I like to find activities for the kids that keep them busy, are easy to clean up, and they get a finished product out of it. Since the weather is nice and the kids sleep better after playing outside all day I brought out one of their favorite activities – paint! And both of their favorite items – ROCKS!
Most of us have all the items on hand to do this fun outside activity so it costs next to nothing. I covered their picnic table with paper off of a roll end I bought from the local newspaper which was only $5. I highly recommend purchasing a roll end they are cheap and have a ton of good paper on them for arts and crafts projects or just covering surfaces. I brought out all their paints and brushes and let them have at it. My favorite part is the easy cleanup they can get as messy as they want and then go play in the water to rinse off plus the supplies can just be thrown in a bag and used again the next day.
We placed the painted rocks in the garden to make it look a little nicer. It is our first year with a bigger garden so it is all about trial and error this year but making it look all pretty with the rocks makes weeding a lot fun! I think we probably should have put a clear gloss on the rocks to make sure the water doesn't wash the paint off but we'll see how it goes and I'll be sure to share the info.
That's about all the exciting news I have to share this week. I'm super busy trying to get some paperwork filled for a student works program we had this year at the store and getting ready for the busy summer season. Finding activities that keep the kids busy for a period longer than 10 minutes is ideal right now or I would be going INSANE.
What are your favorite summer crafts with the kids?