Summer Fun for Girls

When summer vacation first starts, children are so excited about the long months of freedom awaiting them. However, it doesn't take very long for them to utter that dreaded phrase for the first time. "Mom, I'm bored." How do you entertain your daughters during the summer without wrecking your budget? Actually, there are quite a few frugal summer activities that your girls will enjoy, but crafting is probably the most popular.

Crafty Kids

Girls of all ages enjoy craft projects. While you can buy pre-made kits from the store, the costs can add up over the weeks. A more frugal craft idea is to gather all the paper scraps and odds and ends you can find and then let them use their creativity and imagination to make things. Junk mail, old magazines, blurry photos and old blue jeans are all great craft supplies that are usually just tossed out. Try one of these inexpensive craft ideas that your daughters can make with recycled odds and ends:

• Magazine collages - Suggest that the girls make collages about themselves or that they use a group of collages to tell a story. Encourage them to use embellishments, paint and their drawing ability to make the collages into works of art.
• Blue jean purses - If your girls can handle a needle and thread, they can make their own purses from old blue jeans. You may need to help a bit, but once the basic purse is constructed, they can use buttons, lace and iron on patches to decorate their purses until they are happy with the final product.
• Summer memory boxes - A small shoebox covered with pretty fabric or wallpaper makes the perfect place for all those treasures that don't fit in a photo album. In fact, your girls may want to put a few of the treasures right on the box as additional decorations. Sea shells, driftwood, dried flowers and ticket stubs all are perfect for decorating a memory box.
• Greeting cards - Scraps and bits of paper are ideal for making greeting cards. Not only do your girls get to be creative and have fun, but they are making something to brighten someone else's day. They can send cards on a regular basis to someone who is down or sick or send cards to troops stationed overseas.

Once you start encouraging your children to craft, you just may never hear those two dreaded words "I'm bored" again. In fact, you are much more likely to hear, "I can't go now. I'm not done my craft."

Glue can provide a lot of summer fun

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