Summertime Crafts for Kids
by Rachel Paxton

Rock Paperweights
Give each child a rock that has been washed with soap and dried. Have the children decorate the rocks with craft paint to create their own unique paperweights.

Masks
Cut 8 ½ x 11 pieces of paper in half. Give each child a piece of paper and a crayon or marker. Have each child fold their piece of paper in half and cut a hole that their nose will fit through. Have them cut a small hole first, then adjust the hole to fit the size of their nose. Have the children try on their masks and let them try to figure out where the eyes should go. They can then cut out holes for the eyes. Let the children decorate their masks with different facial expressions.

Jigsaw Puzzles
Give each child a piece of cardboard, a picture from a magazine, some scissors, and some glue. Have the children glue their pictures onto their cardboard. When the glue is dry, have them cut their cardboard into the shape of jigsaw puzzle pieces. When they have finished, have them trade puzzles and have a race to see who finishes first.

Graph Paper Drawings
Give each child a sheet of graph paper and a pen or pencil. Have each child draw a picture on the graph paper using only the lines on the graph paper. Curved lines are not allowed. Let the children color their creations. Have them share their pictures with each other when they are done.

Collages
Give each child newspapers, scissors, glue, and notebook paper. Have each child cut words and sentences from newspaper pages and combine them to create a unique story. Have them arrange their sentences on the notebook paper and glue them in place. A theme for the stories can be decided beforehand. Let the children share their stories with each other.

Flubber
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups white school glue
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 teaspoons Borax
Food coloring

Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, glue, and food coloring together. In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups warm water and Borax together. Pour the glue mixture into the Borax mixture and take out of bowl to knead until flubber is soft and consistent in form. Store in a zip-lock bag or tightly sealed container. This stuff is really fun! Enjoy!

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club Cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. Visit Creative Homemaking and in the Home and Garden section of Suite 101.