When the weather gets nice and you want to be outdoors in the warm sunshine, take your crafts outside and enjoy hours of fun being creative. I’ve never met a kid who doesn’t like bubbles and painting, so playing with bubbles and drawing with sidewalk chalk are go-to activities for all 3 of my kids. But what if you could get extra creative with these activities?
Make Homemade Colored Bubbles
Rather than going out and buying bubbles from the store, go ahead and make your own bubble solution this summer. And for extra fun, make them colored bubbles. Kids will have fun mixing food coloring into the solution to mix and match to come-up with the perfect color.
How to Make Colored Bubbles
2 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup clear liquid dish detergent or baby shampoo
Food coloring (optional)
Directions:
In a large container, gently mix the water and corn syrup. Add the liquid dish detergent and stir lightly. Make sure that you don’t over mix. You should mix just until you see a few bubbles on top of the mixture, but you don’t want it to get too bubbly. If you want to make colored bubbles, mix in a couple drops of food coloring.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. The bubbles can be used immediately, or stored in an airtight container for several weeks.
I recommend making a big batch of homemade bubbles to have on hand. Don’t add any coloring to the big batch, just keep it clear. Then you have the option of using it for regular, clear bubbles. Or, pouring some in smaller containers to make colored bubbles. That way kids can experiment with smaller portions of colorful bubbles. It gives them more variety, and more opportunities to play around mixing different colors.
Make Outdoor Sidewalk Paint
My kids love drawing with sidewalk chalk and can entertain themselves for hours. As a mother I have a love-hate relationship with sidewalk chalk. I love the creativity that it invokes and that the kids have such fun with it. But, I hate how messy it gets. I don’t like the feel of it on my hands and I’m not a fan of how it gets your clothes so dirty. I do enough laundry, thank you very much. The solution? Make your own sidewalk paint.
How to Make Sidewalk Paint
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Food coloring
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Add as many drops of food coloring as you’d like to get your desired color.
Repeat this process for each paint color. Pour into a muffin tin to make it easy to carry and use. Use a paintbrush, foam brush or sponges to make fun designs on the sidewalk, patio, or driveway. This non-toxic mix simply washes away with the rain, or when sprayed with water.
If you want to see it in action, this video shows you how to mix-up these two fun outdoor crafts for kids.
Just like with the colored bubbles solution, I prefer to make a big batch of the paint. Since it’s equal measurements of water and cornstarch, it’s pretty easy to make this mixture in any quantity you want. Mix it in a plastic pitcher and then pour it into muffin tins, or smaller plastic containers that can be covered and put away for future use.
There are lots of fun crafts that you can do with the kids this summer. Just because the weather is warm, it doesn’t mean that you have to put away the crafts and wait for cooler days. Get out and enjoy the perfect mix of sun, fun and crafts!
