Celebrate Summer!

Paper Dot Rainbows

Summer means play dates, camping trips, swimming pool visits and kids saying "I'm bored. What can I do?" At least that's how it goes at our house. It seems like no matter how many adventures I plan someone still gets bored. 

I have the habit of making chore lists for when someone says they are bored. But you could also try some of our free crafts, activities and snack recipes too...if you are feeling super nice.


Paper Bag Picnic
This easy craft is fun to create and fun to play with. Use it as a rainy-day boredom buster or take it outside into the sunshine for some make-believe fun!

Colorful Butterflies
This artsy activity is a crowd-pleaser! Marbles, paint, a shoebox and you are set to jazz up your butterflies in a most colorful and unique way.  No paint brushes required!

Bears on the Beach
Summer time is all about snacks. Get creative with teddy grahams, frosting and a few gummy worms and watch the smiles spread as your kiddos create a surf's-up-sort-of snack!

Bugs!
This simple craft uses materials you have on hand including an egg carton, paint, pipe cleaners and glue. (If you don't have pipe cleaners on hand and you have kids under 5 in the house - go get some. You'll thank me later.)

Ants on a Log
Make celery more appealing as a healthy snack choice by adding cream cheese or peanut butter and raisins to create adorable little ants on a log. (Make up a fun little story to go along with it too!)

Visit The Idea Box for crafts, games and snacks to create for summer fun! Connect with us on Facebook where I share more ideas from other crafty bloggers and sites or follow us on Pinterest and create your own pinboard full of kids crafts!

Funny Buddies to Make & Play With!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Little kids love buddies! Especially during the toddler years, when having friends or buddies to play with means being just like big brother or big sister.

Little kids also have big imaginations so creating "play buddies" is not just fun but also very entertaining and stimulating! Here's a list of crafty ideas to make with your little buddies to get you started.

Clothespin Pal
This craft is super simple and can be created with materials you already have on hand. Take a few clothespins, some markers and maybe some embellishments like buttons or bows and make a clothespin pal! (These are great "quiet" toys too.)

Springtime Grass Buddy
This buddy craft involves a bit more planning, prep time and grass seed. It would be a creative way to learn about the earth in Spring time or for an Earth Day craft. The little kids will love watching their grass buddies grow!

Bugs in a Cup
This game is a super fun learning tool for little ones and requires minimal effort to put together. Grab some plastic bugs at the dollar store, cups and markers and you've got a great counting tool and entertaining game.

Ziplock Butterfly
Another fun craft to create a colorful butterfly, this requires materials you have on hand, a little planning and whole lot of fun. Little ones may need a bit of help to assemble their butterflies, but I promise they will love tearing up the paper!

Buddy Tag
A buddy version of the game of tag - this is a fun game to play with 8 - 14 kids and keeps them moving until you decide when to blow the whistle. It's perfect for a classroom full of wiggly kids to work out their bugs!

Share your favorite buddy craft with us on Facebook or visit The Idea Box for more buddy inspiration!

Stars, Bugs and Butterflies

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

August already? I can't believe it - the summer is going by so quickly. Time flies when you are having fun, and so do bugs, butterflies and stars! I've collected a few butterfly crafts to help your little stars shine and keep you from going absolutely buggy!

Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite summer craft, activity or snack recipe. Or visit The Idea Box for many more summer time projects and ideas for your little helpers.

Bugs!
This simple craft uses materials you have on hand including an egg carton, paint, pipe cleaners and glue. (If you don't have pipe cleaners on hand and you have kids under 5 in the house - go get some. You'll thank me later.)

Little Stars
I love this craft since it features your little star as the main ingredient! With a small photo of your little one and some construction paper - a star is born, one that you can hang, display, or even use at Christmas time as a gift ornament.

Butterfly Flyer
Another favorite at my house, the butterfly flyer is made with straws, yarn and construction paper. The best part is flying your finished butterfly around outside. Get creative and make them in all shapes, colors and sizes!

Sweet Stars
This sweet treat doesn't disappoint! Use strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream to create star shaped snacks and serve to your little shooting stars. My kids love this seasonal tasty, kid-friendly treat!

Butterfly Puppet
This craft project takes a few more materials and supplies, and again, items you probably already have on hand at home. With a little ingenuity and mad stapling skills your kids can have a butterfly puppet put together in no time!

Cinco de Mayo

Paper Circle Bugs

With Cinco de Mayo just a few days away, we thought you may enjoy some fun crafts, snacks, and activities to help you and your kids or classroom celebrate!  And what do paper bugs have to do with Cinco de Mayo?  Make them in fiesta colors such as red, green, white, yellow, orange and purple, and use your bugs to decorate your classroom, create a mobile, or even as party favors!

Homemade Pinata
Our homemade pinata is simple to create and you're likely to have all the materials you need at home, already!  Creating a pinata with your kids is easy and fun, and can illustrating repurposing or recycling.

Noisy Shakers
Definitely a crowd-pleaser, although you may want earplugs when all is said and done, our homemade maracas or shakers, is a perfect for preschoolers, and can then be used at music time!

Construction Paper Flags
Instead of the red, white, & blue tissue paper recommended in the instructions, substitute the colors with red, white, & green to create a Mexican flag in honor of the Battle of Puebla.  (This could double as a lesson aid too!)

Cheese Tortillas
Don't forget the Cinco de Mayo themed snacks!  Try our cheese tortillas for a snack or even as part of lunch.  Your kids can even help make and bake these.

However you choose to celebrate, enjoy your Cinco de Mayo and enjoy your kids!  We love feedback and photos so be sure to send us some or post on our Facebook page!