Summer time is here again. And every summer has its own story. In summer hair gets lighter, skin gets darker, water gets warmer, drink gets colder, music gets louder, nights gets longer and life gets better.

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining. The breeze is blowing. The birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken- James dent But have you ever thought to add some creative outlets to your holiday cheers!

I think, during holiday season adding some fresh and creative activities is a great way to make meaningful memories and it will strengthen the learning process as well. I am very happy to share some super creative activities for kids. It will be a great boredom buster for them. I am sure it is a fun way to develop your child’s creative learning and encourage her to think in a more challenging and artistic manner.

Pop up card making

Nowadays it is a tradition to celebrate each occasion with card making. And kids love making cards on their own. Handmade cards are more special because they show our love and affection for our dear one. It is the easiest way to explore creativity and imagination power in kids, but if you are bored from routine cards with typical pattern and supplies. Then here is a perfect solution for that. Pop up card making is a great variation for routine card making.

Have you ever been sent a pop-up greeting card? If so, you can probably remember the design of the card, who sent it and on what occasion? A pop- up card is more special and memorable. It's more than just a card. It is a surprising and amusing gift in its own right. Although pop-up card making requires precision and practices, but the greatest advantage of these cards is they are unique but inexpensive and can be made with routine craft supplies like a pencil, correct paper sheet, and backing sheet.

The book

"Pop-up card making- a book written by mike palmer" (a professional paper engineer) is an amazing book to learn this unique art. It has over 50 easy to follow projects for all occasions- wedding, valentine, Halloween, and charismas. All the cards have been carefully planned to demonstrate a variety of construction techniques. All the projects are explained with the aid of clear and step by step photographs and accurate technique. These projects will provide you with hours of fun. So give it a try for this vacation for creativity and excitement.

Origami

Origami is an ancient art that sounds quite familiar but I am sure that we did not put enough attention to that. Paper boat, fan, glider are some of the common origami projects which are well known, But it is just a beginning. Origami had wide range of projects (different kind of boxes, frames, bookmarks etc.) that are truly classic and unique.

The most important thing about the origami is that it is an art that anyone can do anywhere. All that is needed is a piece of paper and a pair of hands. The richness of this art comes from its purity. It has a wide appeal for everyone. Nowadays it is used in the media, taught in schools, employed as a therapy for people with damaged hands.

The book

“The complete origami course" written by Paul Jackson is a great book for proper guidance. This book is designed to make learning easy and comfortable. Its first part has some basic information regarding what paper to use? How to fold correctly and how to follow the diagrams? In each chapter, a new origami fold has revealed. Step by step instructions with great photographs is the most appealing thing. It is an ideal book for both beginners and fully committed enthusiasts.

Patchwork

Patchwork is an art that involves sewing together the small pieces of fabric into a large design. The larger design and end result is usually based on repeat patterns built up with the different fabric shapes. Usually, all kids love to collect different items and arranged them in box lids. Spending happy times by playing with swatches of fabric samples and make the super easy patchwork project (like the pillow cover, quilt) is a great fun for them.

Even though there are various patchwork sewing kits (especially for kids) are available in stores, but it is totally optional. In fact, a small collection of fabrics, basic sewing material and a desire to create your own masterpiece is enough for getting started.

The book

"Patchwork folk art" is a great book, written by Janet Bolton to get started. This is a great book for beginners. Janet has explained each step of this traditional folk art in detail. She has started with the basic step of inspiration and fabric selection and then includes the composition to exciting techniques for free-hand cutting and stitching, different shape formation, adding an object and finally framing the picture. She makes the entire process seem easy. Book is filled with the great pictures, illustrations and eye- catching examples of Janet's extraordinary work. Full-size templates are provided for those who want to reproduce her wonderful work and for those who prefer to create completely original pictures with their imagination; she has offered all the guidance, inspiration and helpful tips. So pull out your fabric, button and ribbon collection and get ready to have fun in the folk art tradition.

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is the next creativity activity for kids that will give hours of fun and excitement to them. We all had special moments in our life. And photographs provide happy reminders of those special moments, places, peoples or occasion. By displaying photographs creatively we can create lasting mementoes that will be a constant source of pleasure and joy for a family. Scrapbooking is the exact art to do that. In essence, the elements of scrapbook tell us a story. What is the event? Where and when did it take place? All explained beautifully through the art of displaying pictures.

The book

“Complete guide to scrapbooking" is a beautifully presented practical book (by- Alison Lindsay) to understand the art of scrapbooking. The first few sections teach us the art of creative image making by using different appropriate techniques such as photographic mosaic and transferring photographs onto fabric. And then there is guidance in choosing or creating colour co-ordinated backgrounds that complement the pictures. The best part of the book is that there is the wide collection of different themes according to season, celebrations, festivals, travel with great pictures and detailed instructions. You can learn how to use patterns effectively with the help of this book. This is the ultimate sourcebook for all scrap bookers. And when you create a fabulous end result as a scrap book with your family it will boost your happiness with fun.

Fantasy art

Kids love fantasy. Mermaids, fairies, dragons….always fascinates them. And using their favourite creatures in an art form is a rare but an excellent idea. It will nurture their creativity and imagination power. Actually, Fantasy art is an ancient art, which was initially associated with the religion and fantasy art designs are drawn from the myths and legends, epic tales and ancient history. Sometimes, science fiction art is confused with the fantasy art. The science fiction is more technology based and had a futuristic approach but fantasy tends to more natural and featuring unicorn and medieval knights.

The book

"Fantasy" by Chris down is a great book that is packed with a diverse range of designs from simple to more complex images that will appeal to both beginners and experienced crafter. It is an ideal book that helps to apply fantasy designs to their projects.

It has included the different ideas of crafting ( such as glass painting, stamping, stencilling, paper cut, candles and much more..) and there is a detail instruction about adapting and embellishing designs, adding colours, applying motifs to craft media with a glorious project gallery. Finally, there is a huge collection of templates of fairies, dragons, mythical beasts…so whatever you craft, all the information, ideas and motifs are in this book, ready for you to create amazing fantasy art projects.

So these were my ideas for upcoming summer to boost the creative quotients of my kids. What are your plans? How do you add some creative outlets to you summer holidays? Please share with us!