Guest Post By: Teresha

Summer is around the corner and it's time to start planning things for the kiddos to do, especially if they are going to be at home. Growing up, we never could afford summer camp. Actually, my mother treated the local library as a makeshift camp and sent me and my siblings there a lot. She also gave us reams of dot matrix computer paper (remember that?!) and markers to whittle the hours away coloring and drawing. Maybe that's why I am a book-a-holic and an arts and crafts buff.

Children are naturally creative and summer is the perfect time to develop their right brains. Most students are getting little or no arts education in school. Luckily for parents, getting your kids involved in arts and crafts is easy to do. It is also an inexpensive way to keep them happily busy. There are tons of websites that list free craft projects with instructions and templates you can download. Don't be surprised if your children prefer to make arts and crafts over playing video games!
This simple project combines two of my favorites activities: doing crafts and recycling. It promotes reading, too!

3-D Bookmark
ages 5+
time: <1>

ruler

scissors or paper trimmer

craft glue

chipboard (use an empty cereal or shoe box)

craft paint and brushes

coloring tools (markers, gel pens, crayons, colored pencils)

embellishments (stickers, glitter)

found objects (grab a shoe box and fill it with buttons, sequins, gems, bits of ribbon/yarn, bottle caps, broken costume jewelry, scraps of plastic)

hole punch

Directions:

1. Cut out a 2 inches wide x 6 inches rectangle long from chipboard using paper trimmer or scissors
   
2. Paint each side and let dry
3. Punch a hole in the top center of bookmark
4. Decorate your bookmark. Draw, color, add stickers or glitter. Then glue found objects onto each side to your bookmark to make it 3-D. Go wild!
5. Tie a piece of ribbon or yarn around the hole and you are done!
   
6. Recycle leftover paper and chipboard
   

Additional Resources

Crafts Projects Using Natural, Recycled, & Found Objects