Summer Parties for Children: Host an Art Party!

When school lets out at the end of Spring, many parents start scrambling for ideas to fill the days of Summer. Besides spending endless hours in front of the television, or computer, what can a child do for fun? Consider hosting parties for them and their friends. There are endless themes you can choose from; one of our favorites is an outdoor art party.

Be creative with your invitations! There is certainly nothing wrong with a phoned invitation, but you can be much more memorable and fun than that! Mail all of your party guests a box of crayons with the party details attached to the outside of the box, or included inside. Do you think crayons might melt in the mail? Use colored pencils on black construction paper to give the look of chalk on a blackboard. If you want to use plain white paper, decorate it with splatter paint first!

Think about what kind of activities you want to have available, and the mess that they will involve. Our experience has always been - the messier, the better! (Just make sure your guests wear 'sloppy' clothes). If you have a large crowd coming, try to have several activities going on at the same time. A bucket of chalk on the sidewalk or driveway is an instant invitation to creative fun. If needed, draw squares on the concrete to define each artist's space - or leave them with the freedom to draw wherever they want! Give the kids a bucket of water and a few paintbrushes, and watch what happens when they "paint" on top of their chalk creations.

Set up an easel with paper, brushes, and washable water colors for the painters in the crowd. If you don't have an easel, tape sheets of paper to your garage door or side of your house - but make sure your paint is washable! (You may want to test a small, inconspicuous area prior to setting up this art station). Get online and find some free coloring pages and print them yourself, or consider taking them to your local print shop and having them blown up to a 2'x3' size or even larger! Crayons or markers (washable) should be available in a box next to the coloring pages.

Consider hanging a clothes line across your yard, and clothespin your artists' creations to dry along it. Consider clipping plain t-shirts to the line, and giving children squirt bottles filled with colored water. They can decorate a shirt with a variety of fun colors; instant party favor! (Make sure this is done in an area where potential staining will not be an issue).

Show the children how to collect leaves and other items from nature and do paper rubbings. Placing an item under a sheet of thin paper, and rubbing the side of a crayon along it will pick up the details and texture of the item beneath it. Encourage them to make collages of interesting items they find in your yard - from leaves to seeds to weeds and flowers. Just provide the glue and the paper!

What about snack time? Since you're already outside, don't worry about making a mess with Kool-Aid or fruit juice. The bright colors will be consistent with your artsy theme! If you want to provide a sweet snack, consider individual cupcakes or cookies that the children can decorate with frosting or sprinkles. Looking for something with a little less sugar? How about celery sticks, crackers, peanut butter, pretzels, and raisins - the children can create "ants on a log" or anything else they happen to dream up. Thinking of providing lunch? Let the kids decorate personal pizzas. Just provide an assortment of colors (vegetables and other toppings) to put on their canvas (crust).

Because the party is outside, clean-up is a breeze! Send your guests home with their artistic creations, put away your art supplies, and then hose everything down! Though it takes some initial planning and foresight, an art party is certain to be a hit with your children and friends, and something they will talk about all Summer long. If you need an activity to break up Summer boredom, host a party! EVERYONE will have a blast.