I set out to make Chicago a little greener a few weeks ago at the Chicago Northside Maker Faire thanks to my relationship with PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer. With just a few simple supplies, I taught more than a hundred people how to make seed balls and beautify their neighborhoods with random acts of wildflowers. Now I get to show you.

This post is one in a series that I’m doing on behalf of the brand. Like me, the brand believes in the importance of hands-on experiences and letting kids be kids, even if that means letting their hands get a little dirty. We learn so much when we experience the world through our hands. As you make seed balls, you feel the tiny miracle of a plant seed and build fine motor skills as you smoosh the seeds, soil and clay together.

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Inspired by something he found online, The Young Maker Teen set out to make a dog treat dispenser that would also be a fun puzzle or toy for our energetic dog. He went off to his computer and started designing a 3D plan in Autodesk Inventor.

When I checked on his progress, though, it was slow going. So I clicked on his browser history and saw that much of his “work and research” was in the form of Imgur visits and time on a favorite gaming site. After that I switched up the rules: use materials we have on hand and just make something.

So he did.

Easy DIY Dog Treat Dispenser

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