The children are out of school, the heat is on, soon the news that there will be no more classes wears off and the children are bored. They can’t stay in the community pool for eight hours a day, so what else can they do?
Summer Arts and Crafts: Mailbox Makeover
The most important item for this craft is craft foam because craft foam is waterproof. This means you will definitely have to bring it in before it rains, but a pinch or two won’t hurt.
You will need scissors, scrap paper, masking tape, colored tape, tape, string, double-sided tape, craft foam, and of course the mailbox!
Use the scrap paper as a kind of template for the craft foam. The ideas that work best for mailboxes are animals and sea creatures. Draw the eyes, fins, ears, nose, any of the “pieces” that will be glued to the mailbox on the scrap paper (brown paper bags work well for this), then trace them onto the craft foam and cut them out. If you’re making a dog, create a tongue for the inside of the mailbox for an extra little gift for the postman when you deliver. For a horse’s mane, gather a polyester rope and hang it from the back!
Summer Arts and Crafts – Kitchen Wind Chime
This craft is not only musical but also attractive. Use a smaller strainer to pass the fishing wire and hang various metal items found in the kitchen. What can you use?
-spoons
-spatula
-whisk
-apple slicer
-anything you can find that is not dangerous (like a knife)
Add some glass beads or beautiful clear plastic beads to the monofilament and you have a fun and interesting craft that kids can enjoy making themselves!
The most important thing to consider when creating these crafts is the age of the children (their motor skills), their likes and dislikes, the level of “clutter” the craft will create (whether done outdoors or indoors) , and if the crafts will actually be in the house (both of the above items can be used and enjoyed).
Summer Arts and Crafts – Gemstones
All children love rocks. Especially those found in streams and lakes, the large planes that are shaped like diamonds, triangles, hearts or ovals. What you will need for this craft are rocks, aluminum foil, newspaper, crayons (the old, broken variety), and an oven mitt.
Once the rocks have been chosen, they need to be baked on a cookie sheet (lined with foil) in a 225 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the rocks from the oven with the oven mitt (they will be extremely hot!) And place them on the papers. Unwrap the old crayons and then draw on the rocks. The crayons will melt like liquid magic. Move the crayon to get a swirl effect and you will have your precious stones.
Summer arts and crafts are a fun and constructive way to spend a day with the kids as they create beautiful projects that they can be proud of all year long.
