[For Upper Elementary Students] Simple but Awesome! A Collection of Summer Vacation Craft Ideas
Summer vacation crafts—especially for older elementary students—can feel like a dilemma: “Simple projects aren’t satisfying,” but “overly difficult ones are a problem,” too, right? The truth is, by getting creative with materials and tools, you can make projects that look and function like the real deal.
Here, we’re sharing craft ideas—like coin banks, motor-based projects, and food replicas—that will make your friends say, “Wow!” They’re simple to build, yet fun to use even after they’re finished.
Use these as inspiration and add your own twists to create an original masterpiece!
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[For upper elementary grades] Simple but amazing! A collection of summer vacation craft ideas (151–160)
Creeper made from a milk carton
Minecraft is a hugely popular game among kids.
Creepers are characters that appear in Minecraft and explode when they get close to the player.
Let’s make a craft that captures that feature using an empty milk carton.
Besides a milk carton, prepare green plastic bottle caps, bamboo skewers, and oil-based clay as well.
Cut the milk carton and wrap it with green vinyl tape to make the Creeper’s body.
Then cut the body section further and attach parts.
Use another milk carton for the head along with vinyl string or rubber bands to create a mechanism that “explodes.” Because kids use fine motor skills to build it, it helps improve their concentration.
Once it’s finished and displayed at school, you can almost hear friends saying, “Wow, that’s awesome!”
stone art
Let’s make stone art using materials close at hand, like those from rivers and parks.
Start by collecting stones and twigs.
Choosing stones without sharp edges will help you create cute pieces.
Also, selecting twigs with branches is a key tip for making a lovely work.
Arrange the stones and twigs you found on a frame or cork board, which you can also buy at a 100-yen shop.
As children think, design, and create on their own, it boosts their imagination.
You can paint the pieces, and it’s also nice to add pinecones, leaves, and other items besides stones and twigs.
Let’s make a bamboo lantern
Here’s how to make a bamboo lantern that looks beautiful when it glows at night.
Use a saw to cut the bamboo.
Make slits in the cut bamboo, then gently tap from above with a hammer to create openings where the light will shine through.
The key is to tap with the hammer without using too much force.
Drill holes to create several small windows for the light to leak out.
Wrap yarn around the top and bottom of the bamboo tube, using double-sided tape to secure it.
Place an LED light inside, switch it on, and let it shine.
It emits a soft glow that gives off a traditional Japanese ambiance.
Ghibli food and toys
https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7473823171523759378Studio Ghibli’s works are captivating not only for their profound storytelling but also for their meticulous visual expression—especially the way food is depicted so enticingly.
This piece is about recreating the look of the foods that appear in Ghibli films and making beautiful mascots using simple materials.
You’ll experiment with details, like kneading adhesive into shape and using paint to create gradients for a realistic finish.
Since achieving a food-like appearance hinges on material choices, it’s crucial to be particular from the very stage of selecting your materials.
Krispy Kreme-style decorated doughnuts
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts drew attention not only for their taste but also for their colorful appearance.
Focusing on that cute, colorful look, this is about recreating them as mascots.
The base is made by shaping clay in a mold, then adding other colored clays and decorations to embellish it.
It looks fun not only to recreate actual products but also to decorate them in your own way and make original donuts.
How to make a croaking frog
This is a cute craft where a frog hidden inside a paper cup peeks out while croaking.
You make a hole in the bottom of the cup and insert a bendy straw; by using this straw, you can move the frog up and down.
The key is the bendable part of the straw—when it rubs against the hole in the paper cup, it makes a sound like a frog’s croak.
You can add originality by choosing the frog’s expression and decorating the paper cup however you like.
[Upper Elementary Students] Simple but Awesome! Summer Vacation Craft Ideas (161–170)
A turtle that runs on rubber power!
Moving toys are appealing no matter how old you are, and they’re especially popular with lower-grade elementary school kids.
This is a paper cup turtle craft that zooms forward using rubber-band power hidden in its shell.
First, cut slits halfway down a paper cup and fold them in to make the legs.
The remaining part becomes the body.
For the face, stick round stickers on as eyes to make it cute.
Take a used AA battery, wrap a rubber band around it, attach kite string with cellophane tape, and set the mechanism inside the turtle’s shell.
Even though it’s a turtle, it moves surprisingly fast and with big motions—so much fun!
