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Looking for ways to keep your kids entertained on the longest day of the year? Midsummer is coming up on June 24th. This international day of celebration originates in Sweden and is based on the practices of early pagans as far back as the prehistoric era. People have historically celebrated Midsummer to commemorate the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, which actually falls on June 20th. It’s a great time to explore nature with your little one, since it’s a festival honoring the fertility of the earth. It’s also a great time to teach them about international customs and practices. Enjoy these crafts and activities for kids on Midsummer or any day you just want to captivate their love of nature.
1. Nature Crafts for Kids: Flower Crowns
One of the best ways to enjoy nature with your child is by foraging together! This practice of prehistoric peoples is still a great way to collect souvenirs from nature, as long as you’re careful to be safe and respectful. Know how to identify dangerous or poisonous plants in your area and keep your child away from them! Also, make sure you’re not collecting flowers, acorns, stones and other trinkets from anyone’s private property or a protected state park or preserve. If you don’t have enough “wild” around you to go “wildcrafting”, you can always buy your flowers for this craft from a florist. However, it might be a good idea to bring your child with you to select them, so you can teach them more about the flowers they are using. You can also take them to a botanical garden or rose garden to explore flowers they like before selecting some at a florist. If you have a garden, or wildflowers grow near you, this is preferable.
What You’ll Need
1. One-inch wide ribbon or plain cotton muslin fabric cut into one-inch strips
2. Scissors
3. Tape
4. Measuring tape
5. Flowers
6. Hot Glue (optional)
How to make
1. Measure around your child’s head where you would like the flower crown to sit.
2. Cut three lengths of ribbon sized for your child’s head.
3. Tie or have your child tie the ribbons together in a knot at one end.
4. Tape the tied end of the ribbon to a tabletop and help your child to braid it, braiding in flowers as you go.
5. If you wish the flowers to be more secure, you can adhere them to sections of the ribbon with hot glue as
you braid, waiting for the flower to dry before you continue braiding.
6. Go frolic and play in your summer flower crowns!
2. Teach Kids about the Earth’s Orbit: Homemade Solstice Sundials
The summer solstice, which falls just before Midsummer, on June 20th, is a great time to teach kids about the movement of the earth around the sun. One of the easiest ways you can do that is to practice telling time the way ancient people did: with a sundial!
What you’ll Need
1. A paper plate
2. Scissors
3. A plastic straw
4. Tape
5. Markers
How to Make
1. Turn the paper plate over so it’s back side is facing up. Poke a hole in the plate with the scissors. Make
sure it is large enough for the straw to fit snugly through.
2. Have your child insert the long end of the straw through the hole so it sticks up through the back of the
paper plate. Then, have them tape the short, bendy end under the back of the paper plate so the straw
stands up.
3. Place the paper plate flat on the ground outside, in an area receiving full sun, at until noon. Trace the
shadow of the straw with marker on the back of the plate. Continue coming out to trace the shadow every
hour until bedtime!
4. In the morning, check your sundial again, and mark the hours until noon.
5. Have your child decorate their finished sundial any way they like. They can place it outside in a sunny area
whenever they want to tell time the old-fashioned way!
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