diy paper pinwheels

Ready for a fun and easy summer craft project you can use both to keep your crew entertained and also decorate for a summer party?

Step one: Using a 6-inch-by-6-inch square of card stock, fold the square in a triangle, corner to corner. Repeat with other corner.

Step two: Cut just over halfway along each seam toward the middle of the square.

Step three: Poke a tiny hole about a half-inch down from the top of a paper straw.

Step four: Poke a tiny hole in the middle of the square.

Step five: Poke a tiny hole on the right side of each now triangle.

Step six: Secure the triangles with the brad and place the brad through the center of the square.

Step seven: Place the bead on the back of the pinwheel square on the brad before attaching the straw.

Step eight: Secure the brad and you are all set to spin!

Step nine: Repeat as many times as you want—we ended up with nine in total before my kids were done!

Materials Needed:

• Card stock

• Scissors

• Extra-long brads (paper fasteners)

• Beads

• Paper straws

• 1/8 inch hole puncher or an extra small pokey stick—think of a small object to poke things, perhaps something in a toolbox, a meat thermometer or even a door key for a bedroom door.

Janelle Cumro-Sultzer lives in Manhattan, Kansas, with her husband, three children, two dogs, eight fish and a frog. Janelle is the owner of Flint Hills Mediation LLC and loves to focus on learning through play and getting messy with crafts.

UMMER! School is out, schedules are free, and the living is easy. Or is it? Modern life remains hectic even during the hazy days of summer. With a little prep and planning, though, summer can be the way it should be—worry free. Follow these tips for a carefree summer.

Plan Ahead

A stress-free and fun summer begins with preparation and planning. Get out your calendar and block off all the camps, vacations, practices and sports you have scheduled throughout the summer. Make your notations as detailed as possible. I like to have a color for each family member’s activities on my calendar. Once you’ve done this, you can break it down week by week and day by day. Are there days you will need to find a babysitter, or is there a block of days where a day camp would fit in for the kids? If so, get it planned out and on the calendar now, so you don’t find yourself in a frenzy when something unexpected pops up.

Follow a Daily Schedule

While the kids are home from school all summer, keep them on a daily schedule. Kids thrive with routine. We schedule time for breakfast, reading, crafts and play, as well as outside time, free time and chores. I’ve found it helps my daughter to know what’s coming next in her day. I work from home, so it’s nice that she can check the schedule without having to ask me. It also keeps me from hearing the dreaded, “I’m bored,” whining all day.

Consistent Bedtime

Try your best to keep your children’s bedtime and wake-up time consistent each day. Don’t let them stay up all night and sleep all day! We let our kids stay up a half hour to an hour later in the summer, but we don’t vary much more than that. If you do adjust bedtime, make sure the kids still get the same amount of sleep each night.