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Articles
Kids' Corner.
Summer is finally here! School is out and the kids have lots of free time on their hands. Here are some creative projects to make special memories with your children and decorate your home at the same time.
Paint a large size Monopoly or Checkers board on an unfinished basement floor. Use concrete paint and finish with several coats of polyurethane sealer. Kids will have hours of fun. You can also add a racetrack to any room easily by using blue painters tape to construct roadways on the floor. Wooden blocks make great buildings and bridges... then bring out the matchbox cars! Cleanup is easy - just pull off the tape.
For a different twist on a growth chart, suspend several pairs of baby shoes from a ribbon. Start with the smallest on top and work down to the largest size on the bottom.
Use a child's wagon by the bed or chair as a table, or add greenery to an antique baby carriage for a unique planter. Another idea would be to fill it with special dolls or animals or use it keep toys and clutter off the floor.
For an unusual border in a child's room or game room, try using playing cards. Buy several decks of cards and spray with adhesive. Attach to wall at chair rail height or around the ceiling.
Make extra large pillows for seating on the floor. Let your children help fill with pillow foam or stuffing and decorate or paint them themselves. It will be their favorite seat in the house.
Hang fun, decorative baskets in a grouping on the bathroom wall. Fill with toiletries, hair bows, etc.
If you have lots of children's parties to attend this summer, save the Sunday comics and use as wrapping paper. Tie with a brightly colored bow for a fun and inexpensive gift wrap.
For a unique laundry room that your children will love, let your kid's put their hand prints everywhere! This looks especially cute on white cabinet doors. Tape off any areas that shouldn't be painted. Roll color lightly on palms of hands only. Help guide and press hand firmly on door panel in random directions until inside of panel is covered with prints. Be sure to write your child's name and date so you will remember that special time. This project can be very messy and needs lots of adult supervision but you will have great memories for years to come. If that scares you, purchase a kit at a craft store and make your own handprints (in plaster of Paris). This is fun for the whole family and looks cute painted in bright colors and hung on the wall (or as a garden decoration). Or, to carry the laundry room theme a step further, have each child paint a king-size pillowcase. Gather and tie with clothesline and hang on their own hook so they can just drop in dirty clothes themselves.
Make your kids feel proud by displaying their artwork. Save all their artwork for the entire year in a large folder. At the end of the school year, go through and pick out the ones that are most special to you. Buy matching frames and mats and display in an empty hallway (or playroom or laundry room). It will be your own special art gallery and will give you (and your kids) a lift every time you walk by.
Now is the time to take the time to be with our children. We all know they grow up so fast, but by doing projects like these, there will always be fun memories of special childhood summers in our homes.
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