7 Spectacular Summer Crafts Ideas for Kids
Fun indoor and outdoor activities for stretching out summer.
from FamilyFun
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Ed Judice
Summer Adventure Calendar
Make the most of the fleeting days of summer with a linear calendar that is part planner, part scrapbook.
On card stock circles, write numbers for all the dates of the summer. Start with the day school vacation begins for your family and end with the first day of school in the fall. Glue the circles to clothespins, then clip the pins to a length of sturdy yarn tacked to the wall. Before the summer vacation begins, clip items that correspond to plans you have, such as tickets to an event or a museum brochure. As the days pass, clip mementos of what you did each day, such as a feather from a hike or a seed packet from your new garden.
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Ed Judice
Glow-loons
Illuminate your summer table with the soft glow of these bloblike lights.
For each, cut the neck from yellow and orange 12-inch-round balloons. Stretch the opening of the balloon over the top of a battery-operated tea light. To fill out your balloon, pinch open a section of its base and puff some air inside.
Idea by Camilla Fabbri
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Ed Judice
Fun-O-lympics Ribbon Wand
Go for the gold with a ribbon streamer wand that's perfect for rhythmic gymnastics in your own backyard.
Start with 1 1/2 yards of 1 1/2-inch-wide satin ribbon. Trim both ends with pinking shears to prevent fraying. Bend a 2-inch length of 20-gauge craft wire in half, forming a narrow "u" shape. An inch from one end of the ribbon, use a large needle to make two holes about 1/8 inch apart in the center of the ribbon's width. Insert the ends of the wire into the holes and pull the wire two thirds of the way through. Bend the ends of the wire so that they're perpendicular to the length of the ribbon. Fold the end of the ribbon over the wire ends and secure it with tacky glue.
Push a thumbtack through the loop and into the end of a 5/16-inch dowel. Don't press the pin all the way in -- leave some space for the wire loop to rotate.
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Ed Judice
Flip-Out Flip-Flops
Jazz up a cheap pair of flip-flops with lightweight craft foam embellishments.
Download our flip-flop templates below by clicking here and cut the shapes from craft foam. Use glue dots to attach the stacked pieces of the flower and to adhere the bird's wings and beak to its head. Add eyes with permanent marker. Attach the shapes to the flip-flop's straps with heavy-duty mounting tape (we used Scotch brand).
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Ed Judice
T-shirt Tunic
With a little help from an adult, your child can recycle a T-shirt into a comfy tunic that she'll jump, twirl, and flip over.
Start with an ironed T-shirt (men's medium or large). Lay it flat and following the illustration, mark and cut the sleeves and neck from the shirt. At what will be the neck of the tunic, fold and press with an iron a 1"-inch hem toward the inside of the shirt, on both the front and the back. Use embroidery thread and a needle to sew the two hems into 1-inch-wide channels. Attach a safety pin to a 48-inch-long, 3/4 inch-wide fabric ribbon. Feed the ribbon, pin first, through both channels to form a loop. Pull the ribbon to cinch up the neck of the tunic, then tie the ribbon ends in a bow.
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Ed Judice
Fairy Crown
Transform a cardboard tube into a fanciful tiara that'll inspire magical play.
Decoupage a paper towel tube with colorful tissue paper and let it dry. You can use a decoupage medium, such as Mod Podge, or a solution of equal parts tacky glue and water. Brush it onto the tube, one section at a time, cover with pieces of tissue paper, and brush the top with more glue. Flatten the tube, then make alternating cuts into the sides, almost all the way through, as shown. Unflatten the tube and gently stretch it apart to create connected rings. Tape the ends of the tube together. With tacky glue add glitter, sequins, feathers, and pom-poms.
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Ed Judice
Bug-Keeper Pendant
Got an amateur entomologist in the house? Let him get up close with a bug buddy for short observation sessions. Be sure to remind your scientist to free his subject after a half hour or so.
With a pushpin, make holes all over the cap of a plastic toy capsule from a gum ball machine. (Not interested in bugs? Omit the airholes from the cap and use the capsule as a revolving display of favorite tiny items: pebbles, acorns, Squinkies...) In the center of the cap, make a larger hole with a nail. Thread some beads onto a length of cord that's long enough to easily slip over your child's head. Feed both ends of the cord through the large hole in the cap. Thread the ends through a small bead and knot the ends together.
Originally published in the June/July and August issues of FamilyFun magazine.
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