Shell Art- Submitted by Patrisha

Drill or pound little holes in the shells, wire them together for the angel wings, or use them to make necklaces. Shell necklaces would be nice intertwined with the leis.

*****

Shell Art- Submitted by Patrisha

Get larger shells and let them paint the inside of them using acrylic paints - they could paint anything from nature.

*****

Sandy Footprints- Submitted by Sherry

trace childs foot. use paint brush to add glue and sprinkle with sand

*****

Grass Skirts- Submitted by Patrisha

Try fashioning grass skirts from paper grocery bags and green paint

*****

Leis- Submitted by Patrisha

Get some silk hibiscus flowers from the craft store. Have the kids string them to make their own leis.

*****

Sand Pictures- Submitted by Sherry

Color clean sand with small amount of dry tempra paint. Put into shaker bottles or a container with a spoon. Allow children to put glue in any design on their paper, for one color at a time. Cover wet glue with sand, shake off excess back into pan. Continue to finish picture.

*****

Refrigerator Magnets- Submitted by Patrisha

1/2 a sea shell (med - large in size), Spanish Moss, Silk Flower, Silk Butterfly, Ribbon bow, Magnet

Glue a magnet to the outside of the shell (back). Glue Spanish moss inside the shell, added silk flowers/leaves a butterfly and a ribbon and VOILA instant Hawaiian Luau craft!!

*****

Fish Prints- Submitted by Patrisha

Purchase some large fish (at least 12 inches long) paint the side of the fish any way you wish. Choose to leave out the eye or to color it a different color etc. Using some type of finger-paint paper, press over the top of the painted side of the fish. You can leave this as a flat piece of art or you can go for the other side on another piece of paper. Try cutting out the dried pieces, leaving a bit of a border, and you can use it as a windsock, with openings at the mouth and the tail. You could also stuff your trophies to mount to the wall. Better yet, stuff it, and tie it to the end of a string and a stick. “Look what we caught in Hawaii, Mom!”

*****

Cute Fish- Submitted by Sherry

Take bubble wrap and cut out two fish shapes and glue both pieces together leaving an opening to stuff. Fill the fish ith colored tissue paper and then seal the opening. Hang these from the ceiling and you have a room full of beautiful rainbow fish!

*****

Aquaruim Art- Submitted by Sherry

Take 2 paper plates and cut the inner circle out. Tape blue cellophane to on to the inside of each plate. Glue or tape fish and seaweed to inside and then tape outside paper plates together thus making an aquarium.

*****

Summer Sunflowers- Submitted by Patrisha

Paper plates, Yellow paint, Yellow crepe paper, Sunflower seeds, Green construction paper, Glue

Paint the paper plates with yellow paint. With the paint is still wet, have the children press strips of yellow crepe paper around the edges of the plate to create petals. Once the paint has dried, have the children glue sunflower seeds in the center of their plates. Cut stems out of green construction paper, glue them to the plates and mount them on a wall or bulletin board.

*****

Tropical Fish- Submitted by Patrisha

Small white paper bowls, Shirt or cereal box cardboard, Green and yellow paint, Wiggly eyes

Turn the bowl upside down and paint the fish’s body. Let dry. Cut three fins out of the cardboard and paint them with your paint color of choice. Let dry. Glue the fins to the bottom of each side of the bowl. Cut a slit in the top of the bowl and insert top fin. Glue on wiggly eyes and your fish is complete!

*****

Coloured Sand Pictures- Submitted by Sherry

Colour sand by mixing it with dry tempera paint. Put in shakers (I use old spice bottles). Children place glue on their papers and sprinkle the coloured sand onto the paper. Shake off the excess sand when dry. Older children can cut out a pattern picture and place onto another piece of paper. Have them remove one piece at a time and place glue in the area the piece was making sure that the glue is the same shape as the piece removed. Then they sprinkle the sand on just that piece. They continue removing the pattern piece by piece and when they are done, the picture will show up in the coloured sand - these are a little tricky to do so definitely for the school age set, but they are so beautiful when done! The younger children will enjoy gluing and shaking the different coloured sand to make a colourful picture.

*****

Personalized Beach Towels- Submitted by Sherry

This will be a reasonably priced craft if you have the parents have each child bring in their own beach towel - plain coloured, can be old or new! Purchase beach oriented stamps such as shells, sun, clams, lobster, fish, etc and fabric paints in a variety of colours. Children use the stampers with the fabric paints to stamp a pattern or picture onto their towels. If you have alphabet stamps, the children can use those to personalize their towels. If not, they can write their names on using the fabric paint.

