It’s finally here! This week marks the official start of summer and the longest day of the year. Here in Colorado, it means we’re finally due for hot sunny days and 15 hours of daylight. We’ll be welcoming summer with some of our favorite crafts and activities – join us!
Make a Sun Banner
Okay I have to admit – this looks really cute hanging up on our back porch! I love crayon-resist art because it feels like magic when the crayon resists the watercolor paints. To make this fun solstice banner, have your kiddos create sun designs on each banner piece with a non-washable crayon, then paint over the crayon suns with watercolors. Make sure to use cardstock or watercolor paper or it’ll get all wrinkly.
You can simply cut your own template, or use this one from my new Summer Solstice Unit.
Make Sun Tea
Let the sun work for you! Sun tea is the easiest thing ever, and my tea-loving kids absolutely adore it.
Just fill a quart jar with water, drop in 3 teabags (herbal and fruity teas work great) and some fresh fruit or herbs if you want to dress it up a bit. Screw on the lid tightly and place it in a sunny spot outside (or in direct sunlight inside) for at least 3 hours. Discard the tea bags and fruit pieces and serve over ice. Delicious!
Weave a Flower Crown
I don’t know if there’s anything else so quintessentially midsummer as making flower crowns! Flowers with long, flexible stems work best for this activity – like dandelions and daisies. But really, anything with a long, bendy stem will work. Check out this video for instructions on how to make a flower crown, or download the instructions in my new Summer Solstice Unit.
New! Summer Solstice Unit
For more ideas for celebrating the summer solstice – and for a fun way to teach your kiddos the science behind why we have solstice and seasons – check out the brand new Summer Solstice Unit, now available in my shop.
Through hand-painted illustrations and coloring pages, your student will:
- Learn what makes the seasons
- Discover the difference between solstice and equinox
- Make a flower crown
- Read about solstice traditions around the world
- Learn about shadows with a human sundial
- Make sun tea
- Create a sun banner
- and more!
