Disclosure:  I was compensated for this post.  As always, all opinions are mine and were not swayed by compensation.  :)  My kids have owned and enjoyed Gymboree clothing for years (they are one of the only brands that makes hats big enough to fit my kids' enormous heads) and we're all at Michaels at least once a week, hahaha!

I was super excited when Gymboree and Michaels asked me if we'd be interested in coming up with a fun summer craft to share with you all, inspired by Michael's Passport to Imagination summer crafting program.  From June 14 - July 31, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10-12 at your local Michael's, you can find a fun themed activity.  Since next week's Passport to Imagination classes are Art Week themed (you can find a list of all the weekly themes here), we thought we'd come up with a fun summer ART project to share with you all.

We love resist painting, and what is more summer-y than popsicles, am I right?  The kids -- and even I -- had so much fun designing our own popsicles on a recent hot summer day.  I think that painting something that reminds you of being cool can actually cool you off, or at least that was our hope, since we've been having a record heat wave here in Seattle!  This project is great for toddlers on up to even adults (seriously, you should try it - I promise it's really fun!).

You'll need to download our popsicle template first and print it off.  In case you'd rather design one huge popsicle, I have a giant popsicle template here for you.  We used the three popsicle template for our art here.  You'll also need a hot glue gun and glue, some watercolor paper, watercolors, and some Sharpies.  Michaels carries all the necessary supplies if you don't have them on hand already.

Once you've printed the template, have an adult lightly trace the popsicles onto a sheet of watercolor paper.  Next it's time to decorate the inside of your popsicle.  Will it have gumballs, sprinkles, frozen blueberries?  Add whatever decorations you'd like with permanent marker.  

Next, have an adult trace the outline of the popsicle with hot glue.  Have the adult also add a layer of hot glue over any decorations you've added with permanent marker.  Allow the painting to cool for a few minutes.

Once the painting is cool, have your child add watercolor paint to fill in the rest of the popsicle.  The hot glue will resist the watercolor so you won't lose any of your designs.  The hot glue also provides a big sturdy ridge and helps keep your paint (and painter) inside the lines.  For our popsicle art, we used liquid watercolors.  If you have a wild and crazy toddler painting (like I did, hahaha), you can trace the shape of the popsicles onto wax paper, cut them out, and tape the wax paper lightly over the popsicle drawing.  This way your toddler can paint with wild abandon and most to all of the paint will only go where it's supposed to (onto the popsicles).

Allow the paintings to dry flat and then you can hang them as decorations, or cut them out for fun summer pretend play props!

My kiddos were thrilled to be able to choose their outfits from a catalog of upcoming Gymboree clothes.  Not only were they adorable in their matching gorilla shirts, but Gymboree clothes are perfect for summer play.  We love how hardy they are - whether you're playing in the sand on the beach or you're having fun completing a messy art project!  Gymboree is a big believer in the importance of play so their clothes are designed for active and busy kiddos like mine.  :)

And last, but not least, if you are active on Instagram - you'll be interested in this one!  Michaels and Gymboree are hosting a weekly giveaway where you can have a chance to win not only a $100 Michael's gift card, but also a $100 Gymboree gift card AND crafting supplies!  A new winner is selected every week.  To enter, post a photo of your family getting crafty - inspired by the weekly summer destinations of the Passport to Imagination program (you can find a list of the weekly themes here).  Be sure you are following Gymboree and Michaels on Instagram and tag your photo with #CraftInStyleSweeps to be entered to win!