by Bridget Webber

Created on: May 27, 2007   Last Updated: January 22, 2012

The summer months bring with them the perfect opportunity to spend time with children being actively creative out in the sunshine, or even in the warm showers. The good weather makes summertime fun when it comes to being artistic as items can be collected from outdoors to work with. The craft-making itself can take place out in the fresh air too.

The beach is a great place to begin. The children can collect shells, seaweed and driftwood. All of these items can be used in a multitude of ways. The shells can be laid out on a big sheet of paper and cans of spray paint used to spray around them. This leaves the shapes of the shells really well.

All of the items can be uses in picture making and collages by using strong glue to stick them to board. The shells can be used effectively as mosaic pictures and as jewelery if an adult drills little holes in the tops of them for the children. They can be painted and made into bracelets and necklaces.

Whilst on the beach the children can make all kinds of interesting shapes with the damp sand. When I was little we used to make cars out of the sand by using our hands to mold the shape of the car with seats inside. We would sit in them and pretend to race across the beach! This craft-work will of course, be eventually washed away so is temporary but is so much fun to do.

Taking the children for a walk into a corn field can provide the children with inspiration in the from of the corn. This can be used in pictures, woven or as corn dollies which are easy to make. Just gather a handful of corn with the stalks all facing the same way. Tie a peace of string around the middle tightly and knot it. Then part the bottom half to make the two legs and tie and knot those too. At the top of the doll you tie a knot at the top of the head and the ends of the corn stick up as hair. Then you tie another knot around the neck area. All that's left to do is the arms. With some more corn gently part a gap in the chest area of the doll and tread the corn through so that there is corn sticking out of either end. Tie a knot at the end of each arm to make the hands.

If there is a rainy day then back indoors the children can make outfits for their dollies from scraps of material. No sewing is needed as colored string can be used to hold the clothes in place. This can keep the children happy for ages and they won't even worry about the rain.

Or, another fun idea is for children to paint pictures with poster paints and then to run out into the rain, holding up their pictures and to turn the artwork until the rain lets the paint drip into a new design.

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