What kid doesn’t love the summer time? Splashing in the pool, playing at camp, running around the green fields and parks – adventure galore. School may be around the corner but you can still bring this fun into your summer-time crafts by taking them outside. Help your little one explore the world around him by noticing the objects around and making them into miniature art pieces or capturing the beauty that is outdoors. Here are two simple ideas for the end of season summer craft projects.
Ladybug Rocks
Tools
- a few medium size rocks (up to 3″ long) found outside
- tempera paint – black and red (and purple and pink depending on your imagination)
- paintbrushes – one thicker and one thinner
- papers/paper towels to use as the work surface
Steps
1. Find a few good size rocks for your ladybugs. Look for smooth round surface if possible and make sure the rocks are dry or dry them first.
2. Paint the entire top in red, pink or purple paint (the color you pick for your ladybugs). You may need a few layers first and let each layer dry a bit. This is why I recommend tempera paint – it dries quickly and washes off easily.
3. Paint a black line in the middle, paint the top black for the head and then a few black dots throughout. Let it dry completely.
4. Display as a ladybug rock garden or have your tot play with them (age 3+ best). Fun and EASY summer craft project!
Travel Bingo
Tools
- a few old magazines or calendars
- a square color cardboard sheet
- scissors
- glue
- a sheet of simple stickers
Steps
1.Scour through the magazines with your child looking for pictures of items you’d see outside. Examples: trees, cars, bicycles, fire trucks, stop signs, shops, flowers, fountains, streets, etc. If you don’t have enough pictures, look for anything else you like online and print those separately. Perhaps, your preschooler can look through the magazines and you can look online. I keep old calendars and found a few absolutely perfect images in the “1000 Places to see before you die” calendar. Once you find the picture in the magazine, tear off the page and help your tot cut out the image. Set all the images aside.
2. Cut out a piece of colored cardboard paper – long or square, up to 20″.
3. Glue the images on the paper in any order – side by side, lining down or as a collage.
4. Next time you are in the car, hand your child the travel bingo card you’ve both created and a sheet of stickers. Once he finds an item on the card, he can yell bingo! and put a sticker on the identified image. This will give him something fun to do on the road and he will be proud to use something he created himself.
