Summer is miserably hot and swampy where I live and sometimes we struggle to get outside as much as we do the rest of the year. It’s theoretically a slower time of year, but it never feels that way to me. One minute the whole summer stretches in front of you and then suddenly it’s September. I started hosting “craftbrunches” years ago to slow down and connect with friends and family. The premise is simple, everyone brings a simple dish and works on a seasonal craft together while laughing and gossiping. It’s an afternoon event which feels easier to schedule between clubs, camps, and soccer games. Including a simple kids craft keeps the littles occupied while the grownups catch up. A Summer Solstice craftbrunch is a perfect respite from the chaos of the season, connecting us with nature and with friends.
The Summer Solstice is the day that the earth is tilted the closest to the sun and consequently has more hours of daylight and less hours of darkness then any other day of the year. Every day after the Summer Solstice there is gradually a little less light until the Winter Solstice. The Summer Solstice most often falls on June 21st and has long been a day of celebration. I like to think of these midpoints as seasons of celebration rather than fixed dates- so don’t worry if the 21st doesn’t work for you, this will be fun all summer long!
Start your gathering by slathering on some sunscreen and heading outside for a nature walk. Find a nearby park with a stream or creek (unless you are lucky enough to have one in your yard!) A shady path alongside a stream is easily ten degrees cooler in the summer. If you live near the coast, you can substitute a hike along the shore. Give the children vessels for collecting nature treasures: shells, rocks, interesting sticks, whatever grabs their attention. And don’t forget, adults can collect treasures too! Wander through the woods together stopping to examine anything that catches your eye– and you’ll need plenty of breaks to wade into the water. Take your time! After everyone has suitably explored and materials have been gathered, head back inside to cool down and make some shell crafts. Drink a refreshing glass of lemonade, dig into the food everyone brought, set the kids up making shell butterflies and then get to work crafting and chatting.
The ages of the kids in question will dictate what crafts are appropriate, older kids may prefer the “adult” craft and frankly some adults may want to try the kid crafts! Do whatever works for your group. The adults can work on any number of crafts, my seashell fragment wreaths are an elegant and super simple choice, shell candles are another simple beautiful craft to make with a crowd and if you were lucky enough to find some sea glass, check out my sea glass mobile. Scroll to the end of this post for a linked list of possible crafts and recipes.
Seashell Butterflies
This is a fun and easy craft and also a cute way to introduce the idea of symmetry. Really young kids might prefer to stick the shells in playdough rather than gluing them down.
Materials:
- various shells collected on your hike
- sticks collected on your hike (an adult should snip them down to roughly 4 inch pieces)
- cardboard
- scissors
- white glue
- marker
- twine (optional)
- hole punch (optional)
Method:
Everyone should take a stick piece for the body of their butterfly and place it on a piece of cardboard. (You can cut butterfly shapes in advance, but we have found that the variable size and shapes of the shells makes that hard to do effectively)
Experiment by arranging different shells in various wing shaped patterns on either side of your stick body. Once you are happy with the shape, mirror it on the other side. (Or as close as you can get with the shells you have.)
Use the glue to stick everything down to the cardboard. Go have a snack while it dries!
Trace an outline around the dried shell butterfly on the cardboard. Cut it out with the scissors. You can leave it as is, or punch a hole and add some twine to hang your masterpiece!
Fresh and Minty Lemonade
In my opinion it doesn’t much matter how you make lemonade, fresh or from a powder, so long as you add some mint. This is our go to recipe, but my kids are so lemonade obsessed I always break down at some point and just let them use the powdered junk so that they can do it themselves. My 10 year old swears by muddling blueberries into his lemonade, it’s apparently his lemonade stand best seller. You can also add a little lavender or rose for a more grown up flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup + 5 cups of water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice
- mint springs
- blueberries (optional)
- sliced lemons
- ice
Method:
Place the 1 cup of water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool. (Note: This is a great time to introduce herbal flavors- lavender or rose for instance. If you want to spice it up, add a handful of lavender or other dried herb to the sugar syrup while hot and cover while it cools. Strain out the herbs when cool and use the same way.) You can make this in advance and store in the fridge for several days if desired.
Add the cooled syrup, lemon juice and the remaining 5 cups of water to a pitcher and stir until well blended. Add some mint and thinly sliced lemons. (If you want to try the blueberry version, put them in the pitcher first and mash them with a wooden spoon.) Chill.
Ideas & Links for a Summer Craftbrunch:
Seashell Crafts:
Kid Crafts:
- Seashell Butterflies (this page)
- Sunny Calendula Playdough
Summer Recipes:
- Lemonade (this page)
- Garden Fairy Toasts
- Sun Cookies
- Garden Cakes
- Edible Terrariums
Check out my IG Craftbrunch Highlight for ideas for all sorts of summer craftbrunch themes from me and other talented creators!
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