Crafts and Fun Things to Do!
Thanks for taking a look at my "fun stuff to do" page! I am compiling ideas from several sources. It seems appropriate to list some summer activities, which are near the bottom of this page. The first two ideas were found at "makestuff.com", one of my favorite websites. I love making beautiful country-style grapevine wreaths with dried flowers and ribbons, cute signs, or just about anything as decor. Below you will find easy-to-follow instructions for creating such a project. Also, when it comes to sewing, I like to do"easy, fast" projects and thought the placemat idea below was a great way to give your dining table a fresh look! These ideas are copyrighted at the original source, so please do not distribute them other than sharing my site with others or to directly link to "makestuff.com". For your personal use, you may copy the text to a wordpad document and then print. Thank you for respecting the rights of the original authors!
This cute wreath was made by "the Crazy Crafter" and a pattern is for sale at: http://www.tolenet.com/crazycrafter/
How to Make Grape Vine Wreaths
Grapevine wreaths are available in varying sizes at most craft stores, however, you can make your own if you have access to a grapevine. Cut the vines from the plant as soon as the grapes have been picked and/or before first frost. Cut long lengths so that you can wrap long continuous coils. Snip off remaining leaves. You can leave on the little curly-cues for a nice effect on finished wreaths. If vines dry out and crack or break while wrapping, soak in water overnight. If you won't be able to wrap them right after cutting, coil them into a laundry basket, bucket or large tub. Then if soaking is needed, you can pour water right into the tub, and the vines will already have a coiled shape. Begin your coil with the thickest end of one vine. Coil it into a circle a little smaller than you want your finished wreath to be. Use a short piece of wire to tie the first coil secure while you continue wrapping. Wrap one entire length, twining the vine in and out around itself. Take the next vine - begin wrapping it in a different spot and wrap in and out in the opposite direction. Keep adding vines until the wreath is as thick as you want it. If needed, tie a short length of wire around the wreath at intervals to secure vines together.
By wrapping the vines loosely, you leave room to weave ribbons in and out of the vines easily, which adds a nice dimensional effect.
Tools to have handy:
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Thin wire
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Decorating:
Wreaths can be decorated with a wide variety of materials, limited only by your imagination. As a general guideline, attach "background florals" to the base of your wreath first. Cover the base as much as possible. THEN add your small decorations.
Some Ideas for Decorating your wreath:
Pine cones
Dried or silk flowers and leaves
Garden tools
Miniatures of any kind
Hand painted wooden shapes
Eucalyptus leaves/branches
Small bells
Cranberries
Apples
Small dolls
Cookie cutters
Aluminum foil shapes
Cinnamon sticks
Cattails
Holly leaves and berries
Pine branches
Raffia
Christmas tree decorations
Miniature wreaths, decorated with similar themes
Garlic cloves
How to Make Your Own Placemats
Setting a nice table doesn't have to mean buying expensive placemats and napkins! You can make your own placemats for very little money.
The Old Pillow Case Trick...
Using pinking shears, cut up an old pillow case into four equal pieces - approximately 12" x 18". (I found a sheet/pillow case set at a thrift store for a couple of dollars.) One standard pillow case will make 4 placemats. If you sew, you might want to hem the edges, but it is fine to leave them with a "raw" look, which is especially popular these days. If you want something you can wash and save for next year, use fabric paint - dab a little paint on the grasses and press onto the material to make prints.
Make matching napkins by cutting up a pillow case or sheet into approximately 10x10 squares. Again, use pinking shears to cut the pieces and leave as is, or hem the edges.
Other things you can use to make placemats...
Found an old quilt? Don't throw it away. Cut it into pieces and trim the edges with lace, ribbon, etc.
Old curtains, long skirts, and other "fabric" that is found in thrift stores is a great way to recycle.
Old towels make interesting placemats. You can decorate them using fabric glue and colored felt, or sew on embellishments as you like. (Hot glue works, too!)
Click below to find other similar projects!
IT'S SUMMERTIME
.... by Debra Wrights
Family Child Care Provider
Surrey, B.C.
As Posted to About.com Message Board in the summer of 1998
It's time for those lazy, long hot days, time for cool swimming pools, ice cream treats and family fun. Summer is here!
ART IDEAS
Oh So Cool Visors
Give each child a visor cut form a sturdy paper plate. Let the children decorate the visor with stickers, gummed seals, construction paper shapes, stamping or painting the visors are a great activity too. Staple a coated elastic to each corner of the visor after it is decorated and your children will be oh so cool with their very own personalized visor.
