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- Home >> Lifestyle: Childrens
Crafts:
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- Fun
Summer Craft Projects for Kids
- Michaels Arts and Crafts Store
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 (ARA) - When my sister and I were kids
there was one phrase we dared never utter, especially in the
summer: “We’re bored.” It would elicit an ominous
response from our mother: “Then I’ll find something
for you to do,” which inevitably involved chores of some
kind -- usually the cleaning kind. The truth, however, is that
we rarely were bored in the summer. If we weren’t riding
our bikes or playing elaborate versions of hide and seek, we
were painting signs for lemonade stands or crafting handmade
treasures to be bartered at a neighborhood trading post Mom helped
us organize. Summers then were long, luxurious expanses of time
to be filled with adventure, creativity and laughter -- and they
still are today.
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- “Summer is the perfect
time for kids to stretch their creative muscles and have lots
of fun doing it,” says Laura Byrne, director of marketing
at Michaels Arts and Crafts Stores. “The days are long,
school’s out and they are free from the pressures of homework
and other school activities.” There are countless ways to
spark the imagination using things you probably already have
around the house, but if you need a jumpstart, a visit to your
local arts and crafts store will get the ideas flowing. “One
of the most popular art materials right now is craft foam,”
she adds. “It’s incredibly versatile, comes in a wide
range of vibrant colors, and easy to work with for all ages.”
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- Craft foam is available in
sheets, some with adhesive backing, to be used as desired in
art projects, such as handcrafted mouse pads and pinwheels. Precut
foam pieces are great for decorating journals and scrapbooks,
with a wide variety of flowers, animals and cool shapes. It’s
also available in products ready to be personalized, such as
pennants, can hugs, door hangers, picture frames and visors.
Craft foam is easily decorated with permanent colored markers,
stickers, glitter glue and paint.
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- A fun project for teenagers
and younger children alike is to create summer fashions by decorating
color-coordinated foam visors and flip-flops in their own individual
styles. Let them experiment with markers and glitter as well
as sequins, buttons, foam cutouts, feathers and anything else
that captures their imagination. If it’s a hit, extend the
fashion theme by creating jewelry. You can purchase the supplies
separately, such as beads and elastic thread, or look for kits
ready to go with everything you’ll need to make slap bracelets,
friendship bracelets, beaded necklaces and more.
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- Kits make it easy since they
contain all necessary supplies a child needs to finish creative
projects, including instructions. A stroll down the kid’s
aisles at your local arts and crafts store will probably reveal
a kit to suit the interests of every adolescent in your family.
There are crystal-growing kits for the scientific, needlecraft
kits -- including cross-stitch, needlepoint and latch hook --
for the nimble fingered, and stained glass and calligraphy kits
for the artistic.
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- To make the most of the summer
sunshine, set up a work area outdoors. A picnic table covered
in newspaper is the perfect al fresco setting for budding artists
and is easy to clean up. Look for ways to incorporate the great
outdoors into art projects. Kids can make birdfeeders and birdbaths
out of terra cotta pots or decorate garden stepping-stones with
sidewalk chalk. A sheet of craft foam makes a great canvas for
a nature collage: collect flower petals, leaves and feathers
and glue them onto the foam sheet with a thin coat of glue applied
with a brush. Cover with a sheet of wax paper and place a heavy
book on top so the collage will dry flat.
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- Don’t forget the old
favorites during your summer of invention. They are still popular
after decades for a reason -- they are great fun and always reliable.
What else, besides modeling clay, can you sculpt into terrifying
creatures one day and miniature tea sets the next? Everyone should
do at least one paint-by-number masterpiece in his or her lifetime
as well as fly a balsa wood glider on a summer’s day. Crayons,
the King of Kid Art, will always reign supreme for youthful coloring
and are rightful companions to the ever-popular activity book.
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- But that’s not all: one
way to put a new spin on the classic crayon is by making a scratchboard.
Cover a heavy piece of paper completely with various bright crayon
colors. When the paper is covered in several layers of different
colors, color over the whole sheet with black crayon. Next, use
a pencil or household nail to draw a picture onto the paper.
The black crayon will be scratched away showing the brilliant
colors beneath.
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- For more crafty ideas, stop
by your local Michaels Arts and Crafts Store and pick up a copy
of Ready! Set! Craft! It’s a free booklet filled with over
90 projects that will engage children of all ages. Organized
by themes such as travel, sports and girl power, it’s a
full color booklet filled with fun projects that children will
love. Parents will as well: creative activity isn’t just
fun for kids, it’s also an opportunity for them to learn
and discover. Check out www.michaels.com/summerfun for all projects
featured in the book and many other great craft ideas for kids.
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- ARTICLE POSTED AUGUST 25,
2005
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