KayDee's Summer Kids Crafts Page,- Fun Games and Activities for Summer

Paint with Nature

Materials: construction paper, newspaper, nature items (sticks, leaves, flowers, rocks, small branches, etc.) paint
Procedure: Take a walk in the park or your neighborhood and collect nature items. Try and collect a variety of objects. Spread newspaper on the work area since this can be a messy project. Dip the sticks, leaves, rocks, etc. into the paint and press onto the construction paper to make a picture.

Stick Person Picture
Materials: construction paper, sticks, leaf, glue, and nature items
Procedure: Collect different sizes sticks from your yard or park. While looking for sticks, select a leaf that can be used for the stick person's head. Glue the head to the construction paper. Arrange the sticks on the paper to form the body, arms, and legs. When you are happy with the arrangement glue the sticks to the paper. To add details to the picture, glue on rocks, leaves,
grass, etc.

Summer Wreath
Materials: paper plate, scissors, glue, and nature items
Procedure: Cut the center out of the paper plate. Glue the nature items onto the rim of the plate.

Make a Camp Fire
Materials: sticks, glue, tissue paper (orange, yellow, and red), glue
Procedure: Gather several small sticks from your yard or park. Glue the sticks together to form a pyramid type shape. Crumple the tissue paper and glue in the middle of the sticks.

Faded Picture

Materials: dark colored construction paper, objects that have a very distinct shape (key, block, leaf, etc.)
Procedure: Take the materials outside in the morning of a very sunny day. Place the construction paper in an area that receives a lot of sunlight. If necessary, move the paper at various times of the day. Arrange the items on the construction paper in any way desired. Let the paper stay in the sunlight for several hours. In the late afternoon, remove the objects. The paper should have faded under the objects leaving their shape.

Sparkling Sun
Materials: yellow construction paper, yellow and orange tissue paper, yellow streamers, gold glitter, scissors, glue
Procedure: Cut a large circle from the construction paper. A paper plate makes a good template for a circle. Tear the tissue paper into small pieces. Once you have quite a few smaller pieces, crumple them and glue them to the yellow circle. You do not have to cover the entire circle with tissue paper. Glue the yellow streamers to the outside edge of the yellow circle to represent the sun rays. To add sparkle to your sun, sprinkle glitter in the center.

Paper Plate Aquarium
Materials: two paper plates, scissors, blue cellophane paper, tape, fish (make them from construction paper or cut out pictures) and glue.
Procedure: Cut out the center of both paper plates. Tape blue cellophane paper over the center of each paper plate. Tape fish and plants onto the blue cellophane paper. Glue the paper plates together.

Ocean Picture
Materials: blue and green crayons, grater, pictures of fish or make your own sea animals, wax paper, towel, and iron
Procedure: Peel the paper from the crayons. Grate the crayons onto the wax paper. Place the pictures of fish onto the wax paper. Top the wax and fish with a second piece of wax paper. Place the picture onto a towel and lightly press the picture with the iron until the crayon wax has melted. The melted wax should look like sea water. Hang the picture in a window.

Paper Plate Watermelon

Materials: paper plate, scissors, red and green construction paper, water melon seeds, and glue
Procedure: Cut the paper plate in half. Tear the red and green construction paper into small pieces. Glue the green construction paper around the edge of the paper plate. Glue the red construction paper to the plate. Glue the water melon seeds onto the red construction paper.

Lemon Print
Materials: construction paper, lemons, yellow paint, and a knife
Procedure: Cut the lemons in half lengthwise, widthwise, and into wedges. You may also want to peel a lemon and use the peel for the picture. Dip the lemon pieces into the yellow paint. Press the lemons onto the construction paper. Demonstrate how to make pictures from the lemon. For example: Press the lemon cut widthwise onto the paper for the middle of a flower. Next, take a wedge shaped lemon piece and press around the circle to form petals. Once you are finished, you should have a yellow flower. To make a sun, press the lemon onto the paper to make a circle. Next, cut the lemon peel into thin strips and glue to the round circle to form the rays.

Painting with Blueberries
Materials: blueberries, water, microwave, bowl, fork, white paper
Procedure: Place blueberries in a microwave safe bowl. Add a little bit of water and heat for one minute in the microwave. Mash the blueberries with the fork. Try and get a lot of juice. Paint a picture with the juice. Children like to use their fingers with this project, however please keep in mind that their fingers may become stained for a day or two.

