Final Summer Post: Last Minute Craft for Gym Camp

Note: I wrote up this post 2 months ago, mid-summer, but didn't load in the pictures until now.  The children loved the way this bookmark turned out.  I'm using my tester bookmark in our workbook for Story of the World, Volume 3.

Her voice in the message sounded kind of desperate.  She even ended the message with, "Please, please. please, please call me."  That's 4 pleases.  Well, you can't say no when someone asks you with 4 pleases - and those are just the last four.

See, that week was second week of Gymnastics camp.  We only planned to attend one day of this camp, and I only planned crafts for one day.

But Monday afternoon, our dear friend and camp-organizing coach learned that the mom doing crafts on Tuesday had an unexpected schedule conflict arise.  And Coach called and said, "please, please, please, please..."

So  I looked around and said, "Hmmm...Mod Podge, file folders, non-bleeding tissue paper squares, ribbons...BOOKMARKS!"

Now I know that we can pick up a handful of bookmarks for free every time we walk into the library, but still, it's fun to make one, isn't it?

This is a recycling craft, too - bonus!  Our background was used manila file folders.  So when one of the children said, "My folder says "Orange County DEP,"  I could say,  "It used to be a file folder for Orange County Department of Environmental Protection, but now we are recycling it!"  That idea was a hit. 

I had them trace the general shape of a bookmark onto their rectangle of paper.  Then we tore the tissue paper into shreds.

Then we got out sticky Mod Podge and brushes.  It seemed like most children prefer wet, sticky, messy art and crafts, doesn't it?  We painted on Mod Podge and laid down the tissue paper.  We painted a layer of Mod Podge over the top to give the bookmark more shine (I did this step for the "Littles" group while they took a play break.)  It was fun seeing how the different color combos came together.