I have some amazing summer wood crafts and other ideas to keep teens busy this summer.
For example, you’ll love this simple idea for a teen bikini box to keep all her summer suits and other gear.
All you need is an unfinished white crate from the craft store, some craft paints, and a clear sealer in whatever finish you like.
I guarantee this is going to be a summer craft that your middle or high school girl is going to get so excited about and think you’re the coolest mom on the block for coming up with the idea.
If you feel like you need to extend this activity and make it educational there are plenty of fantastic books about the beach that you can use alongside the craft like Ocean Anatomy or the Best of Seashells Craft Book.
Beyond books, life experiences with a summer theme will help keep your teens busy.
It will keep your teens out of trouble and prevent learning loss through the long hot dog days of summer while they gain valuable experiences and possibly even credit for high school courses.
Also, if you want to include all your children in some fun learning about the ocean, I have some living books.
Kids Books About the Ocean for Multiple Ages
We prefer living books but also like to add reference books too.
I have something for all ages to keep learning fun along with this summer wooden craft.
16 Ocean Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Choose a few of these ocean themed books to go along with your study of the Oceans. Whether you're looking for a spine for a unit study or literature, you'll love this roundup.
Join Danny Meadow Mouse, Jimmy Skunk, and Reddy Fox as they explore the seashore and take a closer look at the habits and habitats of the creatures they find. Discover the Seahorse, Shrimp, Crab, Anemone, Gull, and so many more.
The Burgess Seashore Book for Children is a wonderful way to introduce young ones to the fascinating world beneath us and is a perfect compliment to earlier books in this series, the Bird, Animal, and Flower books.
This edition is complete and unabridged with all of the beautiful illustrations by W.H. Southwick and George Sutton
Seaside Naturalist is an illustrated guide to marine plants and animals includes the characteristics of protozoa, arthropods, sponges, mollusks, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals.
The book opens by explaining how different types of animals are able to breathe and survive underwater, and the different families to which they belong. Subsequent pages are dedicated to specific creatures, including sea turtles, whales, sharks, stingrays, and seahorses, and show varied life in specific habitats, such as a coral reef or deep sea bed. The Big Book of the Blue also explores the underwater world thematically, looking at animals in danger, learning how to spot creatures at the beach, and discovering how to do our part to save sea life. Beautiful and filled with fascinating facts, young, curious readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away from the page.
Island of the Blue Dolphins begins with a young girl named Karana who is living on the Island of the Blue Dolphins (fancy name, right?) with her younger brother, Ramo, and sister, Ulape. One day, a group of Russian hunters (Aleutians) land on the island to hunt for otter. This is when the trouble really begins.
Once upon a time in France, a baby was born under the summer sun. His parents named him Jacques. As he grew, Jacques fell in love with the sea. He dreamed of breathing beneath the waves and swimming as gracefully as a fish. In fact, he longed to become a manfish. Jacques Cousteau grew up to become a champion of the seas and one of the best-known oceanographers in the world. In this lovely biography, now in paperback, poetic text and gorgeous paintings come together to create a portrait of Cousteau that is as magical as it is inspiring.
A beautiful edition with 110 images from the 1875 English edition. Use Amazon's Look inside feature to compare this edition with others. You'll be impressed by the differences. Don't be fooled by other versions that have no illustrations or contain very small print. Reading our edition will make you feel that you are traveling the seas with Captain Nemo himself.
More than 100 original illustrations by Louis Rhead. You want to read this book with illustrations.
An introduction by W. D. Howells.
Nicely formatted text in an easy-to-read font.
A beautiful cover from the 1891 edition.
Embark on a captivating tour of the waters that cover 70 percent of our planet! See our oceans come to life in mind-blowing detail. This is the ultimate children’s visual encyclopedia about the awe-inspiring blue planet!
How did a nineteenth-century dressmaker revolutionize science? Jeanne Power was creative: she wanted to learn about the creatures that swim beneath the ocean waves, so she built glass tanks and changed the way we study underwater life forever. Jeanne Power was groundbreaking: she solved mysteries of sea animals and published her findings at a time when few of women’s contributions to science were acknowledged. Jeanne Power was persistent: when records of her research were lost, she set to work repeating her studies. And when men tried to take credit for her achievements, she stood firm and insisted on the recognition due to her.
Follow Rothman’s inquisitive mind and perceptive eye along shorelines, across the open ocean, and below the waves for an artistic exploration of the watery universe. Through her drawings, discover how the world’s oceans formed, why the sea is salty, and the forces behind oceanic phenomena such as rogue waves. Colorful anatomical profiles of sea creatures from crustacean to cetacean, surveys of seafaring vessels and lighthouses, and the impact of plastic and warming water temperatures are just part of this compendium of curiosities that will entertain and educate readers of all ages.
Do you know a kid who’s captivated by what goes on beneath the ocean’s surface? This amazing entry into ocean books for kids is packed with hundreds of incredible facts for hours of underwater exploration. Pages of full-color pictures feature life in and around the sea including fish, dolphins, and shipwrecks!
