Craft 1 - Paper Plate Watermelon

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut a large paper plate in half and give one half to each child.

With the half plate facing up, have the kids paint the middle pink or red and the outside edge green.

Let the kids glue washed and dried watermelon seeds onto the pink part of the watermelon.

If watermelon seeds are not available, cut small tear shaped seeds out of black construction paper instead.

2. Sea Shell Critters - 6 Years and Up

Save the shells you find on the beach this summer and make these adorable little seashell critters. This activity is a great way to test kids' creativity--have a seashell critter fashion show when you are all done!

Be sure to explore all of our fun summer activities including great crafts for kids, summer printables, fabulous recipes, outdoor fun and more!

MATERIALS

Arrange shells together to form different animals and creatures.

Have a parent glue them together with hot glue.

Add wiggle eyes to your creatures.

INSTRUCTIONS

It’s best to position the shells first and decide how you want them to go together before gluing.

Put cockle shells together to form oyster like creatures.

For more colorful projects, paint your shells before gluing together.

Craft 3 - Egg Carton Ladybug

MATERIALS

Egg Carton

Paint

Hot Glue

Pom Pom

Pipe Cleaners

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut one egg cup section out of an egg carton for each child and have them paint the outside of it red.

Once the paint is dry, let the kids make dots on the ladybug’s body using their finger tip dipped in black paint.

On the head, attach two black pipe cleaners about two inches long for antennae and also two googly eyes.

This craft can also be easily adapted to make other summer bugs:

Spiders:  Make eight legs using pipe cleaners attached to the egg cup.

Caterpillars - paint four or five egg cups and glue them together to make a long body.

Flies - use two upside down egg carton cups as eyes on a round body made of balled up newspaper.

Craft 4 - Red-White and Blue Windsock

MATERIALS

Red construction paper

Red-white-blue streamers

Glue

Hole punch

String or yarn

Decorative items

INSTRUCTIONS

Have the child decorate one side of the red piece of paper with stars, glitter, ripped up tissue paper, markers, etc.

Then glue the short ends of a red piece of construction paper together so the decorated side is showing.

Glue or staple red white and blue streamers all around the bottom, making them as long as you wish.

Then punch two or three holes at the top of the windsock, and attach string to hang.

Craft 5 - Play Dough

MATERIALS

2 cups Flour

1 cups Salt

2 tb Cream of tartar

2 cups Water

1 tb Mineral oil

Food coloring

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and mineral oil in a saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring until stiff. Allow to cool before using.

Makes about 3 cups of playdough. Add food coloring as needed.

Ideas

Set out three piles of playdough, one that's been colored red, one white and one blue.

Let the children's create whatever they'd like