Summer is a great time for enrichment activities. Free from the daily grind of classes and homework, your child can explore his or her creative side.

Shop for art supplies on sale at local craft stores, or find wholesale arts and crafts supplies online at DollarDays. Many moms have a craft box (or craft closet) full of supplies to keep their kids occupied during school vacations and on rainy weekends.

While some parents splurge on summer art classes and camps, activity books can inspire at a much lower price tag. LittleMissMatched’s The Artist in Me! costs under $12 at Amazon.

I wasn’t bored much growing up. On rainy days and lazy Saturday afternoons, I’d be engaged in some craft project or interesting game. My mother, a teacher, has a gift for finding and organizing fun activities on a moment’s notice. Now that I’m a mom, I appreciate how easy she made it all look.

Some organized moms dedicate entire closets to craft supplies and keep file folders full of craft-ideas clipped from magazines and newspapers on-hand. But if that’s not your style, you can still entertain and educate your children with the fabulous art kits from Eye Can Art.

As an art lover, I’ve already started taking my children along to exhibits and I want to surround them with works that will stimulate their minds and deepen their appreciation of beauty.
For our children’s rooms, we add in accent pieces on our own, like valances and stencils, and hang a professional work of art as the focal point.
Sugarplum Dreams has gorgeous luxury children’s wall art murals in every possible theme and color scheme (“from pirates to princesses and everything in between”) that will delight and inspire your children for years …

The kitchen is the heart of the home. In most households, family life centers around the kitchen. It’s where we cook, eat, play and work. And kids like to be where the action is.
(Need proof? I’m typing this blog post at my kitchen table while my son plays on the floor next to me with a bunch of Tupperware containers and a wooden spoon!)
If you love cooking, the Learning Tower from Little Partners is a must have ($200 at Sugarplum Dreams). Kids love to help in the kitchen, and it’s a lot easier if they …

Imagine a toy that is reusable, suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children, rolls up for storage, and inspires creativity without any mess–and you’ll have Aquadoodle.  My daughter will draw all day long, but she always wants a clean page.  We save a few of her paintings, but mainly she just enjoys doodling. Since she is not attached to any of her masterpieces quite yet, it seems a shame to fill page after page, wasting all those trees.  So, I was eager to see if she would take to an …

My daughter enjoys drawing, carrying her things in bags, organizing her toys (must have gotten that from Daddy). Doodlebugz offers Crayon Keepers, DoodleBags, Crayon Aprons and Toolbelts, and Crayon Purses and Duffle Bags that allow her to do all three.
These licensed Crayola products, available at Princess Linens, allow your little artist to keep supplies handy so she’s ready to create!
My daughter is especially fond of the DoodleBags ($25.50), which include a drawing pad and crayons on one side and a chalk board and chalk on the other.  On the outside …

One of the biggest challenges in traveling with children is keeping them occupied between stops. Time will fly by for your little artist with The Car Valet by Alex ($28 at Little Jet Set) and he can keep an illustrated journal to have a fun, personal record of the trip, too.
This adorable, easy to clean carrying case and fold out desk attaches to the back of front seats and the surface is adjustable for the convenience of young riders.
Snacks and art supplies are stashed in the zippered pockets or mesh …

My almost two year old daughter is already fixated on art projects. Give her paper and paints, glue, crayons, markers, and stickers and she is in toddler bliss.
Occasionally, for reasons that remain a mystery to me, she selects a particular work of art for hanging. And then she is so incredibly proud when her work goes up on the wall, showing it off to all who visit us at the house.
If I displayed every scrap, er…masterpiece, she produces, my house would be quickly overrun by her aesthetic. …

Whether it is a trip down the block to the doctor’s or a journey across the globe, preparation for travel with children is key.
Little Jet Set is a cute children’s store with a selection of innovative products for keeping babies and children safe, comfortable, and occupied during travel.
My toddler is entranced by the Cow Print Art Folio (by The Piggy Story) ($20). She has her very own carrying case of crayons and a drawing pad. When she gets tired of sketching, she enjoys fitting the crayons into their little …