The sound of a wind chime in the summer breeze is very relaxing and making one can occupy the children for an afternoon.

Wind chime accessories: The materials you will need to make a wind chime are that will make a pretty sound when they rub against each other (shells, beads, or even old utensils), something sharp to poke a hole through each item, a hammer, string, a round item (a lid or piece of wood) for the top, and a hook to hang the wind chime.

Making of wind chime:

Once all the items are collected the adult should use the hammer and sharp object (such as a screwdriver) to make a hole in each object. If the item is too hard to make a hole in (like a rock) tie string around it several times until it is secured, after the holes are made tie a piece of string to each accessory.

Take your tools again and punch holes in the round lid that you are going to use, one for each item that will be hanging from the wind chime. Thread the string through the hole and tie a knot so that it will not fall back through.

Tours of local attractions take place on a regular basis but you can organize your own educational tour with just your kids or with a few other families in your neighborhood. You may be surprised by what companies and organizations will provide educational tours of their facilities.

Educational tours for children:

The fire hall is always intriguing to young children. If you call your local fire hall and speak with the fire chief he will be happy to arrange a time for you to stop in with your children. They will show the kids around, let them see inside the fire engine and if there is time the children can see a fireman in all of his gear.

Not only is this fun, it is a safety precaution for kids. Chances are they will be less scared of a firefighter in his full uniform with a mask if he or she sees one before an emergency. You will have to be prepared for the educational tour to be cut short if an emergency is called in.

Some running games are best done in teams of four or more children per team. These are great activities for a summer birthday party of if a large group is meeting up at a local park. These running games involve all of the children and no one is going to feel left out.

Different birthday running games:

Red Rover is a game made up of two teams with equal numbers on both sides. The two teams face each other in a line holding hands with their team member’s space about 20 feet apart.

The first team calls over to the other team, “Red rover, red rover, we call child’s name over.” Once a child’s name is called, they run towards the other team trying to break the link of two children holding hands. If the running child is successful and is able to run through he or she gets to return to their team.

If the running child is unsuccessful and can’t break through the held hands, they then join that team. This continues back and forth until there is only one team left or a halt is called to the game.

Preserve the memories of your children’s youth while making a fun keepsake. At the beginning of the summer choose and decorate a container to store all the mementos you will collect to put inside a time capsule.

When choosing a time capsule container, it should be air tight, water tight and sturdy.

After a container has been chosen the next step is to decide how long it will be sealed for. The longer the better, but be warned young children may want to open it up the day after it is put away! The best thing to do is put it in a place that they don’t know about or cannot access.

A good time frame is 5-10 years.

Sit down with the children and explain to them that you want to preserve the memories that they are going to make that summer and brainstorm some of the things that can go into it.

Some items which can be placed in the time capsule:

• Photographs (get some photo-safe envelopes to store them in for protection)
• Crafts
• Toys
• Awards won
• Letters

Do this Tie Dyed Shirts project with your kids at the beginning of the summer and you will see them wear it all summer long – their own summer uniform. Other articles of clothing can be tie dyed too cotton shorts and jeans can be done instead or at the same time.

Tie Dyed Shirts supplies:

Materials you will need for this Tie Dyed Shirts activity are clothing to be tie dyed, fabric dye (available in most grocery stores in the fabric care aisle), rubber bands, gloves, and marbles (optional).

You can use various colors of dye, but for younger children it is easiest to use a one-color version as per the instructions below.

Making of Tie Dyed Shirts:

With the rubber bands, roll up the shirt and place the rubber bands around the shirt in various locations. Make sure that they are nice and tight – this is where the contrast will come in as the dye will not touch the shirt where the rubber bands are.

For different effects, place marbles inside the shirt and then twist a rubber band around the marble.

This is a sun art where the sun will do most of the work. You will need to find the sunniest spot in your house or yard and it will take some time – at least three hours of full sunlight.

