Add a melodious sound track to spring's warm breezes with this wind chime made from small terra-cotta pots.

MATERIALS

1 5 1/4" diameter plastic flowerpot saucer
5 1 1/2" diameter clay pots
Acrylic paint
Clear acrylic finish
Pushpin
Scissors
String
Hole punch
5 leaf shapes cut from a soda bottle
5 small bells
11 buttons

DIRECTIONS

1. Paint the saucer and pots. When the paint dries, add a coat of clear acrylic finish. Let it dry.

2. Using a pushpin, make a hole in the center of the plastic saucer and at four equidistant spots around the side of the saucer. Widen the holes with scissors or a compass point if needed (a parent's job).

3. To attach the outside hanging pots, cut four 1 1/2-foot lengths of string.

4. To make each chime, punch a hole in the end of a plastic leaf and tie it onto the end of the string. Next, slip on the bell, tie a knot about 3/4 inch above the bell, thread on a button and then a pot (upside down).

5. Thread the end of the string out through one of the side holes in the saucer (thread from the inside and make sure the saucer's upside down). To fasten in place, run the string up through one hole in a button and then down through another hole and knot tightly.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with three other pots.

7. For the center pot, repeat step 4 but use a string that's 3 1/2 feet long. Also, before you thread the string through the center of the saucer, check your length (all the pots should hang at the same level, and you'll want about 2 feet of string above the saucer). Then knot the string at the correct length.

8. Attach a button above the knot, thread the string through the saucer, add another button and knot to secure.

9. Tie the leftover string above the saucer into a loop to form a hanger.

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