Sand Painting
Mix sand with dry tempera paint by shaking the two together in bags. Vary the colors by adding more or less of the dry tempera paint. Pour the colored sand into small containers or jars with holes punched in the lids, one color per jar. Have the children draw squiggly lines, designs etc. with glue on construction paper or inside the lids of shoe boxes. Encourage the children to be creative with the different colors of sand. Let the sand paintings dry. Shake off the excess sand, and there you have an original summer sand painting.
Fence Weaving
If you have a chain link or picket fence, give children strips of crepe paper, long strips of fabric or plastic and have the children "weave" it through the spaces in the fence. If you have a solid fence or side of a garage, then staple the largest sheet of paper you can find (at lease the child's height) and give a variety of art materials to work with. This is a great idea for anyone who avoids indoor painting because of the mess.
GAMES
Let's Keep Cool
Cut out pictures from magazines and catalogues that show summer and winter clothing, such as jackets, hats, gloves, shirts, bathing suits, sunglasses, shorts, ice skates, swimming masks etc. Mount the pictures on construction paper and laminate them. Make two drawers to put clothing in by covering or painting shoebox bottoms. Label one drawer summer and the other winter and glue a identifying picture next to each word. Hold up one of the cards. What is this article of clothing called? What part of your body do you wear it on? Do you wear it in hot weather or cold weather? Why? Which drawer does it belong in? During this game it would be a good time to discuss some other ways of keeping cool in the summer time, air conditioning, cool foods and drinks, water play etc.
CIRCLE TIME
Five Little Shells
Trace five seashells to use with this rhyme that reinforces counting and simple subtraction. Remove each shell in turn and encourage the children to clap when the waves crash.
Five little shells lying on the shore,
Crash went the waves! Then there were four.
Four little shells down by the sea,
Crash went the waves! Then there were three.
Three little shells, smooth and new,
Crash went the waves! Then there were two.
Two little shells, sparkling in the sun,
Crash went the waves! Then there was one.
One little shell, left by itself,
I took it home, and put it on my shelf.
Beachbag Guessing Game
Several variations of this game develop sensory awareness, memory, and listening skills.
Collect summer props such as sunglasses, swimming masks, swim fins, pail and shovel, bathing cap, hat and visor, sunscreen lotion, etc. Identify the items with the children and discuss their uses.
REACH AND FEEL: Place five or six articles in a beachbag, ask one child to come up close, close her eyes, reach into the bag, grab an item, and guess what it is. After child has guesses remove the item to confirm the child's guess.
MEMORY: Put some of the items in the bag. How many of the items can the children recall? Take out each item as the children name it. For any items the children can't recall, give them a clue and see if they can guess correctly.
SCIENCE
Fun In The Sun
Most children know that the sun makes things grow and that the sun is very hot. This experiment will revel another of the sun's powers!
What you will need:
one piece of dark blue construction paper for each child.
a collection of objects from around the daycare that have at least one flat side eg. keys, blocks, scissors, combs, jar lids etc. (at least five items per child)
Take all your materials outside to a flat open space that receives direct sunlight and where you will be able to leave your experiment set up for a few hours. Distribute a piece of construction paper to each child. Let each child chose five objects, and have him arrange them on the paper with the flat side down. Leave these in the direct sun for several hours, until the sun has bleached the exposed areas of the paper. Then let the children take their objects off the paper, noting the patterns produced by the sun.
Note: This experiment can be done by a sunny window if wind is a problem.
MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
Here Is Summer
Here is summer's big warm sun.
(place hands in round arc over head)
It's time for fishing, hiking, and fun.
(pantomime casting line and pumping elbows)
Here is a tree's shady spot.
(spread arms in a wide encompassing motion)
It's time for picnicking when days are hot.
(pretend to eat)
Here is the sand to shovel and dig.
(pretend to dig)
It's time for making roads and castles big.
(shape castles)
Here is the water, It's cool waves sway.
(sway body and hands from side to side)
It's time for splashing and playing all day!
(make splashing motions at each other)
Five Friends
Five good friends sitting in the sun,
The first one said, Let's skip, and play, and run.
The second one said, Let's go for a swim.
The third one said, Let's climb that tree limb.
The forth one said, Let's go on a hike.
The fifth one said, Let's go get our bikes.
Hurray, shouted the children, happy with their friends.
We love summer, We hope it never ends.
BOOKS
Henry's Fourth Of July by Holly Keller
Henry enjoys a Fourth of July with all the trimming: a picnic, a parade, swimming, some games, prizes, music and of course fireworks!
