I am always on the hunt for new summer craft ideas for kids because doing crafts outside keeps my house cleaner. I also have my three nephews visit every summer for a whole week and have always enjoyed doing summer craft projects with all the kids. I have compiled a list of the top three summer crafts that have been a favorite with all the kids. What I love most about these crafts is that you can make them and then enjoy using them all summer long. I think the kids liked them the most because they could get creative and even if we repeated the project, it never felt like we were doing the same thing again.
Mini-Birdbath
Materials: terra-cotta pot, larger terra-cotta pot base, acrylic paint, clear sealer (spray)
Total craft time: 30-90 minutes
1. Place the terr-cotta pot upside down and let your child paint a design on the pot. They can also paint a design on the inside of the base part as well.
2. Once the paint is dry to the touch (which happens quickly), spray the pot and base with a clear sealer.
3. Place the pot in a shady spot in your garden, then place the base on top in the up position, which will allow it to hold water.
4. The next morning, fill the top with water and you have a min-birdbath.
Consider putting rocks and muddy water in it to attract butterflies. Our mini-birdbath had been going strong for six years and one year we even had a little toad visit it.
(Safe) Homemade Lawn Dart Game
Materials: 12 bandannas (pick four different designs and buy three of each for a total of 12), box of golf balls, string or small rubber bands, 2-3 hula hoops
Total craft time: 10-15 minutes
1. Fold the bandannas in half and then in half again. Place a golf ball in the middle of the bandanna and then gather the fabric around it.
2. Tie a string around it tightly or wrap a rubber band around it a few times.
3. Or, if you want to get really creative you can even buy plain bandannas in a craft store and use fabric markers to decorate them. Whether you buy them or decorate them, make sure you have four sets of three that look the same. This allows for four people to play the game and have three darts each.
To play the game, place the hula hoops about 10-15 feet away and then toss the homemade darts and try to get them to land in the hula hoops. You can assign different point values to the hoops if you want to make it more exciting. The person with the most darts in the hoop(s), (or the one closest to the hoop) wins the round. Although this summer craft idea only takes a few minutes, the game will keep your kids busy for hours.
Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Materials: pine cones, string, peanut butter or solid vegetable shortening,plastic knife, birdseed, 1 paper box lid or other shallow container
Total craft time: 20-30 minutes
1. For this craft idea you will need to gather a few pine cones. If you don’t have access to real pine cones, you can buy some at your local craft store. If you do use real pine cones, you will need to set your oven to about 200 degrees and place your pine cones in the oven for a few minutes so they open up.
2. Once you have fully opened pine cones you are ready to tie a string onto one end. Make sure you make a large loop with the string so that your pine cone will be easy to hang from a tree when you are done.
3. Set the pine cone off the side while you pour a generous amount of birdseed into the box lid or shallow container.
4. Hold your pine cone by the string or hold it in your hand while you coat it with the peanut butter or shortening. Once you have all the grooves filled and the entire pine cone well-coated in peanut butter or shortening, it is time to really get dirty.
5. Roll the pine cone in the bird seed a few times.
6. Hang your birdseed cone on a tree branch. After a few days the cone will be picked clean by the birds and you can repeat the project.
