colors and layers can be added almost immediately.

One tip that makes the painting easier is to rest the pot on a bag of rice, beans or macaroni. This cradles the pot at an angle, which is easier to work on than an upright surface. Keep turning the pot as kids finish painting each “side.” (Of course, this may leave little paint smears on your bag of beans, but it’s a small price for such great art.)

That’s it! By the time the kids’ hands are washed, the toad house is ready to be photographed and whisked off to a special spot in your yard.