Gumball Machine Bucket Fillers

We do the Fill Your Bucket program at my school. Last year, I used clear cups to hold the fuzz balls that the students receive for kind behavior. I thought that was better than the little tomato sauce cans others were using since the kids could see their progress through the clear sides. I got over that.

As I was perusing the 99 Cent Store Shelves yesterday I came across these.

Three jars for a buck! I couldn't pass that up. My oldest child was with me at the time and he has a thing for gumball machines. So I remembered seeing on Pinterest cute little gumball machines made from a bowl/jar and a terracotta pot. So off to the garden section at the same 99 Cent Store. All I found were these:

They are plastic. On the bright side though, they are ten for a dollar. Can't beat that! So I grabbed enough jars and pots for my class of 32 and left the store $15 + tax poorer.
I also picked up a can of Royal Red enamel spray paint at Home Depot for $4, then commenced getting paint all over myself and the jar lids and pots. I suggest using a pair of latex gloves and a mask while doing this. I didn't- don't tell my hubby. Now, my fingers taste like nail polish remover.
Here's the before:

 

Here's the after:

 

I used an old broom handle pounded into the ground to hold the pots while I spray painted them.

Assembly was easy since my oldest took it upon himself to complete the gumball machines. Notice all the gumball machines he had completed already in this shot. What a great helper!

 

After my little elf finished helping me, I heated up the good old, hot glue gun and went to town burning my finger tips until no fingerprints remained. I found that a ring of hot glue on the bottom of the pot was the best. It held on really well.

This is what we ended up with:

Cute, aren't they? I'm really excited to have something more than those plastic cups and yarn for the Bucket Filling program. The kids really like them, too.
One tip about attaching the glass to the base... Wash the jars! This may be a no brainer to most, and I really did think about doing it. However, I chanced it anyway since my little ones were running around and I wanted to get these done. Needless to say the glue didn't hold and I found myself spending more time than I would have initially had I just washed them.