Activities



Crafts Paper Plate PortHole This project, adapted from the well known Paper Plate Aquarium, is a unique and fun way for kids to create their own world under the sea. If making this as a classroom project, line the wall with gray paper and line up your portholes for all to see. Be sure to explore all of our fun summer activities including great crafts for kids, summer printables, fabulous recipes, outdoor fun and more! What you'll need: 2 paper plates Silver craft paint (recommended: Rich Art Tempera Metallic Washable Paint in Metallic Silver, available at Michaels) 8 pieces of ring shaped cereal Fish-shaped crackers Silk plant leaves Sea shells (recommended: Value Pack Sea Shells, available at Michaels) Sand White craft glue Blue cellophane Wax paper Scissors (recommended: Crayola Pointed Tip Scissors, available at Michaels) How to make it: Take both paper plates and set them on the table. One should be right side up and the other should be upside down. On the plate that is right side up, draw your sea floor about 1/3 up the center of the plate. Line the floor area with white glue, use an old paintbrush or your finger to spread the glue out evenly. Cover the wet glue with sand and set aside to dry. On the upside down plate, draw a circle where you will cut out your porthole in the center of the plate. Glue ring shaped cereal pieces around the circle; these are the bolts on the porthole. Let dry. Paint the cereal pieces and the paper plate from the outer edge to your penciled lines. Don’t worry about painting over the lines a little, as you will be cutting it out. Set aside to dry. Take the paper plate with the sand on it and hold it over a sheet of wax paper. Turn the plate sideways and gently tap it to loosen any excess sand. The sand should end up on the wax paper and you can save that for another project. Glue sea life onto the plate with the sand floor. Glue on shells, silk leaves, and fish shaped crackers. Let dry. Take the silver painted plate and cut out the center circle to create your porthole window. Place it gently over the top of the other plate to see if you are happy with its size and viewing area. Increase size of the hole if you like. Turn silver plate upside down. Cut a piece of blue cellophane large enough to cover the hole on the plate and glue in place. Let dry. Place porthole plate over the top of the sea life plate and glue together. Let dry. You can add a hanger to the project if you like, simply glue some string or yarn between the two plates at the top during step 13. Tips: You can simplify the supplies in this project by using construction paper to make fish, plants and even shells. Make your fish scene more cartoonish by adding wiggle eyes to the fish. If you don’t have blue cellophane, use clear plastic wrap and paint the background of the seal life plate blue before adding sand and sea creatures. CD CampFire Recycle an old CD and make this fabulous miniature campfire! This makes a perfect gift for campers who love roasting marshmallows in the great outdoors. Check out our other pages for more great summer crafts and camp crafts. What you'll need: Old CD Rocks – about the size of a quarter Sticks A handful of soil, dirt or sand White craft glue Small scraps of red, orange and yellow tissue paper Toothpick How to make it: Cover CD with glue (see photo) and use a paintbrush or your finger to spread the glue out for an even coat. (See photo.) Cover glue area with dirt or sand and tap off excess. (See photo.) Use your finger to push back a little of the dirt from the edges, all the way around the CD, to make room for the rocks. Squeeze out a generous amount of white glue onto the cleared edge of the CD. Press a rock into the glue. Repeat until entire rim of the CD is covered in rocks. (See photo.) If necessary, break sticks into approximately 4 inch pieces. Using white craft clue, build a "fire" with the sticks by laying them down in a teepee formation, gluing as you go. Let everything dry for 2 hours (will not be completely dry, but won't slide around). (See photo.) Tear tissue paper into small pieces, approximately 1" or 2" squares. Place tip of toothpick into the center (don't poke through) of a piece of red tissue paper. Wrap the tissue paper around the toothpick. (See photo.) Dab some glue on the tip and dip it into the sticks, removing the toothpick once inserted. Repeat around the top of the sticks with several red pieces (see photo), and then add a few orange toward the middle, and lastly one or two yellow pieces at the top of the stick mound. Let project dry completely overnight. Tips: To find sticks, especially in the spring, go to the base of large trees. Dead branches will break off from the weight of the winter snow and from wind leaving several on the ground for you to collect! If you don't have tissue paper, crepe paper streamers work well. You may also use construction paper cut into flame shapes. We do not recommend hot glue for this project. While the rocks will stick well, they can easily pop off later on. White glue will adhere much better so be sure and plan for an overnight dry time. Coffee Can Drum Kids love music and banging on pots, pans, and plastic containers. Combine their creativity