Happy Birthday, Dear Duck by Eve Bunting
Duck's desert home has no water in sight, so why are his friends giving him so many summer water-play gifts for his birthday? The mystery is solved by the arrival of his last gift!
Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom
Jesse Bear wants to get wet on a hot summer day, despite the warnings of his mother and father. He finally gets a chance to frolic in his own wading pool!
Fun Summer Recipes and Crafts
Goopy-Goo
1 cup of corn starch
1/4 to 1/3 cup of water
bowl
Pour the corn starch into the bowl. Add the water on top. Mix well until a thin mixture occurs. Let it sit until it gets solid. Even though it appears to be solid, the heat of your hand when you pick it up turns it to liquid!
Very Easy Clean - up!
Variation on a Theme:::
Colorful Goop (Sort of like Silly Putty)
1 cup of liquid starch
1 cup of elmers glue
A few drops of food coloring
Mix together until it forms a ball. If it is sticky add a few drops of liquid starch. It will first become very stringy until you have mixed it well.
After a trip to the beach....
from a message board:
"We make goo. You cook cornstarch and water to a thick consistency and add food coloring. We like blue for the ocean. Then we add seashell and starfish basically anything we can find that might be found in the ocean. The kids love this."
You can make this in any color.
***
"Kool Aid" Finger Paint
2 cups flour
2 packs unsweetened Kool-aid
1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
3T. oil
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir. You are ready to paint!
The kids love the color change.
Use Glossy finger paint paper
and I recommend spraying a bit of water on the paper. It helps the paint to spread.
If you make primary colors little one can learn color mixing!
****
Easy Kazoo
You'll Need:
toilet paper tubes or
paper towel tubes
crayons and/or markers
wax paper cut to ~4"x4" square
rubber bands
stickers (optional)
Color and decorate the long or short tube with crayons,
markers & stickers.
Secure a piece of wax paper to one end of the tube using a rubber band.
Poke 4-6 small holes in the wax paper using a pencil.
Talk, sing, hum, or make noises into the uncovered opening. The vibration will make the buzzing sound of a Kazoo.
*********
Something is a little "Fishy"
Painted shirt
A real fish is used to make this beautiful shirt. This sounds a bit strange but the effect is very Cool!
You'll Need:
1 Fish- from the market or even a fishing trip. A plastic fish will do but won't have the detail.
Fabric paint of various colors
Paint roller
shirt
First, RINSE the fish & dry with a paper towel. Then apply the fabric paint with as much creative flair as you can muster using the roller and sponges to dab small amounts of color. Press the fish paint side down onto the shirt . Press gently. Lift the fish off of the shirt being careful not to smear the paint.When you lift you will see the details of the fish including scales etc.
The more scales the better.
Let the paint dry according to the instructions on the bottle.
Wash the shirt before wearing it or you may lose some friends...he he.
Tip:
Fabric paint also comes in glitter colors. A bit of this added to the colors is very effective for looking like scales.
P.S. Please do not use live fish!
*******
Flower place mats
Use your spring or summer garden blooms for this attractive addition to a summer table.
You'll Need
Pressed flowers directions
Contact paper
Large sheets of construction paper
Press the flowers a week or so before hand. When they are ready, begin cutting the contact paper to the desired size for your place mats.
You'll need two pieces for
one mat. Cut the construction paper 1" smaller than the construction paper on all sides. Peel off the contact paper to expose the sticky side on one of the sheets.
Lay your flowers onto the sticky side of the contact paper. You will not be able to reposition the flowers after they are on the contact paper, plan your lay out on the paper first. When you are done with the flowers lay your colored paper onto the center of the mat. Try to leave even edges. Then peel the second piece of contact paper and lay over the colored paper. Press and trim edges.
*******
Side walk Chalk
I know side walk chalk is not expensive. But it is a lot of fun to make your own.
You'll Need:
Wax coated paper cups
2 Cups cold water
2 Cups plaster of Paris
2 TBS. wet or dry tempera paint
Using a bucket mix all of the ingredients together.
Pour into cups and let stand until semi firm. Peel off cup sides and let it dry completely. Ready to use in
1-2 hours.
**DO NOT DISCARD remaining plaster down any plumbing!
Scrape or pour it out into a box and throw it away.
I love summer!
Summer is hot.
It's sun and shade.
It's water to wade.
It's frogs and bugs.
It's grass for rugs.
It's eating outside.
It's a tree-swing ride.
It's tomatoes and corn.
It's dew in the morn.
It's dogs and boys
And lots of noise.
It's a hot sunny sky.
It's summer. That's why.....
I love summer.
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