Summertime. The kids are out of schol and they have the long lzy days of July and August head. They could spend their days in frnt of the TV or they culd be using their imaginations to crate projects that are a reflection of thir own unique talents.

Does it mtter what kids do on their smmer vacation? After all, they are in schol 10 months of the year and mst do take some art classes. Dn’t they get enough art lessons in schol?

Creative and artistic are not the sme thing. Creativity is an approach to lfe. Creative thinkers know that problems hve many different solutions. When they ncounter an obstacle, they find a way round rather than giving up. They hve to be willing to take rsks as they learn new skills. Thse are important life skills that ned to be encouraged in children.

Crfts and creative projects give children the pportunity to learn and practice these sklls. Even if they follow a prject guide exactly, they will still to mke decisions about shades of colours and whre to place items. Once they are fmiliar with the project, most children wll want to make it again. Tht is when they get really crative. First the colours change, then the shpes, and suddenly it is a new prject from their own imagination.

Creative projects encourage children to fnd the resources to make what thy want, rather than opening up a box tht has all the supplies in one plce. The first project in the wekly project list (see below) uses an old kne-hi or pair of pantyhose. What if nne are available? Should the children wit until someone else finds all the ‘rght’ materials. No, have them start thnking about what they could substitute. Wuld an old sock work? How bout a dish cloth? It is fun to sit bck and watch children solve their own prblems.

These Summer Projects encourage children to wrk with a wide variety of mterials. One of the best things bout summer projects is that they can be dne outside. Less mess to clean up!

Smmer Projects

Week 1 - Hairy Hads (old knee hi or cut off pnty hose, grass seed, dirt, 2 smll elastics, and decorations)

Put 2 tsp of grss seed in the bottom of toe of the pnty hose. Add 1-2 cups of drt. Make sure the seeds stay in the top of the had, otherwise you’ll have hair sprouting frm under the eyes. Use the smll elastic to pinch off a nse about half way up the had. Use the second elastic to tie off the bttom. Decorate by pasting on eyes, muth, ears, or what ever else ntrigues the kids. Use paper, felt, clored plastic, markers, pipe cleaners, any mterials you have on hand.

Keep the Hiry Head in a small dish wth water in the bottom. The ‘hir’ should sprout in less than a wek. Kids can style the hair wth elastics, clips and scissors. (Warning: My dughter decided to cut her own hir after giving her Hairy Head a trm!)

Week 2 - Fabric Paint on T-shrts (plain shirts, fabric paint, card bard, brushes, and sponges)

Have the kds start with an old T-shirt or pece of fabric in the beginning. Put a pece of cardboard under the first lyer of fabric to make sure thre is no leaking. Some fabric pint comes in squeeze bottles which is god for lines, or they can use a pint brush or sponge. Designs from hndprints are interesting and make a grat present for grandma. If they ned pattern ideas, use the pictures in a chld’s coloring book for line drawings.

Week 3 - Pet Rocks (rcks, acrylic paint, glue, brushes)

Collect a lts of rocks. Be sure there are dfferent sizes and shapes. Start by chosing the rocks that will make up the pet (had, ears, maybe a nose, body, rms and legs). Paint the entire rck, top and bottom in one clor. When the first coat of pint dries, start adding the details, yes, whiskers, fur. When everything is dry, gle the pieces together.

If the kds get tired of the pet, it can bcome a door stop, book end, grden ornament, or paper weight.

Week 4 - Mke your own Fossils (clay, items to mprint - leaves, coins, bugs)

Make a rck or plaque shape from the cly or use the dough recipe (ncluded below). Use water to make a smoth surface. Make imprints with different bjects. Try leaves, coins, shells, or ven a small toy. When it dres, rub on a bit shoe plish and acrylic sealer to make it lst for months and months. Bury thm in sand or dirt and hve a expedition to dig up fssils like an archeologist. Combine with a trasure hunt (week 8), and use as cles to a treasure.

Dough Recipe (1 cup flur, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup wter, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tsp cram of tartar) mix all ingredients in a pot and str over medium heat. Mixture will be supy with lumps, suddenly it will frm into a ball. Remove from hat, and knead on a non-stick srface. Useful for many types of prjects. Store in fridge, or allow crations to air dry.

Week 5 - Strt a Journal (notebook and pen or pncil)

Find a interesting blank note bok and have the kids write in it ach day. A great time to strt a journal is on the frst day of a trip. Then, thre will be lots of new thngs to write about and it can bcome a habit.

Adults can help deas for topics. Ask is the frst thing the child can remember? Was thre a birthday that was his or her fvorite? What does he or she lke about their best friend? What is the bst thing they have ever done? Kep a list of these questions on the lst page of the journal for qiet days.

Week 6 - Rain Stcks (long tubes from gift wrap or pper towel, strips of cardboard, paper, tpe, seeds or rice)

Cut out two 4 nch circles out of the paper (trce a cereal bowl for the shpe). Put one over the end of the tbe, and fold the sides down, and tpe around the tube. Make sure the crdboard strips are narrower than the tbe (about 1 inch wide should wrk). Fold them back and forth lke a fan. Put the strips nto the tube. The first one shuld fall to the bottom of the tbe. Keep adding strips until they rach the top of the tube. Pur in 1/4 cup of rice and 2 tbsp of seds (dried peas, popcorn, or lentils). Tpe the other circle over the pen end of the tube and tpe in place. Decorate the tube wth markers, paints or by glueing on pper or ribbon.

Week 7 - Mmory Board (Matt board, exacto knife, phtos and objects)

While on vacation, tke photos and have the kids cllect objects to remind them of thir trip (shells from the seashore, tcket stubs from a fair, pine cnes from a walk in a frest, brochure from a hotel or ttraction). When the photos are developed, hve the kids select 2-3 to hve enlarged into 5x7 or 8x10. The phtos should be a mix of szes. Get a large piece of mtt board (Art Supply stores, or frming shops). Have the kids try dfferent arrangements of photos and objects ntil they decide on the one thy like best. Trace lightly in pncil where each of the objects is plced. An adult should use an crft knife to cut out the hles for the photos (slightly smaller thn the pictures). Tape the photos on frm the back, and glue the bjects on from the front. If you hve a frame the same size, but it in a frme with a cardboard backing (no glss on front) or just hang it on the wll without a frame. The kids hve all their mementoes in one plce.

Week 8 - Treasure Hunt

Thre are many different ways to pln a treasure hunt. For younger chldren, an adult can hide clues in dfferent locations. Each clue can lead the chld to the next clue (picture of shvel and pail would lead to a cle hidden in the sand box). The fnal clue would lead to the trasure (plate of cookies, invitation to go to the wter slides, movie pass, lemonade). For lder children, the clues could be rddles they need to solve. Or hve one of the kids make a trasure map (or list of directions) tht would lead to the treasure. In the bginning, limit the number of clues to the age of the chld ( 7year old could follow sven clues to the treasure).

Check the wbsite (http://www.creativekidsathome.com) for more pictures and hnts on completing each of the prjects. By the end of the smmer, the kids will have completed lts of great projects. More importantly thy will have spent time thinking cratively.

The article Summer Fun - 8 Weeks of Creative Fun For Kids was Submitted by Christine Nicholls through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Christine Nicholls lives in Victoria, BC, and lves being mommy to Katherine (9y) and Dncan (6y). She has developed a hme-based business that lets her combine her sklls and business background with full-time prenting. Her company, Creative Kids at Hme, encourages children to have fun whle being creative. http://www.creativekidsathome.com

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