*****

Sunglasses- Submitted by Sherry

Cut a sunglass shape from bristle board. You can cut the whole shape arms and front of the glasses and just bend the arms of the glasses for wearing or bend and attach pipecleaners to fit the glasses on - I find that the pipecleaner arms work better. Cut coloured celophane paper to glue over the hole where the lens would be. These are for indoor play and should not be worn in the bright sun for eye safety reasons.

*****

Sand Clay- Submitted by Sherry

1 cup sand, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 tsp. cream of tartar, 3/4 cup hot water

Mix sand, cornstarch and cream of tartar in an old saucepan. Add hot water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick. This will only take a few minutes. When slightly cooled, form clay into castles or structures. Allow several days to dry. The children shape their castles and then insert toothpicks for flagpoles where they want flags to go. Once dry, glue felt flags to the end of the toothpicks.

*****

Shell Creatures- Submitted by Sherry

Use shells for the base of your creature. Using a glue gun, pom poms, pipecleaners, googly eyes, etc, have the children create a creature to sit on the shell. Crabs, turtles, and frogs are all easy to do.

*****

Sponge Painting- Submitted by Sherry

Get a natural sea sponge and have the children dip in paint to make a picture.

*****

Hairy Harry- Submitted by Sherry

styrofoam cup or paper cup, scissors, construction paper, markers, glue, buttons, potting soil, rye grass seed

Have the children cut eyes, ears, mouths, nose, etc...out of construction paper and glue in place on their cup. Let them also use markers to color on the cup. Let them use buttons to embellish or anything else you may have lying around. Have the children fill their cups about 2/3 full of potting soil. Then plant the rye grass seeds in the soil. Place the cups in a sunny place and water regularly. Hairy Harry will begin to grow "hair" in about seven days.

*****

Sand Moulds- Submitted by Sherry

Use wet sand to make moulds of hands, feet, or free form moulds that the children create. Mix plaster of paris according to directions on box and pour into mould. Let dry for about an hour and remove the sculpture. Let dry for a day and then brush the remaining sand off the sculpture with a toothbrush. Paint and shellac if you wish.

*****

Starfish Rubbings- Submitted by Sherry

Cut a starfish shape out of sandpaper. Have the children put a paper over the starfish and rub with crayons to make the textured picture.

*****

Shell Butterflies- Submitted by Sherry

To make a butterfly: Take two shells (like clam shells) and hot glue them together like this: )( and then hot glue pieces of bird feather or pipe cleaner to make antennae

*****

Watermelon Craft- Submitted by Sherry

To make the watermelon pattern, fold a 12x9 inch piece of red or pink and green piece of construction paper in half. Fold it in half lenghwise. Starting from the top, cut at an angle to about 2 inches from the bottom of the paper. Fold it again and meaure 1 inch across the top of the green construction paper marking every so often. Cut. Cut the amount of watermelons and rinds you need for your children or class.

Glue the red and green construction paper pattern together. Make little seeds by finger painting using black kids paint. Count seeds after you placed them on your fruit.

*****

Large Watermelon Craft- Submitted by Sherry

To make the watermelon pattern, fold a 12x9 inch piece of red or pink and green piece of construction paper in half lengthwise. Starting from the top, cut at an angle to about 4 inches from the bottom of the paper. Fold it again and measure 1 1/4 inches across the top of the green construction paper marking every so often. Cut. Cut the amount of watermelons and rinds you need for your children or class.

*****

Paper Plate Watermelon Craft- Submitted by Sherry

Cut a paper plate in half. Paint or color the part of the plate where it doesn't curve up red or pink. Paint or color the top green. Finger paint little black seeds. Count the seeds as you go and/or after you placed them on your fruit.

*****

Plaster of Paris Mini Beach- Submitted by Sherry

Paper bowl, one cup plaster of PAris, 1/3 cup sand (plus extra), water spoon, tiny seashells (twigs and other nature objects), small fabric for towel, and miniature umbrella.

Put the plaster and sand in the bowl, add water and stir with spoon until mixed. Create a beach scene on top of the plaster by sprinkling with the extra sand. Add tiny shells (and other nature objects), 'beach towel' fabric scrap and umbrella. Let it dry. Remove it from the bowl and use it as a paperweight.

*****

Play Dough- Submitted by Sherry

Place a small ball of play dough in a baggie with various shaped shells (sea stars & sea horses are especially exciting!) for each child. Allow exploration of imprinting their shells onto the play dough to take place. Lots of vocabulary words can be built on during the activity, as well as spatial relations explored.