with their musical talent by making this adorable homemade drum. For more great crafts and activities for kids, check out our Camp Crafts, Summer Crafts, and Classic Kids' Crafts. What you'll need: Aluminum coffee can with plastic lid 2 sheets yellow construction paper 1 sheet tan felt ½ sheet magenta felt Magenta yarn 1 rubber band Scissors Glue stick White craft glue 2 wooden dowels 2 small foam balls Blue yarn How to make it: Remove lid from coffee can and set aside for a later step. Cover the side of the can with yellow construction paper. Use glue stick to apply glue all over construction paper then press on to the coffee can. Using the white craft glue, “draw” diagonal lines onto the yellow construction paper. Start at the bottom, go up at a slant to the top, and then go down from there at a slant, creating a triangle. Continue this pattern all the way around the can. Using magenta colored yarn, follow the glue lines and apply to the can. Do not cut the yarn into pieces; simply follow the lines, gently pressing the yarn into the glue as you go. Cut only once at the end. Lay tan felt on the work surface. Pipe white glue around and on the top of the plastic lid. Place the plastic lid upside down in the center of the tan felt. Use scissors to trim around the plastic lid, leaving a 1-2” border. Place the felt-covered plastic lid onto the coffee can and secure. Wrap the rubber band around the coffee can, securing the tan felt border to the side of the can. Gently pull the felt tight so that the top is smooth. Cut two ½-inch wide strips from the magenta felt, enough to go around the coffee can at the bottom as well as at the top, around the tan felt, covering the rubber band. Glue in place with white craft glue. To make the drumsticks, gently insert the end of a dowel into the foam ball. If you press too hard and the dowel goes through, just glue it back together. Remove the dowel, and then add some white glue to the hole. Reinsert the dowel. Cover the foam ball with white glue and wrap blue yarn around it until the ball is completely covered. (See image.) Put some glue on the dowel just below the ball and wrap some excess yarn around it. Trim and smooth in place with your fingers, be sure the end of the yarn isn’t sticking out. Allow everything to dry before playing your new drum! Tips: To take this project to the next level, have a parent poke a hole on each side of the coffee can before you begin. After pasting on the construction paper, find the holes and poke through, then thread a long piece of cord or yarn through both sides to create a band to go around your neck. Secure the ends by tying then together inside the can then complete the project. The colors chosen for this project are optional; make your drum personal by choosing your own colors. Be absolutely sure that you allow the project to dry completely (overnight is best) before playing your drum. If you don’t allow enough time, the drumsticks may fall apart.		Game Of The Week Hunting For Sheep Get 6 players to hold hands and form a circle. Then get one player to stand in side the circle. That player is the Sheep. 1 player stands outside the circle. That player is the Wolf. The Wolf trys to get the Sheep. The 6 other player's jobs are to keep the Sheep safe. If The Wolf gets in side the circle the game is over. A new Wolf and Sheep is chosen. This game is better to be played outside. Poor Sheep:(:( Tolit Tag 4 or more ppl must play. 1 player must be tagger. All the other players run around. If u get Tagged you have to crouch down and hold out one hand. Someone that didnt get tagged yet must flush your hand for you to get untagged. After A While pick a new tagger or the last one that hasnt been tagged wins. Knock Out(soccer style) set up a circle outside to play in 4 or more ppl must play. 1 person is the tagger. The tagger trys to kick everyones ball out of the circle. The other players can not stop dribbling around the circle. If your ball gets kicked outside of the circle your out and you must stand outside of the circle until the game is done. The las tone in the circle that hasnt had their ball kicked outside the circle wins. Everyone player must have a soccer ball including the tagger. Heads Up Seven Up Seven students were in front of the class. The class laid their heads on their desk. The seven went out and each touched a person. That person would stick his or her thumb up. Then the seven would say "heads up seven up" and each student got one chance to guess which of the seven touched him If they guessed right than they changed places. If they did not the same person got to stay up. OR Played inside a classroom...everyone puts their heads down on their desks and extends one thumb. The teacher chooses one person as "It." He/she goes around touching the thumbs of six people. If your thumb is touched, you go to the front of the room. When this has been accomplished, "It" yells, "Seven up!" Everyone raises their heads and has to guess which of the seven people is "It." Ghost In The Graveyard This game is usually played inside, and the emphasis is more on hiding than chasing. The second and third variations are outdoor/night games First you gather up at least 3 or more people. Then