Super Easy Summer Crafts for Kids

Ward off summer boredom with family crafts, while your children and teens stay entertained making souvenirs of the best summer yet. They can even get a head start on gift making for the holidays, especially when it's too hot to move outside.

Sunglasses are a vital part of summer fashions, but they can be a little pricey. Save some cash and add personal style to bargain store glasses for one-of-a-kind accessories.

In addition to sunglasses, you will need beads, sequins, and beading glue.

Trace the front frames of your glasses onto paper. Lay out the beads and sequins on the pattern.

When you are satisfied with the design, squeeze some glue onto a piece of waxed paper or itchen foil. Dip a toothpick in the glue and apply it to the beads and other materials before placing them carefully on the frames or lenses of the glasses. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before wearing your “blinged out” shades.

Give your flip-flop sandals an extra use for a quick and fun keepsake for the summer.

Materials for this project include a pair of flip-flop sandals, plain copy paper, glue and ribbon or other embellishments.

Begin by removing the straps from one of the sandals. Remove the plugs that attach the straps to the shoes and glue them back into the holes.

Next, fan-fold a sheet of paper into thirds, making sure that the widest part of the sandal fits inside the folds, touching them on both sides. Trace the shoe and cut out the connected shoe shapes.

Glue the top paper shape to the bottom of the unaltered flip-flop. Next, glue the bottom paper shape to the top (foot side) of the other shoe. (If you want more pages in your scrapbook, cut several sets of paper shapes and glue them end-to-end before attaching them to the shoes.)

Decorate your new scrapbook with ribbon, beads, buttons, charms, shells or other embellishments. Inside, add pictures, drawings and journaling to save your memories of a great beach vacation.

Capture that gorgeous summer light with a simple project that also lets you recycle all of those broken crayons from the school year.

In addition to the crayons, you will need waxed paper, a pencil sharpener or kitchen grater, an iron, construction paper, and glue. You may also want coloring book or other summer symbol patterns and templates.

Start your sun catcher by tearing off a large piece of waxed paper, about twice as big as you want the finished shape to be.

Shave crayons onto the waxed paper, covering one half of the sheet, before folding the other side over the top.

Place a paper towel over the top of the waxed paper package; this is to protect your iron’s surface from any escaping crayon shavings. With the iron set on “low,” press the paper to melt the crayons and seal the paper’s edges together. Allow it to cool completely.

Trace sun, fish, flower or other summer shapes and cut them out.

Place the cutouts on construction paper and trace them. Make another line about 1/2 to 1 inch away from the first line. Cut on both lines to make a frame for your “stained glass,” gluing the frame to both sides of the waxed paper.

Hang your design in the sun and watch the colors sparkle.

For this project, you will need only a few supplies, many of which you may already have at home. You will need shaving cream, stamp pad ink in several colors, cardstock and paper towels, along with a fork, drinking straw or even a pencil to mix the materials.

Begin by covering the work surface with newspapers, bath towels or paper towels to protect the surface from the ink.

Next, select a glass baking dish or a disposable broiler pan that is slightly larger than your paper, and fill it with shaving cream. Drip a few drops of each ink color around the surface; how much ink you add will determine how dense the marble pattern is on the paper. Use the fork, straw or pencil to swirl the color around the pan to make a visually appealing pattern.

Place a sheet of cardstock on the surface of the colored shaving cream and press it lightly to make sure the whole sheet surface is in contact with the cream.

Peel the paper off slowly. Lay it creamed-side up on the work surface and blot it with paper towels. Continue to blot gently until all of the shaving cream is off the paper. Continue to place and peel paper on the shaving cream, occasionally swirling the ink again to redistribute it.

Allow the paper to dry completely before using it to make note cards or scrapbook and journal covers.