As school lets out, many kids will find that the craft activities tend to stop as well. They do many craft activities in school all year long, in their classrooms and in art, but at home it may be an area that gets overlooked. But craft summer craft projects can be a lot of fun and keep kids engaged in using their skills!

This summer, check out some of these places for ongoing arts and crafts classes and workshops:

•  Michael’s Stores
• Home Depot
• Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store
• Lowe’s Build and Grow Workshops
• Your local library

Each of these places will typically offer arts and crafts workshops for children that are free or reasonably priced. If you’d like to do some of the crafts at home, visit the library, or do a search online, for some crafts that you can make out of reused items you may have around the home.

Most kids love to do craft projects. Set a goal to do at least one or two craft projects every week throughout the summer. In addition to finding some to do at home, check out one of the organized classes for more fun!

Summer brain drain. The summer slide. They are terms used to describe what happens to most children during their nearly three-month break off of school. With summer just around the corner, have you thought about what you are going to do to try and keep them from losing the one to three months worth of learning that they did throughout the school year? Now is the time!

To help keeps avoid losing what they have learned during summer break, keep their minds actively learning. Keeping up on both reading and math is essential, so that when they return to school in the fall they will have retained, or even will have gained, some of those skills.

To keep them learning over the summer, try some of these things:

• Surround them with books. You can visit the library, pick them up at garage sales, or get them from thrift stores. The more books they have access to, and are encouraged to read, the better!
• Pick up a curriculum book for their grade level at the book store. Have them do a couple of pages per day in it, just to brush up on the skills regularly.
• Buy an inexpensive notebook that they can use as a journal. Each day have them write in their journal.
• Get them involved doing new things. Kids who are active attending camps and engaging with others will learn and pick up new skills.
• Have them go online and visit quality educational sites, where they can get some practice reading and doing math.

The more you do over the summer when it comes to reading and math, the less likely they will be to lose what they have worked so hard to learn throughout the school year. They can still have a fun summer, but make it a priority to continue some learning, so they retain their skills!

Having a summer water party, such as a pool or swimming party, can be a lot of fun for kids. But many like to also pair it with having face painting at the party. Believe it or not, this can actually be done, if it’s planned right ahead of time. With a little bit of pre-party planning, your child can indeed have a pool and face painting birthday party (or even just fun summer party).

Here are a couple of options for having a summer pool or swimming party and offering the children face painting as well:

• Arrange for the face painter to arrive after the children have had 1-1.5 hours of swimming time. That way they have their swimming out of the way and the face painting can be one of the last things they do at the party, before heading home.
• Another popular option is to opt for “Glimmer Art,” which are glitter tattoos for both boys and girls. Kids always love these and they will stay on for 1-2 weeks, so there are no worries about it getting messed up. In fact, they can jump right back into the pool without worrying about it washing right off.

If your child wants a pool party as well as face painting, it can happen. Just be sure to plan ahead and work with the face painter in order to arrange the best option. Plus, sending the children home with a face painting makes for a great return gift! 

Have you ever thought about celebrating a milestone sleepover? Well, now is the time to give it some thought!

A friend of mine recently shared a photo taken from a milestone sleepover her children had with their grandma (pictured). What a fun idea! Grandma planned a fun-filled special Luau party to celebrate the 100^th sleepover with her grandchildren. They celebrated the occasion with an exciting night of dancing, crafts, and other fun activities, even topping it off with the grass skirts. The kids, and grandma, had a wonderful time and created memories that will last a lifetime.

You can do this same thing. It does not matter if it is a party to celebrate the 100^th sleepover or another special milestone. What does matter is that you plan it out and make it happen. Focus on making it a big deal for the kids so that really feel like it’s something special. Be sure to include some activities, photo and video taking, and special snacks.

Doing a small thing like this with children, whether they are your grandchildren or nieces and nephews, is a wonderful and sweet way to strengthen bonds, create memories, and make kids feel special.

And here you thought you could not think of another reason to have a party with the kids! So, what are you waiting for? Start planning your milestone party or celebration!

Are you planning a fall festival or harvest party? Whether you’re planning one for your church, school, or small group of close friends, these types of celebrations are an excellent way to gather with your friends and community to ring in the autumn season. A key element to a successful harvest party or fall festival is the party games available for kids to play, many of which are variations of carnival games. To help with your planning, I’ve compiled a list of a few fun and easy to organize games ideas for your upcoming harvest party or fall festival.

Party Games for Your Harvest Party or Fall Festival

Try to ring the pumpkin: Create a small pumpkin patch by lining a few rows of pumpkins. Tie pieces of rope into rings, and have older kids toss the rings and try to loop a pumpkin stem. You can modify this game for younger kids by allowing them to try “catching” an entire pumpkin with a hula hoop.

Collapse the can pyramid: Prepare for this game in advance by covering ten empty soda cans with construction paper. Remove the tabs from the tops so they will stack. Build the pyramid by lining up four cans on the bottom, then stack three on the next row, then two, and finally one can on top. Mark a line about 8 to 10 feet from the can pyramid. Have each child player take a turn by standing on the line and throwing a softball at the pyramid. He or she wins if the pyramid collapses.

Plan a pumpkin relay race: You need a large pumpkin for each team. Mark a start and finish line beforehand. Have the children line up with half of the team on the start line and the other half at the finish line. When the whistle blows, the first racer from each team must turn the pumpkin on its side and roll it the finish line. Once the finish line is crossed, the next child in line is tagged and has to roll it back to the other end. This continues until all the members from one team have had a turn. This game may be modified for indoors if you use small pumpkins.