you find a base. Next you choose 1 person to be it. That person will stand on the base and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and keeps doing that until you get to 12:00. All other players hide while "It" counts. On 12:00 yell out 'Midnight'. Then all the hiders try to run to the base before the person that is it catches you. Then if a person gets found then they are it. For "Hit the Door" the base must be a door and you must hit it to be safe. OR One person would be the ghost. The rest of the group would stay on "base" and count " one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, rock...'till you got to midnight (after every 3rd number say "rock"). Then go search for the ghost. Whoever found the ghost yelled "ghost in the graveyard" and all the seekers out make a mad dash back to base. Whoever was tagged was the next ghost. It is best to play when it is early evening or dark. OR It MUST be played after dark, in the summer, preferably with some moonlight. One person is selected to be the witch. (We preferred to use big potatoes!) The witch hides while the rest of the group counts to 100. At that point, the group goes forth singing over and over again "The witch ain't out tonight! The witch ain't out tonight!". We always had certain areas, such as around our house or through a particular small field, that had agreed upon parameters. Not that we knew what parameters meant, mind you! Whenever the witch feels like it, he/she bursts from hiding and catches as many of the chanters as possible while the rest run screaming for home. Once all are sorted out, the caught people are also witches and hide as before, continuing on until only one person is left unwitched. That person becomes the witch in the next round. The game is played until all participants are tired of singsonging the chant or until the parents cruelly force happy children to come inside and bathe. OR One person goes to hide and we count like this, One o'clock, Two O'clock, Three O'clock...until we get to Midnight(yelling this really loud ) then the would be victims go an search reluctantly for the "bloody murderer". They search until someone shouts BLOODY MURDER !!! and they all run screaming bloody murder back to the base, the person caught is the next murderer. Four Square I spent many many hours playing this game in a little school called Roeper; except that it had six squares instead of four. It was not merely a game, it was an art form. In the standard game, there are four squares painted on the ground, all touching each other, making one, larger square. Each small square is roughly 8' x 8', but that's not a hard and fast rule. The ball used is the standard red 'kickball' Each player occupies one of the squares. The squares each have a rank order. The square with the highest rank is called the 'King' [Sometimes the 'Ace']. The other squares sometimes have names, and sometime don't. The #2 square may be called the 'Prime Minister', or the other three may be called the 'Queen', 'Prince', and 'Princess'. The start the game, the King serves the ball by bouncing it in his square once and then hitting it towards one of the other squares. The receiving player then hits the ball to any other player, and play continues until one of the following things occur: 1) A player hits the ball (or is hit BY the ball) before it bounces once in their square. 2) A player does not hit the ball before it bounces twice 3) A player hits the ball out of bounds (it must land in someone's square first) Once a player is 'dead', they move back to the lowest ranking square. The other players then move up to fill the vacancies. If there are more players than squares, that person goes to the back of the line, and the person at the front of the line gets to move onto the lowest square and play. Playing off of walls, poles, etc was not only legal but encouraged. Click here for some thoughts on how big the squares should be. Capture the Flag There were two teams. Team 1 had the front yard and Team 2 had the back yard, or a field was split between the two teams. The teams were given a time period, like 5 minutes, to hide their flag in their part of the yard. [optional] During this period spies were sent out to see were the flag was hidden as well as look-outs to catch the spies. When the flag was hidden you call out that you were finished. Then you simply try to get the other teams flag. If you get caught and tagged by the opponent on their territory you had to go to jail and could only be freed by a teammate who grabs you when your opponent isn't looking. The first team to capture the flag wins. In most versions you had to both get the flag, and bring it back to your side. This game is a totally different game at night in the woods ! Sock Wrestling All the kids sit in a circle and have to take off their shoes so they are only wearing socks. Every kid is given a number. Two numbers are then called out. The kids with those numbers come into the center of the circle, and, remaining on their knees, must, in any way possible, get the other person's sock before they get theirs. Very funny to watch . A variation is for the kids to have pillows under their tops which makes it less contact and