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Fun At-Home Projects To Do With Kids Before School Starts

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The start of the school year is just around the corner, but before the summer ends, break up the boredom with some fun at-home projects that get your kids ready to learn and yield impressive results.

Anne-Marie Faiola is a business owner and author of "Best Day Ever," but keeping her two children occupied during the summer can be a full-time job. She says fun projects using items around the house can entertain and educate.

"I'm teaching them art, math and science all at the same time," she told CBS2's Alex Denis.

Make bath fizzies and turn bath time into a science experiment. Start with baking soda and citrus acid then add skin-loving ingredients like the pink Himalayan sea salt, lavender oil and coconut oil.

"It really helps moisturize and keep their skin emollient," Faiola said.

Take it a step further and disguise colors inside for a surprise or mold them to look like cupcakes. When dropped in water, it gives the volcano effect but leaves skin feeling smooth.

"It's literally just white soap into a mold, a little soap drizzle on top for the frosting and jojoba beads, which is an all natural exfoliate that doesn't clog lakes or streams," Faiola said.

Melt different color soaps, pour them into molds or cut to desired shape. There's no rules, just get creative, give as gifts or simply enjoy.

Finish your at-home project with homemade nail polish.

"I have done this with groups of little kids and it is so fun," Faiola said.

You'll need suspending nail polish base and crushed color, which you can find at beauty supply stores. Mix, pour and paint. It's that's easy.

Another fun project for younger children is to take the brown portion of a toilet paper roll, wrap different colored construction paper on each and add a number and practice colors and counting.

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