Picnic Crafts and Activities

Summertime Fun Ideas

How to Make Crafts and Activities Relating to Picnic's Including: Map Holder Craft for Kids, Picnic Pals, Pinwheel Craft, Tablecloth Art, Summer Fun Word Play, Ice Cream in a Bag, Fourth of July (Independence Day) Crafts

Map Holder Craft for Kids

Are you planning a summer vacation this year? This easy, inexpensive map holder will keep all your maps safe while you traveling.

What you will need: 12" x 17" fun foam sheets, fun foam shapes, fun foam letters, hot melt glue gun, and string.

How to make:

1. Lay out a fun foam sheet so it is laying lengthwise. Fold in the right and left sides 4 inches and glue along the top and bottom edges as shown in the diagram (red lines).

2. Fold the holder in half so that the envelopes you just made are inside.

3. Glue a fun foam circle onto the front of the holder near the opening edge. Place only a dot of glue in the center. Glue a string to the back of the holder in the same place as the front. Glue another circle of the string end to secure it. Bring the string around to the front and wind it around the circle in the front to keep the map holder closed when you aren't using it.

4. Decorate the front and insides with stickers and fun foam shapes.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Picnic Pals

Add some fun to your family picnic this summer. Have a contest to see who can make the most creative creature. Provide paper plates and cups, plastic forks, knives, and spoons, straws, googly eyes, scissors, paint, glue guns, and any other crafts supplies you can find. When your children are all finished making their creations, have them explain what they have created, and then have all your guests vote on the most creative, ugliest, cutest, scariest, etc.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Pinwheel Craft

What you will need: Pinwheel Craft Kit (Purchase from Oriental Trading Company, Type in 57/6219 in the search box at the top of Oriental Trading Company's home page.), and magic markers.

How to make:

1. Have your children color the cardboard pieces, front and back.

2. When they are finished coloring, stick the tiny little barrel shaped plastic piece (Shown on right) through the center of the cardboard fan. Then, going around in a circle bring the corners of the fan to the center and stick each hole over the tiny barrel shaped piece. Finish by sticking the flower shape on the center.

3. Now stick the pointed end of the pipe-shaped piece through the center of the barrel with the fan attached. (Shown on the left).

4. To finish, stick the fan on the straw.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Tablecloth Art

Here's a great way to start a family tradition. Provide a white tablecloth and permanent markers. Let all the children draw a picture on the tablecloth and then sign their name and the date. Each year have them add a new picture. (You can buy tablecloth material by the yard at Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company,. Type in 70/2285 or 70/1037 in the search box at the top of Oriental Trading Company's web site.)

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Summer Fun Word Play

Give each person a sheet of paper with the words "Summer Fun!" written at the top. On the word "go" everyone should try to make as many words with three or more characters as they can from "Summer Fun". There are at least 34 possible words that you can make from these words.

You don't have to use "Summer Fun"; you can use any words you would like. Go to Interactive Word Plays Web Site and type in any letters or words in the box and a list of words that can be made from those letters will be displayed.