Summer is a relaxing time for many homeschool families, with many homeschoolers enjoying some time off. Continue fun and enrichment by working on summer themed crafts together. Here are some great ideas to get you started:

1. Father's Day fun- Family Fun magazine offers an array of printables crafts and ideas for all elementary homeschoolers to celebrate dear old dad. Check out the site at the link listed below for ideas to inspire both you and your homeschooler.

2. Foamies, visors and frames, oh my!- Visit your local crafting store, such as Michael's or Jo Anns's, or check out the super supplies from Amazon below. Either way, you and your homeschooler are in for quite a bit of fun when making foamie visors, picture frames and more! With easy peelable foam stickers, these projects can be made in a snap. Plus, children of all ages, including adults, can enjoy decorating a cool summer visor or a photo frame for dad.

3. Chalk it off to fun- Chalk art is not only colorful and easy, it is also a great way for children to express themselves creatively. Try taking a huge bucket of chalk to your driveway or local park (check with the folks in charge of the grounds first), and choose a theme for drawing. Maybe everyone can draw summer actvities in action, like swimming or picnicing. Create summer scenes through chalk art and jump into the picture with your child. The sky is the limit, until it rains, that is!

4. Bean bag it- Make some cool bean bag creatures with the free e-book titled "Crab-Bags & Other Bean-Beings". Sewing fans, beginner and advanced, will love creating these cute creatures as a relaxing summer project. Margaret Park, author, offers 25 pages of full sized patterns in this complimentary book. The link to download this is at the end of this article.

5. Cook up some "Yummy Worms"- Try the silly recipe for making "Yummy Worms" or perhaps you can make "Bugs for your Belly"! Crafting an edible treat is not only tasty, it is also lots of fun. Check out the Ranger Rick website, below, for details on these wild recipes.

www.familyfun.go.com/printables/holiday-printables/fathers
www.nwf.org/kids/ranger-rick/activities/recipes.aspx