Summer Craft Fun

We are just about half way through summer break.  Whew!  I love my children very much, but after so many days together the bickering and fighting kicks in.  I tried to be proactive this time and be better planned out.  I decided to very loosely make theme weeks.  We had a VBS/mail fun week, science and space week, Outdoors week and this week has been flower week.  We missed one week somewhere in there.  I've tried to gather craft ideas to have a day at home to play, an outing and a food to tie together and maybe a few others depending on the week or day.  It's been fun trying out new things and the kids have enjoyed having a few things that are out of the ordinary to try too.  Here's some of the things we've made!

Bouncy Balls

from The 36th Avenue

Ingredients

• ½ Cup Warm Water
• 1 Tb Borax
• 1 Tb of Cornstarch
• 2 Tb White Liquid Glue
• Food coloring
• Optional: Disposable rubber gloves.

Instructions

1. In a cup mix the warm water and the borax.
2. In another cup mix the glue, cornstarch, and food coloring.
3. Pour the glue mixture into the water-borax cup.
4. The glue mixture will harden after 10 seconds; use a fork to take it out of the water. If the glue mixture is still sticky, squish it with your hands and dip it back in the water.
5. Roll the mixture in your hands to make a ball. The more you handle the mixture the firmer it will become.
6. You are done!



Orange Bird Feeders There are so many fun ways to make bird feeders.  Peanut butter pinecones or toilet paper rolls rolled in bird seed and Cheerios on pipecleaners are the basics.  I thought this one would be fun and different to try.  Simply cut an orange in half, carefully take out the flesh of the inside of the orange.  (Save it for a snack!)  Poke small holes in 2 sides and tie string to hang the orange.  Fill with bird seed and hang on a tree.  That simple.  

Tissue Paper Pom Poms

from Martha Stewart

1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.



Coffee Filter Sunflowers

Take a coffee filter and scribble with washable markers.  Spray lightly with water to let colors bleed together.  Allow to dry.  Put a small layer of glue in the middle and pat bird seed in it.  Allow to dry and hang to display. 

These are fun to make butterflies too.  Same instructions to color the coffee filter, then pinch middle with clothespin and use a pipe cleaner as antennas.  These are a great craft for all ages!