3 Indoor Crafts to Make on Spring Break

Spring may have sprung, but that doesn't mean the weather's instantly sunny and warm. What will you do during spring break if the kids can't head outside? If your area's still experiencing snow or chilly temperatures, try these fun crafts to do at home instead. Wintry weather doesn't have to put a damper on springtime fun thanks to these three ideas.

Colorful Homemade Crayons

It's hard not to love a craft with a preparation process that's just as fun as using the finished product. You can make these multicolored drawing tools in almost any shape imaginable, and in any colors your child likes.

Gather old crayons, a sharp knife, and miniature metal or silicone cake tins or soap molds in any shapes your child likes. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and remove all the wrappers from the crayons. Cut them into pea-sized chunks, and have your child fill the molds with different color combinations.

Once the molds are full, place them into the oven and allow the wax to melt — this takes about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Once the wax has cooled, you can pop out the unique crayons. If you're having trouble getting them out, let the molds sit in the freezer for about an hour. Have some coloring pages ready, and let the fun commence.

Sculpting Sand

Mixing up this tactile sand-clay is almost as fun as forming and reforming it into new shapes. And, according to SheKnows, this grainy substance can help kids improve their fine motor skills. It's also therapeutic for children who have sensitivities to different textures. You might even like squeezing the sculpting sand in your hands to relieve stress.

For this project, you'll need:

·         1 cup of vegetable oil

·         3 cups of white baking flour

·         5 or 6 cups of regular play sand

Add the ingredients into a plastic bowl or tub, and let your child stir them together. All that's left to do is to start building castles, animals, or whatever else your little one comes up with. Store the sand in a container with a lid to keep it from drying out.

Bubbling Lava Lamp

Crafts for kids to do at home are even more enjoyable when children can play with them for months afterward. These colorful, eye-catching "lamps" can provide hours of visual entertainment. You'll need:

·         One clean plastic water bottle with a lid (or more — one bottle makes one lamp)

·         Water

·         Vegetable oil

·         Food coloring

·         One effervescent antacid tablet per water bottle

·         Super Glue

Fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way full with water. Add oil until the bottle is almost full, and allow the oil and water to separate. Then, add 15 drops of food coloring. Break up an antacid tablet and dissolve it in the bottle until the bubbling stops. Glue the lid onto the bottle, and shake it to make the "lava" come alive.