You will need brightly colored construction paper and various shaped objects to complete your sun art project.

Starting the Sun art project:

Lay the piece of paper in the sunny location first and then place the objects on the page. Be sure to leave space around each object, they should not be touching. Items such as leaves, coins, utensils, or anything else with an interesting shape can be used. Then you have to wait, but it will be worth it.

Secret of sun art: After a period of time, the sun will fade the paper that is not covered by the objects that were place on it. When you take the shapes off you will have made a picture with the sun.

To make it more interesting you can use different shapes or objects to create a picture or a scene instead of only trying to get shapes. Good materials to use for making a sun picture are different shapes of pasta, string, and other household items such as cotton swabs and cotton balls.

Summer time is a break for children from lessons, homework and the everyday structure that school provides. But if you let the children stray too much from this routine during their summer break it can make the transition to school harder in the fall, so include some summertime activities to improve summer learning’s.

Different summertime activities:

You do not have to make the children sit down every day to learn a lesson but you can include summertime activities that are fun and are centered on learning.

You can purchase workbooks for children that are meant to be preparatory for the next grade level at school and they are a great stepping stone. But you can have a conversation with the child’s teacher at the end of the school year to determine what they need to work on and choose some activities that will help develop those skills.

For young children entering kindergarten count and name everything around you. Read and spell out street signs to help with letter recognition. Independence is the most important skill you can teach children entering school for the first time.

Encourage them to clean up after themselves and put on their own coat and shoes just like they will at school.

There are many summer activities in or around your city that you probably know all the tourists go to, but when was the last time you went? Just because you have been there many times before along with your children doesn’t mean they wouldn’t love to go again (and again and again).

Take a few days during the summer break to visit attractions and destinations that you haven’t been to in a while.

If you know that the place is going to be crowded on the weekend or in the afternoons go on a weekday morning. The added benefit of being a local and going to a tourist destination is that you know the ins and outs and the tricks to get the most out of your day.

Different summer tourist location:

Water parks are always popular and tend to fill up around and after lunch time. Try and go when the park first opens to beat the crowds. If you leave before lunch time, you can save money by eating at home and get out of the hot midday sun.

Precautions should be taken year-round to protect young skin from the harsh affects of the summer sun. But this is especially important in the summertime when the sun is at its hottest.

Aside from sunburns, heatstroke and dehydration are additional hazards to watch out for in young children. But with a few safety steps and by planning ahead you can avoid sunburns and the like.

Controlling the summer sun effects:

The best way to prevent sunburns, heatstroke and dehydration is to stay out of the summer sun. But that isn’t practical or very fun.

Buy sunscreen that is specifically made for children and be sure to apply it at least 30 minutes prior to going outside. This gives the sunscreen time to work. Once outside, reapply every two hours or more frequently if there is swimming or a sprinkler involved.

There are many products that can be purchased to make this easier from colored sunscreen that goes clear after it is absorbed by the skin to spray brands to make application easier.

Once outside in the summer sun, a hat is still important. Ideally the hat will cover the face, ears and the back of the neck – all very sensitive body parts that are prone to getting burnt.

Summertime, kids, and picnics are meant to go together. Having a summer picnic doesn’t have to be reserved for a day out at the beach or park.

Kids love to eat outside, especially if it means they don’t have to stop playing to come inside and get cleaned up.

If you are going to have a summer picnic during an outing, be sure to practice food safety and have icepacks in with the food or cooler.

Planning summer picnic’s food:

Summer picnics can be as simple and easy as peanut butter and jam sandwiches with apples to as complicated as fried chicken and potato salad. It all depends on how much time you have and the preferences of those you will be serving. But whatever you make, let the kids help you prepare.

If your little ones are active, you can prepare summer picnic that consists of all finger foods. Let the kids come and go as they please have a snack here and there as they need it.

Some easy finger foods for a summer picnic include:

• Cheese and crackers
• Vegetable sticks (carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber)