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Paper Plate Aquarium
Color an underwater scene on the "eating" side of a paper plate. Glue goldfish crackers to the scene, a couple pieces of plastic plant for seaweed, and using glue and a little sand or soft dirt, make the sea floor. Using a second paper plate, cut a circle in the middle. Cut a circle of blue plastic wrap 1 inch in diameter larger than your hole in the plate. On the "eating" side of this plate, glue the blue plastic wrap so that it covers and overlaps the hole on the plate. Glue or staple both plates together with "eating" side toward the inside. Punch a hole in the top and string a piece of yarn through the hole to hang your aquarium from the ceiling.

Treasure Shoe Box
Decorate an old shoe box and lid with construction paper, markers, paint, glue and glitter, crayons, googly eyes, stickers, lace, doilies, or whatever else you can find. Be sure to put the child's name inside the lid. This box make a great box for treasures found out in the yard, on the way home from school, or anywhere else your children "hunt".

Shadowboxes
Pain the inside of a shoebox with black or dark blue poster or acrylic paint. Alternatively, you can glue black construction paper inside the box. Using white crayons or stickers, make a night scene with stars and the moon on the black background. Get creative, use small plastic toys to create a scene inside your shadowbox, or make your own with construction paper and glue. Cut out small pictures from coloring books and color and adhere to your scene. Hang a spaceship or shooting star with a piece of string and glue.

Cartoon Strip
make your very own cartoon adventure with crayons and a pad of paper. At the bottom of a pad, on each sheet, draw a figure (i.e., a dog). The first frame will be on the first page, second frame on the second page, and so on. Change the movement with each page. When you are finished, fan the pages with your thumb to see the show!

Create a Story
If you have several children together, this can be great fun. Give each child two or three pieces of paper. Have them each drawer a picture and write a sentence. When finished, see if they can put it together to form a story. New pages can be created as you go along. A book cover can be made from two pieces of construction paper, a hole punch, and yarn.

Number Fun
Pick a number from one to ten. Write it on a piece of paper. Ask the children to draw sets of things in that number. If the child get number four, have them draw four apples, four trees, four dogs, and so on. Have them color their pictures with crayons and markers.

Animal Jumble
Using construction or white paper, ask each child to drawn a different body part of an animal, but to have their animal be a secret. For example, have one child draw the head, another draw the tail, another the legs and so on. let the children pick the animal they want to draw. When they are done have then put the animal together with tape or glue. Have fun coming up with a name for the animal (monk-dog-lion-potamus).

Pet Rocks
Find smooth, flat or round rocks. Be sure to clean off any dirt or sand and dry completely before starting. Paint with acrylic paints. Decorate faces by using google eyes, yarn for hair, markers, glitter, and any other tidbits you like.  

Bookmarks
Great for back to school or as a gift to someone you love. Make fun bookmarks with construction paper, markers, paints, and stickers. You can also use glitter, sequins, lace, doilies, buttons, and any other little bric-a-brac you have laying about. Cut strips from construction paper, painting the construction paper will make it sturdier, or you can visit the local library or office supply to have them laminated for longer lasting use. To complete the bookmark, attach a tassel made from strands of yarn.

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