Rough-and-ready boat
While I was busy Googling “DIY miniature boat,” my resourceful son was creating a stout vessel from common materials he’d found outside.
With a sturdy chunk of bark for a hull, a stick for a mast and a sycamore-leaf sail, his impromptu craft cost nothing, came together quickly and — perhaps best of all — was entirely his idea. (No help from the internet, or me, needed.)
As a nearby stream beckoned, we prepared for the maiden launch of the HMS Intrepid.
Even without a bottle of champagne to smash, the excitement was almost palpable. Would it float? Would the sail stay upright? Would the boat get caught in an eddy?
As minnows watched from beneath and water striders lingered in the wake, the HMS Intrepid quickly proved seaworthy and started drifting downstream.
Fair winds and following seas, little Intrepid! zillions from oak trees at this time of year and are cute but not cutesy.
So our next project was to make sun catchers using caps that had separated from the nuts.
We rounded up some stray marbles, then glued them inside the caps.
Once the glue dried, we attached a string to the cap and — voila! — our whimsical creations were ready to hang.
Leaf pictures
Fallen leaves offer an inspiring range of shapes, sizes and colors. In the eyes of an imaginative child, who knows what they might suggest?
While we gathered a variety of leaves, along with glue, markers and heavy paper, I described the mission: Discern what real or imaginary creatures the leaves suggested, then affix them to paper and create a picture.
My daughter saw bat wings in the lobed leaves of an oak. Using leaves of other tree species for a body and head, she pieced together a playfully batty portrait.
When all else fails
If no one’s in the mood for crafts, I propose a two-word solution: scavenger hunt.
You tell the kids what to seek; they embark on an expedition; and, before you know it, even warring siblings are cooperating on a common goal.
With preschoolers, you can simply help them find, say, a rock, a leaf and a flower.
Older kids can be given a challenging, written list — including, perhaps, a feather, a seed and a toy that they misplaced years ago.
If they’re feeling emboldened, have them try to find a helicopter mom.