Easy ways to keep little ones entertained all summer long.

Little artists can brighten up cards, envelopes, bags, and tags with graphic fruit and vegetable motifs simply by repurposing a few corks as stamps. Just add ink and a little imagination for custom party invitations, stationery, gift tags, and labels for your kitchen creations.

Kids will love making (and eating) these potted pudding desserts cleverly disguised as seedlings. Placed in glass flowerpot votives and topped with crushed chocolate-cookie "dirt", this chocolate-mint pudding treat will have all the adults fooled.

Get the kids ready for a day at the beach, a hike in the woods, or a family vacation with our printable checklists.

Print the Day At the Beach Checklist
Print the Day in the Woods Checklist
Print the Packing for Vacation Checklist

Don't let these gingerbread people lie out in the sun too long -- their chocolate ice-cream filling will melt.

A picnic at the beach deserves the proper dishes -- what could be more fitting than colorful plates posing as a lobster, sun, and seagull?

On a golden afternoon, obstacle-course challenges are pure fun and energy.

This towel isn't just for drying off at the beach. It's crisscrossed with grosgrain ribbon for a giant tic-tac-toe board that's sure to produce hours of enjoyment in the sand.

Temporary tattoos make memorable party favors at a carnival-themed party.

Hang a tire from a branch, and let your kids experience the sensation of flight at home.

Creating ice-cream treats is a perfect project for parents and kids to do: Children are experts at dreaming up great combinations, based on favorite candies or snacks.

A creative way for kids to use the stones they stumble across is to turn them into animals, people, or objects.

Add whimsy, color, and a hint of summer's bounty to plain white or light-colored kids' clothing and sneakers with stamped blueberry patterns.

Conceiving a diorama is an adventure in scale and spatial relationships. Choose a container, then put yourself in the shoes of one of its future inhabitants.

Make the most of the backyard's resilience to good messy fun with a sprinkler party that allows children to splish and splash all afternoon.

Give sneakers a one-of-a-kind look with fabric paint in bright colors and patterns.

Help kids put their found objects in jars, labeled with the place and date.

A kids' travel kit will help keep your children entertained on the way to your destination.

By using some humble potato prints, you can create one-of-a-kind fashions that your kids will love.

In the summer, when fruits are plentiful, their juices are perfect for making vibrant pops.

Kids who make their own portable checkerboard will have a game to play almost anywhere.

Great for a game of tag on a scorching hot day, squishy sponge balls are summer's alternative to snowballs.

So pretty they'll make you dizzy, these patriotic whirligigs spin in the wind.

This bowl filled with gelatin, soda, and gummy fish is a fun display for a kids' room.

Paper napkins can be cut out with regular, pinking, or scalloping scissors to create a variety of fun shapes for kids.

Games, balloons, and bright colors -- a carnival is just like a birthday party, but better!

Look out for blue paper fins slicing through icing waves on this shark-inspired cupcake.

Collect souvenir trinkets, seashells, rocks, postcards, or leaves while on holiday, and then use them to create a three-dimensional display that you can enjoy every day.

Decorate patriotic cupcakes with stars piped in blue buttercream and stripes cut from red licorice laces.

Have kids create a collector's desk to display their shells, marbles, stamps, and other souvenirs collected over summer vacation.

Whether you use a baseball cap or sailor's hat to make this headgear, your kids will love wearing it -- and their delicate skin will be protected from the sun.

Flip-flops adorned with fabric flowers are the perfect accessory for bright-colored shorts and bathing suits.

Use shells found at the beach to create a handmade wind chime.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to build one of these svelte spacecrafts. All you'll need is the right stuff: cardboard, glue, tape, and a big dose of aeronautic creativity.

Embellish plain sunglasses with sequins, seashells, or confetti hand-punched from colorful paper.

Bath towels look chic on big kids, and hand towels are winsome on the not so big.