Father's Day Homemade Craft Gifts for Kids & Families to Make Together for Dad

Fathers Day

More likely than not that special Dad in your life already has way too many neck ties and bottles of cologne, right?  So this year, why not help your kids make a really unique Father's Day gift for Daddy that he'll always cherish instead?  To get you inspired, here are my favorite easy-to-make arts and crafts for Dads, culled from a variety of sources, that you'll have a great time making with your kids and giving to that special man in your life.

The Funky Luggage Tags pictured above are definitely one of a kind and practical too.  See Family Fun for directions

Screen Printed Ties are an original idea that's fun to create.  Who says dear old Dad won't love one more tie if he receives this personalized one from you?  See HomeMade Simple for directions

Edible Dress Shirt and Tie Cake is almost too handsome to eat, but your special Daddy will enjoy it as much as your kids delight in making it for him.  Watch the Family Fun video below to cook this up, being sure to have your computer speaker turned on so you can watch & hear how to make this easy-to-make cake.  Also, visit Family Fun for more fun Father's Day craft project directions

What a cute dog sculpture this is! Easily made from golf balls this would be a memorable craft project that golf-playing Daddies will always cherish. To make this cutie from FamilyCrafts.About.com, see directions

Have a Fathers Day kid craft to share of your own? Please leave a comment below telling us about it, with a link to the project's directions if possible.  Happy Father's Day To All!

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15 Cheap Summer Activities to Do With Kids

by Janis Brett Elspas

Outside or Indoors, this list of free and inexpensive, easy-to-do activities will keep your kids busy all summer long, till school starts again in the fall.  Pictured at left is Mini Mommy Blogexpert, my daughter (now a teen) who started backyard gardening when she was just three years old.

Outdoor Activities
1. Have a backyard sailboat race.  Just fill a plastic kiddy pool, make homemade boats, and see which one is the fastest.
2. Have a nature scavenger hunt. Give kids a list of things found in nature and have them look in the yard for those items.
3. Have a seed-spitting contest. Who doesn’t love to eat a nice, cold watermelon and see how far you can spit the seeds?
4. Catch fireflies.  If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that has fireflies, make a firefly-catching jar by poking holes in the top of a pickle or mayonnaise jar. Just make sure you let them go.
5. Let your kids start a collection.  Just make sure it involves something cheap, like rocks they find. Or even better, use the digital camera to “collect” items they see but don’t want to hurt, like flowers.

Indoor Boredom Busters
6. Make paper airplanes.  Download templates from the Internet, use them as a starting point, and see just how far yours can fly.
7. Have a sleepover party.  Who needs overnight camp when you can have “sleepover camp” for your kids’ friends?
8. Play indoor volleyball.  Make sure it’s okay with Mom, and then use a beach ball to play, with the couch as the “net.”
9. Build a fort out of cardboard boxes.  Cardboard boxes are the best toys!  Decorate your fort with markers and glue, letting your imagination run wild.
10.Turn your kitchen into a restaurant.  Make the menus and let the kids be “waiters,” then they can take turns being the waiter and the customer.

What is your child's favorite summer fun activity. Please leave a comment below this post and share their ideas with other families.

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Raising KIDS To GIVE THEIR TIME Toward Community Volunteer Projects - Enter to Win $1000 Now in this Contest

by Janis Brett Elspas
MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

I'm a mom raising my own children to volunteer in the community frequently -- my hubbie, kids and I each donate more than 75 hours per year to various causes.  Pictured here are my girls painting the barn fence at historical Will Rogers State Park in California last month.  This was the most recent community service project, a Big Sunday event, that we participated in as a family.  In fact, our family has volunteered for Big Sunday since our youngest (triplets) were just two years old.

So, whenever I hear about programs such as this I'm always glad to pass on information to this blog's readers about organizations such as Kids Who Give which is currently holding a competition to recognize children who are donating their time to make this a better world.

The Details:
Kids Who Give will select 5 community-minded kids, ages 7-17.  Each winner will be honored with $1000 to be contributed to the cause of their choice. Hurry, deadline to enter is June 15, 2010. See contest rules and complete this entry form to nominate a deserving boy or girl.

About Kids Who Give
Kids Who Give is a national program created by Farm Rich, the frozen snacks and appetizers company, to recognize kids who give back to those in need and to also educate other interested kids on how to start giving back in their own communities.

FTC Disclosure:  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.