The
fresh air and sunshine is invigorating after being cooped up indoors during cold and rainy
weather. Plus, children will likely continue to play with or use what they've created all
summer long!
Here we go:
1. Build a birdfeeder or birdhouse for your
backyard. There are many great kits available that make these two summer crafts easier
than they appear. The kits often have pre-cut pieces, so all you need to do is assemble
and paint the birdfeeder or birdhouse, and you're ready to invite some feathered friends
to dinner or to nest in their comfy new home. Of course, if you're really handy and/or
interested in carpentry you can help your children build them from scratch. Either way,
the kids will enjoy watching the birds, and the birds will enjoy their newfound amenities,
so these two summer crafts are wonderful for all!
2. Make a kite. Breezy
summer days are an irresistible invitation to go fly a kite, and it's even more fun for
kids when they've built their fabulous flyer themselves. Again, there are kits available
that make this summer craft simple and easy for children. In no time at all, you can all
head to the local park to send your kites soaring through the sky. If you have more than
one child, be sure to make several kites so that everyone will get enough kite-flying
time.
3. Start a kid-sized garden. Give children their own little patch of
dirt and let them plant whatever they like, be it vegetables, flowers or some of both.
They will really enjoy watering their plants and watching them grow, and they'll be
fascinated by the worms, spiders and other critters that live in their garden. Child-sized
gardening tools will make this summer activity even more fun, and encourage them to really
dig in! Who knows, you may even make a lifetime gardener out of them.
4.
Create a one-of-a-kind steppingstone for the garden. Craft stores sell a variety of easy
kits that come with everything you need to make a gem-studded steppingstone. Buy extra
concrete, gems, beach glass and other embellishments, and kids can reuse the mold as many
times as they wish all summer long.
5. Make your own modeling clay. The easy
recipe that follows will make long lasting, nontoxic clay for all sorts of summer craft
projects and activities, and it's less expensive than the store-bought stuff. |