dangerous Murder Things you'll need: At least 3 kids (ages 8 and up or that can stay still and understand the game.), a quarter, a flash light and a cloth to cover the flashlight. Rules: On person is chosen to be "it". The other players sit down and form a circle. In the middle of the circle is the flashlight covered by the cloth, make sure that all the players can see each others eyes. The person who is it shuts the lights, except for the flashlight and the other players close their eyes and put their hands behind their backs. "It" walks around the circle and places the quarter in an unsuspecting player's hand. The person who is it than says "OK, open your eyes." the players in the circle than open their eyes and the person with the quarter tries to kill the others bye blinking at them. If the other players get blinked at they fall to the ground. The players with out the quarter try to guess who the "killer" is. If they guess incorrectly or get blinked at they are out for this round. The game continues with the person that gets the quarter to be it. Contributed by Justine - Thank you! OR This game is played by having everyone sit in a circle. All hold hands. The pre-selected murderer then starts to squeeze the hands of those sitting next to him/her. For each squeeze it will travel that many hands away from the murderer. The people next to the murderer squeeze the people next to them minus one time, and this continues until someone is squeezed only once. The person who receives only one squeeze is dead. The object of the game is to guess who the murderer is before you get "killed." Assassin This is a game best played in a large group. We always played it with the 6-10 year olds at our summer camp. Sit all of the children in a circle, with legs crossed. Have all children put their heads down. one person (we always had at least one adult present) would walk around the circle and tap one child on the head. This person was the assassin. The child "kills" all other players by winking at them. If you are winked at, silently count to 10, then put your feet in the middle of the circle. We always had a few drama queens who would act as if they really had been shot, and clutch their chest, and shake and scream . very funny. if the assassin kills everyone, then they win. they can be "witnessed" as well. if you think you know who the killer is, before you get winked at, you can say you have a suspect. Such as "I suspect that Sally is the assassin" if someone seconds it (agrees with you) then sally either comes clean. if sally is not the assassin, then the accusers are dead to. a less brutal version is the sandman. same thing, except being winked at means you take a nap.		Fun Recipes Coca Cola Cupcakes Ingredients Part One • 1 cup coca cola or other cola drink • 1/2 cup butter • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 1/4 cup powdered cocoa • 22 large marshmallows Part two • 2 cups all purpose flour • 2 cups sugar • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 cup buttermilk • 2 large eggs, beaten Coca Cola Cupcake Recipe Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. These cupcakes work best with the silver metallic liners. Part one In a small saucepan mix cola, butter, vegetable oil and cocoa. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and add marshmallows. Place lid on saucepan and leave until marshmallows begin to melt. Stir well. Part two Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Combine Part One and Part Two in the mixing bowl. Spoon cupcake batter into cupcake pan liners until they are 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting with Coca Cola frosting. Chocolate Cupcakes Ingredients • 2 cups all purpose flour • 2 cups sugar • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 cup shortening • 3/4 cup water • 2 large eggs • 3/4 cup milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 4 ounces melted unsweetened baking chocolate Chocolate Cupcake Recipe Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, and scrape bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes. Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely. Frost when chocolate cupcakes are completely cool. Banana Walnut Cupcake Ingredients cupcake batter • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour • 1 1/2 cups sugar • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 cup softened butter • 2 medium ripe bananas (mashed well) • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3 large eggs • 3/4 cup buttermilk nut topping • 1 cup packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup butter • 1/4 cup heavy cream • 1 cup chopped walnuts cupcake filling • 1/2 cups sugar • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 cup 2% milk • 1 large egg, beaten • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 medium, ripe bananas sliced thin • whipped cream Banana Walnut Torte Cupcakes Recipe Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper or foil liners. Prepare cupcake topping by combining brown sugar, butter, and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly while heating. Remove from heat as soon as butter melts. Pour into bottom of liners, evenly dividing the topping