Host a balloon stomp: This game requires some preparation because you have to blow up a large amount of balloons in advance, depending on the number of kids you expect to play. Create prize tickets and stuff them in about 1/4 of the deflated balloons. Blow up all the balloons, including the ones with the tickets inside, and spread them around a room or confined area before the children arrive. Allow each child to pop their choice of two balloons. They win a prize if one of the balloons they stomp has a prize ticket in it.

Feed the pumpkin (or turkey): Make a wooden cutout of a large pumpkin or turkey. Make sure to cut a large hole for the mouth. Give each child player three bean bags or plastic balls and have them try to “feed” the pumpkin (or turkey) by tossing them inside the mouth opening.

Find a lucky duck: Fill a baby pool or large aluminum tub with water. Place floating plastic ducks, the type used as bath toys, in the tub. Use a permanent marker to write “Winner” on the bottom of a few of the ducks and mix them in with the rest.  Allow each player draw a duck from the water. If the child picks a lucky duck that says “Winner”, he or she gets a prize.

Organize a toy swap meet: Notify parents and children in advance that there will be an optional toy swap at the fall festival or harvest party. Ask that each child who chooses to participate in the swap bring a toy. Set up a drop-off point at the entrance and give the child a swap ticket for each toy he or she brings. Collect the toys until a designated time, and then open the toy swap to all the kids who brought something to swap. The child may exchange a toy for every swap ticket. This is a great fall festival game to play with groups of people who may have things to give but not much money to spend.

You can find other games and activities for kids like these at Creative Kids Ideas.

A great way to celebrate the change of seasons with your children is to make a craft together. Since fall is on its way, today’s craft project is one that embraces the fall festival and harvest time theme. Read below to learn how to make this scarecrow craft with your young kids.

Craft supplies you will need to make this scarecrow:

• Paper plate
• Yellow construction paper
• Large googly eyes
• Brown foam board or construction paper
• Twine or string
• Markers or paint
• Craft glue
• Scissors

Here’s how to make the scarecrow craft:

1. Have the child color or paint the paper plate. This craft project is meant to spark the child’s imagination, so let him or her choose whatever color they want. There’s no rule scarecrows can only come in certain shades!
2. Set the plate aside to dry for a few minutes and work on the accessories.
3. In the meantime, help the child measure and cut out 1-inch thick strips of construction paper. You will need approximately 10 of them. Designing scarescrow hair is not exact science, so this may vary slightly depending on the hairstyle you choose.
4. Help the child draw a small hat on a piece of foam board or construction paper and cut it out.
5. Make the scarecrow’s nose by also cutting out a small triangle.
6. Cut a piece of twine or string for the mouth, about 6 inches long.
7. Once the plate is dry, show the child how to layer the strips of construction paper to form hair for the scarecrow. Glue them to the plate and trim the ends as necessary.
8. Place the hat on top of the hair and attach it with the craft glue.
9. Add the googly eyes, nose, and mouth to complete the scarecrow’s face.
10. Allow kids to add any other finishing touches, like drawing flowers, a crow, bow tie, or other details to their scarecrows crafts.

• Switch things up and let older kids take the lead on planning family time. How does this help? Parents can get bogged down with all the boring adult stuff like work, household chores, and paying bills. By the time we’re finished with all those jobs, there often isn’t much energy left to plan yet another event. Family time shouldn’t be another chore on the do-to list. By allowing the kids to play an active role in planning what to do as a family, two important things are accomplished. The kids can work out a lot of the details ahead of time, which saves time that can than be used to enjoy your family time. The other benefit? If your children help come up with the ideas, they will be far more excited about spending time together as a family.

• Plan a date night with your child or children. When adults want to spend extra time with another adult, we plan a date. Why not do the same with your kids once in a while? Any relationship that is important to you requires some effort to build and nurture it. Read Date Night… with Your Kids on Creative Kids Ideas for some creative alternatives for celebrating family night with your children.

• Be selective about how many after-school programs your child participates in and how often he or she attends. Extra-curricular activities can be helpful for teaching kids social skills and developing friendships, when they are done in moderation. Truthfully, it’s far too easy for parents to find themselves spending a lot of time playing chauffeur and carting kids from one activity to another. When kids go back to school and join multiple groups, they get overloaded, parents get overbooked, and there’s little time left to spend together as a family. Instead, encourage your child to limit sports or activities to one or two.

• Remember that family time doesn’t always have to be a planned event. Usually when we think of family time, we think of a specific event or activity that the parents and kids do as a group. The truth is, family time is any time spent together doing anything. Take a cue from kids. They don’t rely on elaborate plans to have fun. They also don’t spend days deciding how to play. They just do it. So, how do you apply this same way of thinking to your time with your family? It’s simple, really. Seize the little moments when they appear. Have you ever walked into the room while your six-year-old was playing and just sat down. grabbed a Barbie doll and joined her? Have you ever caught your teenager shooting hoops in the front yard and challenged him to an impromptu game of horse? Those are both perfect examples of well-spent and unplanned family time.

Family time is an important way to bond and build strong relationships with your children. Don’t let kids going back to school take that away from you. Instead, get creative and make the most of the time you have together!

Here is the follow up story about how Cotton Candy's little girl Taylor got her service dog!!

Watch the amazing story below!

Cotton Candy is Throwing A Contest!

A Birthday photo contest!

(AGES 0-12)

How You Enter:

Email a photo of your child celebrating a birthday to: CottonCandy@CottonCandytheClown.com or HAPPYTLM@CFL.RR.COM and we will submit your photo to this folder.

Voting has started and will end September 15.

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1. They will have to first "like" our page

and then

2. Write "Vote" under the photo in a comment

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Good Luck Everyone!!!