As the beloved summer break begins to dwindle, children and parents alike seem to be caught in a limbo between summer activities and the start of school. Boredom can set in, which is not a great alternative for either party. Crafts are a perfect way to hone in on a child’s creative potential, at the same time allowing parents and children to spend quality time together. Though I do not have a name (or a copyright, for that matter) on this craft, it was a favorite of mine as a child. First, find a flat space, such as a table or the kitchen floor, and cover it with recycled newspaper. You will need glue for this craft, so if you prefer more organic glues that are kid-safe, here is a recipe with five stars for family friendliness: Mix one cup of flour, one-third cup of sugar, one and one-half cups of water and a teaspoon of vinegar into a pan on the stove. Warm the concoction on the stove until it thickens, then allow it to cool and use heartily. If your sketching skills are, shall we say, lacking, utilize the Internet to find a good outline picture of a simple scene; typically, pictures of teddy bears, cats, dogs, or perhaps a cabin, are the perfect pictures to sketch on a regular piece of printer paper. The reason for only sketching an outline is that the exciting part of the craft is this third step: find old magazines and rip out pages that tend to have solid patches of any color. With the kids (who have good eyes for spotting bright, colorful things), look for the rainbow colors throughout the magazine. After ripping out the pages, begin to shred the pages by hand into small, dime-sized pieces. Now, separate the solid color pieces into their own piles: the different shades of one color will enrich the overall picture. Let’s use an example of a teddy bear: after putting glue on the sketch, add brown pieces for the body of the bear, but then, if the teddy bear has a bowtie or hat, use different colored pieces to contrast the clothes with the brown “fur” of the bear. This craft helps little children learn their colors, and they end up with a colorful, textured picture of their favorite scene.