mixture. Sprinkle walnuts on top of mixture. Prepare cupcake batter by creaming sugar and softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Scrape bowl and add mashed banana and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing on low speed for 30 seconds after each addition. In a separate bow, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well. Add half of flour mixture to egg mixture. Mix on low speed for one minute. Add remaining flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix at low speed until just mixed then high speed for 1 minute. Spoon cupcake batter over the topping in cupcake liners. Make sure the batter is even spread over the brown sugar walnut topping. The liners should be 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans for 3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. While cupcakes are baking, you should prepare the filling. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and heating until mixture starts to boil. Add approximately 1/4 cup hot mixture to the beaten egg in a separate bowl in order to temper the beaten egg and stir well. Continue stirring milk mixture constantly and add tempered egg to the mixture. Stir and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and butter. Cool 15 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate for at least one hour. Once the filling and cupcakes are cool, you can assemble your Banana Walnut Torte Cupcakes on individual dessert plates. Carefully remove cupcakes from liners, and place walnut side up on plates. Cut cupcakes in half horizontally and set aside top half. Spread filling on bottom half of cupcake and top with thinly sliced bananas. Put a small amount of whipped cream on top of banana layer, and carefully replace top of cupcake. Top with remaining filling, bananas, and whipped cream. If you're feeling very creative, slice cupcakes so you have 3 cake layers. Top bottom with filling, bananas and whipped cream. Place next cake layer and repeat filling, bananas, and whipped cream. Place last cake layer carefully and top with whipped cream. ENJOY!!!! Red Velvet CupCake Ingredients • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour • 2 cups sugar • 1/2 cup baking cocoa (powdered) • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 2 sticks butter at room temperature • 5 large eggs • 1 cup buttermilk (see note at bottom) • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 teaspoon red food coloring Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe Directions Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Sift dry ingredients three times. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each egg. Add 1/4 of dry ingredients to creamed mixture then approximately 1/4 of buttermilk alternating until mixed well. Mix in vanilla and food coloring. Fill lined cupcake pans 1/2 full of red velvet batter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting. NOTE: If you don't happen to have buttermilk on hand you can try this simple substitution. Place one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in an empty one cup measuring cup. Fill with milk to 1 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes then use in any cake recipe that calls for buttermilk. Applesause CupCake Ingredients • 1 cup whole wheat flour • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour • 1 1/2 cups sugar • 1 cup finely chopped, peeled apple (I prefer to use Granny Smith or Jonagold apples for baking) • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg • 2 large eggs • 1 1/2 cups applesauce • 1/2 cup melted butter Applesauce Cupcake Recipe Directions Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, butter, and applesauce. Mix for 2 minutes at slow speed. Scrape bowl. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape bowl, and stir in chopped apples and walnuts. Your oven should be preheated to 350 degrees. spoon cupcake batter into cupcake pans lined with paper or foil cupcake liners. You should fill each cup approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full making sure you have the same amount of batter in each cup. Bake your cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the applesauce cupcakes from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Top with caramel topping or frosting and enjoy! Blondies II Ingredients 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 3 eggs 1 egg yolk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 6 tablespoons peanut butter 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup peanut butter 3 cups confectioners' sugar 1/3 cup milk Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together 3/4 cup of butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and 6 tablespoons peanut butter. Blend in the sifted ingredients and stir in the chocolate chips. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely before frosting. To make the frosting, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup peanut butter together in a medium bowl. Mix in the confectioners sugar until smooth, then gradually stir in milk until a spreadable consistency is reached. Cut, serve and enjoy!

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