Whether you’re in charge of the next neighborhood mom’s group outing, or just want to enjoy some creative time with your own kiddos at the park, it’s time to get crafty! Paint. Color. Write. Encourage the kids to show their personality with one (or many!) of these summer craft ideas!
Photography Nature Hunt
Teach kids to admire flowers and bugs by taking pictures, rather than touching! Teach them about camera angles and complementary colors while challenging the youngsters to find and snap images of 5-10 items on a nature list. Include specific flowers like violets and dandelions and creepy crawlies like ants or caterpillars!
Weather Writing Fun
Explain haiku-style poems to the kids and start writing. The topic is the weather! If the kids seem stumped, tell them to look close at the clouds, the landscape around them, the temperature and the wind outside. For an added outdoor bonus, have the kids print their words on a sidewalk with colorful chalks and accentuate them with pictures of what’s included their haikus.
Pine Cone Art
Start by hunting for fallen pinecones, if you can’t find any then grab a bag from the craft store before you head to the park. Coat the pine cones in paint and glitter for a one-of-a-kind project. Looking for something to adorn the backyard? Instead of paint, use peanut butter and bird seed. Coat the pine cone in peanut butter then roll it in the bird seed. Tie a string to the top and hang it from a tree in your yard for a piece of functional art that will attract the local wildlife.
Flower Jewelry Making
Visit a local community garden. Ask the local flower growers if the kids can craft floral crowns and necklaces by carefully picking flowers and braiding the stems. Be sure to snap a few photos to share these uncommon summer crafts with the gardeners. If real flowers aren’t an option, look into making paper flower cutouts. Use the cutouts and yarn to make crowns, bracelets or any other accessory you can think of.
Finger Weaving Activity
Speaking of yarn, are you a wizard with the fuzzy fiber? Take a few skeins of yarn in different colors to the park and show the kids how to weave a basic chain pattern using their fingers. The strands can turn into simple bracelets and necklaces. Older kids could venture into learning how to maneuver crochet hooks or knitting needles!
Rock Cairn Building
If the park has ample rocks in varying sizes, challenge the kids to make their own rock cairns. These carefully balanced rock towers take patience and skill to create. Look up pictures of rock cairns on a smartphone web browser to show the kids what the finished art looks like, then start building!
Soap Paint Play
On a hot summer day, let the kids become the craft project. Put the kids in swimsuits and encourage them to color on themselves using bright foaming spray soap or soft soap crayons. Let them create silly hairdo’s, colorful fingernails or add embellishments to their swimwear. When done, hop into the sprinklers to rinse off and start again.
Twig Star Crafts
Finally, have a scavenger hunt for twigs of all sizes – fat, slender, long and short. Pile the twigs in the middle of a picnic table, then arrange them into star shapes. Use a spool of colorful twine, thread or yarn to tie the twigs into rustic star shapes that can later hang on a ceiling hook or plant hanger.
Summer crafts don’t have to be complex or time-consuming. As long as you’re encouraging children to think creatively and try something new, everyone wins! Not to mention, you can take their art projects and make them into one-of-a-kind wall art for your home. Encourage your kids to have pride in their art by framing their pictures and mounting projects on the mantle.
If you’re ready for a summer crafting adventure, but you’re not sure of where to start, learn more about the parks and recreation options within the Copperleaf Community.