Summer Break Crafts for Kids

Nature Prints

• Gather fresh flowers and leaves. You̵7;ll also need an unbleached muslin cloth, paper bags and a hammer. Spread out the muslin over a layer of opened and flattened paper bags on a hard surface. Create a leaf and flower design on one half of the fabric, and then fold the other half over the design. Pound the design all the way to the edges with the hammer. Open the fabric once the plant pigments have bled through. Scrape off the plant pieces. You can also do this craft on paper to make stationery.

Homemade Chalk

• Summer is the perfect time to spend time outdoors drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. You can make your own with 1 cup plaster of paris, ¾ cup of water and ¾ cup of dried tempera paint. Use silicone baking molds to create shapes from flowers to stars. Mix the plaster of paris with the water, and then add the tempera. Break up any clumps as you stir it. Pour the mixture into the mold. The chalk sets in about an hour. After it sets, take it out of the mold and let it dry for a day. This recipe from GalTime makes about 10 to 12 small shapes or two to three large ones.

Gak

• Beyond homemade salt dough, there is Gak, a gooey, stretchy substance your kids can play with for hours indoors or out. The Come Together Kids website offers a fun recipe to make this gooey material. You will need a 4-ounce bottle of Elmer̵7;s glue, Borax, food coloring and water to create Gak. Mix the bottle of glue and a half cup of water together in a bowl. Add food coloring and mix again. In another container, preferably one with a spout, heat a cup of water and add 1 tablespoon of Borax. Mix it until it dissolves and add ½ teaspoon of Borax. Stir the mixture until it is dissolved. Add ½ teaspoon at a time until no more will dissolve, probably about 1 to 2 more teaspoons. Pour the Borax and water into the glue mixture, and stir until a blob forms in the middle and liquid surrounds it. Lift out the blob and move it around in your hands until it solidifies more. Pour out the rest of the liquid. Store the Gak in a plastic bag, and it will last for a few weeks.

Summer Mural

• Spoonful suggests taking advantage of the nice weather outside in the summer to create a large mural on a sheet in your backyard. First, soak an old white or light-colored sheet in water. Hang it up on a clothesline, or drape it over a fence. With tempera paint, paint brushes, sponges and squirt bottles, create art on a grand scale by applying the paint all over the bed sheet with the brushes and sponges. Fill a spray bottle with water to mix or tone down colors. Use the hose to erase work you don̵7;t like. You can also use pillowcases or an old T-shirt to do this project.