Dive into the mesmerizing world of bioluminescence with "All About Bioluminescence." In this captivating book, readers embark on a journey through the depths of the ocean to discover the extraordinary glow-in-the-dark creatures that inhabit its mysterious realm. From the enchanting sea angel to the infamous anglerfish, each page is filled with stunning illustrations and fascinating facts about these luminous beings.With a focus on deep-sea dwellers, readers will uncover the secrets behind bioluminescence and learn how these creatures use light to communicate, camouflage, and lure prey. But the adventure doesn't stop there! "All About Bioluminescence" also includes hands-on activities like a glow stick experiment, allowing readers to experience the magic of bioluminescence firsthand.
One of the most enduringly popular adventure tales, Treasure Island began in 1881 as a serialized adventure entitled "The Sea-Cook"in the periodical Young Folks. Completed during a stay at Davos, Switzerland, where Stevenson had gone for his health, it was published in 1883 in the form we know today.Set in the eighteenth century, Treasure Island spins a heady tale of piracy, a mysterious treasure map, and a host of sinister characters charged with diabolical intentions. Seen through the eyes of Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy of the Hispaniola, the action-packed adventure tells of a perilous sea journey across the Spanish Main, a mutiny led by the infamous Long John Silver, and a lethal scramble for buried treasure on an exotic isle.
In Oceans and Seas! With 25 Science Projects for Kids readers ages 7 though 10 dive into the underwater world of some of the most amazing landscapes on Earth. On this amazing underwater adventure, kids experience the ocean’s tropical reefs and spot crabs, sea sponges, and thousands of kinds of fish darting in its crags and folds. They’ll meet a giant squid with eyes the size of dinner plates and an mbrella-like bioluminescent jellyfish.
From both a historical and scientific point of view, above and below the surface, this engaging guide brings the world’s oceans to life through fun facts, illustrations, and in-depth information. Interactive activities appear throughout, ranging from making solar stills and simple fishing spears to experimenting with a homemade diving bell and figuring out how much water it really takes to survive. With the oceans being the least explored environment on Earth, this reference illuminates some of the most incredible and surprising plants and animals as well as how to survive and navigate these vast expanses.
An intricate study of tide pool life is presented in text and pictures through the story of Pagoo, a her-mit crab.
Also, look at a few more ideas on how to extend learning through the summer.
How to Extend Learning Through Summer
- Buy your teen a pretty journal and require or encourage daily journal prompts with a summer theme.
- Assign a craft a week that counts as an elective as well as reading, language arts, and science. Just like today’s bikini box or one of the additional ideas below.
- Brush up on cooking/practical life skills and make summer themed food like homemade popsicles, Coral Reef Cake, or put what your teen has learned about nutrition into practice by putting together a healthy salad.
- Have your child sign up to volunteer for a kids summer program as a big brother/sister, lifeguard etc. to count towards volunteer hours in high school.
Next, look at more summer wood crafts.
Summer Wood Crafts
- How fun would this Jumbo Tic Tac Toe Board be for indoors or outside at a pool party? It does require power tool usage and makes a great project for shop class credit.
- Make DIY Lawn Dominoes and add a fun game to your family’s backyard time while your teen learns a new skill.
- Dye unfinished wood and create this gorgeous Rainbow Wood Stacking Game that builds fine motor skills, decision making, dexterity, and decision making skills.
- A DIY Colorful Cornhole and Bean Bag Set is a great addition to your physical education requirement and is so much fun for get togethers and family BBQ’s
- Turn a plain wooden craft staple into a really cool and portable Popsicle Stick Playing Cards deck. This is great practice for more complicated wood burning ideas and makes a great gift for friends, family members, or to take along to co-op.
- Get them off their tech by helping them make a Wooden Phone Amplifier/Speakers, this project is great for practice working with power tools but also makes a really cool and useful end product.
How to Make a Teen Bikini Box
You will need:
- Unfinished wood crate
- Craft paint
- Sandpaper
- Clear sealer spray
- Paint brushes
- Pencil
- Hot glue gun/sticks
First, you need to do two things to keep the wooden box from snagging and ruining those bathing suits.
The first is to give it a good sanding all over to smooth off any rough edges inside and out.
Next, wipe it down with a slightly damp towel to remove all the dust and allow it to dry thoroughly.
You can freehand words and pictures with paint, but I recommend using a pencil to first draw out your design to get it just the way you like.
The next step is the most fun, let your teen paint and decorate the box any way that they like. Of course, a summer/beach theme is fun.
You can use paint and paintbrushes, paint pens, or a combination of both to make the details pop.
Paint, dry, and then hot glue the letters onto your box, spelling out a name, phrase, or simply ‘bikini box’.
I picked up these wooden letters on sale for $5 and there are enough to do several projects with.
Once the box is painted and dried completely, take it outside and give it 2 to 3 coats of sealer inside to help seal on the paint and make it more permanent.
Also, this will help create a smoother surface, so it is less likely to snag bathing suits.
Allow the sealer spray to dry completely and it’s ready to use.
Fill it up with beach towels, bathing suits, sunglasses, sunscreen, goggles, and more.
