Family Activities

Make A Craft Tote

A tote with different craft materials in it can be a fun way to encourage your child’s imagination. These do not have to be expensive to make. You can get almost everything you will need at a dollar store or on sale at craft stores. You can even look at Wal-Mart and Target for craft items.

First, you buy the tote and maybe some puff paint, stickers, or markers to decorate the outside of the tote. Then you put some craft materials in it. This might include stickers, pipe cleaners, poms, crayons, markers, buttons, construction paper, scissors, glue or even glitter glue, foam shapes, paints and brushes, zip-lock baggies, old magazines, old bed sheets or towels, and old clothing such as shirts and socks. Hand wipes are always nice to have, too.

You can put just about anything in there and let your child get crafty. There are books with ideas for crafts or you can find ideas online.

Gardening

Children love to play in the dirt, so why not let them learn a little something while they are at it?

If you already have a garden at home, involve them in maintaining the garden. Activities could be holding the hose when you water the garden, pouring dirt to fill a hole, and pouring the seeds, or if you use lawn decorations let the kids pick the spot where they go.

If you do not have a garden, involve kids from the beginning. Take them to the store to buy flowers or seeds. Let your children pick one flower they want to put in the garden and let them be in charge of getting it in the ground (with parents' help of course). They can dig holes, carry items, pull the worms you do not want to touch, or any little task that they can do - let them help you do it.

Talk to your child about the process, how the plant starts as a seed, the food and water and sunlight it needs to grow, just like them.

Your children will have fun watching their flowers grow and you will have fun watching your flower grow and learn. Have a great summer!