Great summer camp crafts to try at home!

Here at Happy Camper we have so many arts and craft camps to choose from!

Hopefully you already have some of your creations displayed around your house. If not, what are you waiting for?! Here are a few of my favorite crafts taught by our awesome camp counselors, so definitely check these out!

• Hike with Style – Grab a stick and some paints and get to work!
• Sparkly Signs – Need a little room update with a splash of color? These handmade signs are sure to do the trick.
• Alien Goo: A Wacky Slime Recipe – What kid doesn’t love slime? Get your silly on with this fun craft!

These are just three of our awesome arts and crafts camps. What’s great about most of them is they are simple enough to do at home with materials you probably have around your house already. The other great part? They are also open-ended enough that you can get as creative with them as you want. Getting lost in art is certainly a fun way to spend a couple hours.

Here were going to add to our already great list of arts and crafts with a few others you can complete on your own. Don’t worry – you shouldn’t have to beg your parents for a special trip to the craft store for these ones either!

 

Homemade Stickers

We’re not talking about the stickers you were obsessed with when you were little. This is you making stickers out of your favorite paper materials you can get your hands on – think leftover wrapping paper or your favorite magazine. You can use these to cut out shapes and designs to decorate your notebooks for school, etc. Even your room furniture can get an update (just maybe get permission from your parents first). Here’s what you’ll need:

• regular school glue
• white vinegar
• small paintbrush
• scissors

Mix equal parts glue and vinegar. Then with your paintbrush, coat the back of what you want to turn into a sticker with the mixture. Once dried, apply a second coat and let it dry again. After fully dried, it’s time to cut out your shapes to make stickers. Doesn’t sound like a sticker? Just dampen with a little water, and stick it onto whatever you want. Magic!! Bet your little brother or sister will be thrilled to use them, too.

 

Wrapped Earbuds

We are pretty sure you love listening to music with your earbuds! Also pretty sure they look like everyone else’s. But you can change that with this easy craft. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Embroidery floss in the colors of your choice (this is the same stuff you use to make friendship bracelets)
• Clipboard or safety pin (to clip your earbuds to in order to make them easy to work with…clipboard is easiest if you have one)

First, clip your earbuds (you can also do this project with your charger) to your clipboard. Then starting at the end, use your first color of floss and tie it around the end of the cord. Once you do that, it’s pretty easy going! Just continue to knot over and over and over. Be sure to tighten the knot against the one before it each time. Soon you’ll be covering your cord in a beautiful color. If you have another color you want to use, simply cut the first color and tie your second color on. Continue making knots until you’re ready for your next color! Continue on until the end. In no time you will have unique earbuds, and you won’t have to worry about mixing them up with your friends’.

 

Balloon Stress Ball

Recently we talked about the importance of stress relief for kids and how our yoga and dance camps can help with that. Here at Happy Camper, we know you guys are experiencing your own pressures that adults sometimes forget.

Having a stress ball in your room is a great way to release any pent-up energy in a safe and healthy way. We got you! Here’s what you’ll need:

• a round balloon (think thicker party balloons)
• funnel
• cornstarch (flour and rice work, too)
• scissors
• permanent markers (black or all the colors!)
• A friend (this craft is great to do with 2 people)

Blow up the balloon until it’s about 4-5 inches. Keep it inflated by pinching the top. Then have your friend put the funnel into the top. Fill your balloon with cornstarch. Go slowly in order to get the cornstarch to slide into the balloon. After it is filled about 3-5 inches with cornstarch, squeeze out any air. The top should be just long enough for you to tie tightly. Double-knot if you can! Last, take your permanent markers and decorate. Then it’s time to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze and rid yourself of any extra stress!

 

We hope you enjoy all of the arts and crafts we show you how to make at Happy Camper! Listed here were just a few new ones we thought you’d enjoy as well. Have another idea for a great home craft? We’d love for you to share so we all can try!