Ice Cube Picture
Materials: water, ice cube tray, tooth picks, Kool-Aid, white paper
Procedure: Fill the ice tray with water and insert a tooth pick into each compartment. Place in freezer until frozen. To make the picture, pour a packet of Ko

ol-Aid onto a white sheet of paper. Give your child the ice cube and let them push and pull the ice cube through the Kool-Aid to make a design. Assist them so that the paper does not become too wet in the middle and tear.

College of Summer
Materials: magazines, glue, scissors, paper, pencil
Procedure: Look through magazines for pictures that represent fun things to do in the summer. Cut the pictures out and glue onto the paper. Leave room to for you child to write the name of the item. If your child is unable to write on their own through inventive spelling, let them dictate to you.

Sun Catcher
Materials: clear plastic lid, tissue paper, glue, water, bowl, paint brush, paper punch, string

Procedure: Tear the tissue paper into small pieces. Pour a small amount of glue into the bowl. Add a little bit of water to the glue to thin it out so that it can be painted onto the plastic lid. Using the paint brush, paint the lid with the glue. Arrange the tissue paper onto the lid. Allow to dry. Punch hole through the lid and thread a piece of string through the lid. Tie and hang on
front of the window.

Fruit and Veggie Stamp
Materials: fruits and veggies (carrots, lemons, star fruit, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper, avocados, apples, etc.) knife, sponges, old plate, paint, paper
Procedure: Cut the fruits and vegetables into pieces (cut the apple across the middle for the star patter, lemon wedges, etc.) Place the sponges on an old plate and pour a different color of paint onto each of the sponges. Gently press the fruit or vegetable onto the sponge and then onto the piece of paper. Encourage your child to make a pattern with the fruits and vegetables. A pattern can be lemon wedge, apple, lemon wedge, apple, lemon wedge.... If able make more complicated patterns such as bell pepper slice, lemon wedge, apple, bell pepper, lemon wedge apple....

Leaf Print
Materials: paper, different types of leaves, paint, shallow bowl, newspaper
Procedure: Place the paper onto a flat surface covered in newspaper. Dip one of the leaves into the paint and then place on the paper in a pleasing pattern.

Slice of Watermelon

Materials: red and green construction paper, watermelon seeds (washed and dried), glue, scissors
Procedure: Cut a large circle from the green construction paper and a smaller circle from the red construction paper. Glue the red circle onto the green circle. Dot the glue onto the red construction paper and place a watermelon seed on each dot of glue.

Sunny Plate

Materials: paper plate, yellow paint, paint brush, yellow and orange crepe paper, glue
Procedure: Cut the crepe paper into small pieces. Paint the paper plate yellow. While the paint is still wet, press the crepe paper onto the paper plate.

Sun Flower Plate
Materials: paper plate, yellow paint, paint brush, glue, sunflower seeds, green construction paper, scissors
Procedure: Paint the paper plate yellow and allow to dry. Glue the sunflower seeds onto the center of the plate. Cut out a stem and leaves from the green construction paper. Glue the stem and the leaves to the back of the plate.

Sandy Beach

Materials: light blue construction paper, glue, paint brush, bowl, magazines or colored newspaper ads,
scissors, sand
Procedure: Look through the magazines and ads for pictures that represent the beach (sun, ball, bucket and shovel, etc.) Cut out the pictures and set aside. Pour a small amount of glue into the bowl. "Paint" the glue onto part of the construction paper with the paint brush where you want the sandy beach to be. Sprinkle the sand onto the glue and allow to dry for a few minutes.
Gently shake the paper to remove loose sand. Glue on the cut outs in the appropriate place. If you would like, draw additional pictures to complete your beach scene.

Popsicle Kite
Materials: 4 popsicle sticks, glue, tissue paper, yarn, scissors
Procedure: Glue the four popsicle sticks into a diamond shape. Place a very small amount of glue on the popsicle sticks. Press the tissue paper onto the glue. Allow to dry. Cut away the excess tissue paper. Tie a piece of yarn to the kite to resemble a tail.

Summer Placemat
Materials: clear contact paper, summer items (sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, flowers, grass, etc.), scissors
Procedure: Cut two pieces of clear contact paper about 12x18 inches. Peel the back off of one of the pieces of contact paper. Lay the sticky side up on the table. Press the items the sticky side of the contact paper. Press hard! When you are happy with the arrangement, place the second sheet of contact paper sticky side down onto your summer arrangement. Press everything down as flat as possible. Trim the edges. If you would like, use scraps of material or lace to trim the edges. Just lay them around the edges of the placemat before putting down the second sheet.