*****

Sand Dough- Submitted by Sherry

The recipe is as follows: 4 cups clean sand 3 cups flour 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup water. Mix sand and flour. Add oil and water. If needed add more water for desired texture.

*****

Sand Painting- Submitted by Sherry

You can just add sand to your paint giving the paint a different texture or you can let the children paint and then sprinkle sand on their pictures.

*****

Paper Plate Sun- Submitted by Sherry

Paint a small paper plate yellow. Have children cut strips from yellow paper and glue around the plate for the rays.

*****

Outdoor Painting- Submitted by Sherry

Set up a mural paper on the fence and provide spray bottles of paint. Let the children spray the paper. If you use primary colours, this will lead to a discussion on how secondary colours are created.

*****

Sunglasses- Submitted by Sherry

Cut sunglasses shape out of cardboard. Glue on colored saran wrap to make lenses.

*****

Body Painting- Submitted by Sherry

Have children wear old bathing suits or clothes and let them body paint themselves. Clean off with a fun time in the sprinkler.

*****

Water Balloon Painting- Submitted by Sherry

Fill water balloons with paint and toss to break onto large pieces of bristle board... definitely an outdoor summer activity!

*****

Colored Sand and Salt Shakers- Submitted by Sherry

Gather several salt shakers and fill each with a mixture of equal parts of clean sand and powdered tempera paint. Set the salt shakers, along with construction paper and glue, on a table. Allow the kids to use the glue to make ocean animal designs on their papers and then cover them with different salt shaker mixtures.

*****

Sandy Footprints- Submitted by Sherry

Dip a child's foot in glue, then print onto paper. (Have a bucket of warm, soapy water and towels on hand). After a quick cleanup, the child can sprinkle sand on the glue. Allow to dry. Hang Ten: Cut out a surfboard shape from a large piece of cardboard. Cover with bright paper or paint. Children can pretend to surf the waves.

*****

Colored Sand Pictures- Submitted by Sherry

Let the children make pictures using colored sand. They can draw a picture or you can supply a picture to which they apply glue then colored sand.

*****

Ice Cube Art- Submitted by Sherry

Make ice cubes with lots of food coloring. Place a coffee filter in a cake pan with a couple of the ice cubes. Take it out in the sun and let it melt. What do you get? You can use yellow and blue coloring to get green after it melts.

*****

Watermelon Pin- Submitted by Patrisha

glue, toothpick, 2 pin backings, red fun foam, green fun foam, black 3D paint

Cut the green fun foam into a half circle, cut red foam into a slightly smaller half circle. Glue red onto green leaving some green showing at the bottom. cut them in half. Now on each half paint on black dots and using the toothpick drag it thru the dot to make a seed shape. Let them dry. Glue on pin backing on back. Now you have 2 watermelon pins:-) 1 for you and one to share!

*****

Scented Watermelon Art- Submitted by Patrisha

Cut a large paper plate in half. Mix lime jello with a small amount of water tomake a glue consistency mixture and paint it around the rounded edges of the plate to make the watermelon rind. Mix watermelon jello the same way and paint the remainder of the plate, it will resemble a watermelon and smell great. Add seeds with a black marker.

*****

Paper Plate Sunflowers- Submitted by Patrisha

Cut out the inner circle of a large paper plate, and have the children glue yellow torn paper around the edges and a popsicle stick to make a sunflower mask.

*****

Sunny Day Shadow Pictures- Submitted by Patrisha

black construction paper, various objects to make shadows, sunshine

Choose a location that will get full sun for the afternoon. Place a piece of black construction paper on the ground and put different objects that you have collected on the paper. Some suggestions are: comb, teaspoon, small toys, clothespin, or small kitchen utensils. At the end of the afternoon the sun will have faded the black paper; and when you remove the objects their "shadows" will remain!

*****

Colorful Suncatchers- Submitted by Patrisha

crayons, cheese grater or crayon shaver, newspaper, iron, wax paper, scissors, string or yarn

Have an adult help with shaving the crayons. Sprinkle shavings onto a sheet of waxed paper (cover area well). Place second sheet of waxed paper on top and cover with newspaper. Have an adult iron on low heat over the paper, melting the crayon shavings. Let cool completely. Then let the child trace or draw a shape and cut out. They can make a sun, diamond, several circles, etc. Have them punch a hole at the top of the shape and attach string or yarn. Hang to brighten up any window!

*****

Sunflower Art- Submitted by Patrisha

Have children cut a yellow piece of paper in the shape of a sunflower, and glue on sunflower seeds to the center and a pipe cleaner or paper for a stem.

*****

Sunflower Seeds Collage- Submitted by Patrisha

let children make pictures using sunflower seeds and glue

*****