Four Summer Crafts for Kids

It's summer, and while most kids like to spend the season running around outside, there's still room for crafts. Instead of meaning a trip to the video story, rainy days can provide a good opportunity to get your kids doing some fun summer crafts. Here are some summer crafts for kids to try when they need to take a break from outdoor fun.

VACATION SCRAP BOOK. Supplies: paper, scissors, markers or crayon, glue, paste or tape; crafting materials like glitter, buttons, yarn, string, and stickers.

This summer craft for kids can provide the whole family with a great pre-vacation activity or a keepsake after a vacation is done. First, help kids make the scrapbook. You can fasten three-hole punch paper together with brads or yarn or simply staple regular copy or construction paper together. Then, once the book is made, encourage kids to fill it creatively. If you haven't gone on your trip yet, have the kids fill in the pages with titles of things they might want to record: "things we saw on the road," "best places we ate" "favorite day". They can decorate the edges of the paper with markers, crayons, glitter, yarn, or stickers.

Once you've already taken the trip, help the kids fill in this utilitarian summer craft those pages with memories. You can do this by attaching things like ticket stubs, brochures, or even photos from the trip. You can also just have the kids do their own artistic renderings of favorite events. Sometimes, those are the most fun to look back on.

SUMMER WISH LIST COLLAGE.Supplies: poster board or blank paper; scissors; markers or crayons; glue, paste or tape; old magazine or travel brochure photos

"So, what do you kids want to do this summer?" Instead of asking the kids to tell you, let them show you with this summer craft idea. Give your kids a blank piece of paper or, better yet, a blank poster board, and let make a collage of what they wish they could do this summer. Have them cut out magazine photos or photos of travel brochures of things connected to their summer fantasies - this could be water slides, beaches, ads from their favorite restaurants, or ads for movies they want to rent. When the pictures are cut, let the kids shape a collage on their blank canvas and further embellish with their own marker or crayon accents. Not only will the poster create some cool early summer art work in the house, but it will give you an idea of what your kids are really looking forward to doing.

SUMMER BUGS.Supplies: empty cardboard tissue boxes; glue, paste or tape; solid paper or wrapping paper; pipe cleaner, googly eyes; other crafting supplies like yard, glitter, and felt.

Nothing says summer like bugs. With this summer craft, your elementary school-aged kids can make the biggest bugs in the yard. First, get an empty tissue box and help kids cover it with solid-colored paper. Hole-side down. Light is probably best, so more "effects" will show up. Once the box is covered, let the kids attach googly eyes as desire. Bugs can have hundreds of eyes, so enjoy! They also have tons of legs. Your kids can attach those, too, with some pipe cleaners taped, glued, or popped through the cardboard and fastened on the other side. Next, kids can add whatever accents they like: glitter, felt "spots", or buggy tattoos. It's up to them. For extra fun, attach some twine to the top of the box and suspend the bugs from the ceiling, or, insert a hand in the tissue box and use for a bug-puppet show.

PERSONALIZED BEACH TOWELS.Supplies: solid-colored beach towels; laundry/clothing markers or fabric paint.

Your kids may spend a lot of time in or near the water this summer. This craft lets them personalize the omnipresent beach towels they carry around with them. Not only is this craft a fun creative outlet, but it will definitely keep your kid from mistaking his or her towel with anyone else. Simply get the kids a blank canvas in the form of a solid-colored beach towel. The bigger the better. Then, provide them with laundry/clothing markers or fabric paint and let them do their own designs. Older kids may want to outline their drawings in marker first then fill in with paint or write slogans or fancy versions of their names on their towels. Younger kids may stick with the impressionism for which they're so well known. In any case, follow the directions for use of good quality fabric paint or laundry markers and your kids' towels should be good all summer long and be ready for duty next summer, too.