You've got to hand it to enormously talented crafting duo Laura Minter and Tia Williams. They know exactly how to keep kids busy during the long summer holidays when the weather is horrible outside and you want a bit of magic and sparkle in your makes.

"The Mermaid Craft Book" by Laura and Tia contains 15 brilliant projects for your own little mermaids to make. Everything from a truly spectacular Mermaid tail, to a fantastic set of shell-shaped accessories to tote all your stuff around.

Or even a fabulous trident and crown if you fancy ruling your undersea kingdom in style.

Cut, stick, sew and paint your way into a magical underwater world. Containing 15 fantastic mermaid-themed projects to make, The Mermaid Craft Book will get children crafting and creating in no time. Aimed at boys and girls aged 3+, all of the projects can be made either from readily available items or from easy-to-source materials, and grown-ups need little or no crafting experience to help! Projects include a clam-shell jewellery box, a mermaid blanket and a shell necklace.

Whittling. You may be forgiven for thinking this is the sort of thing you might see a septuagenerian widdling away at on an episode of "Countryfile" but Richard Irvine aims to change that perception with a fantastic book for taking with you on your next woodland journey.

"Forest Craft: A Child's Guide to Whittling in the Woodland" is an absolutely fantastic craft book with a ton of amazing projects and makes - but more importantly, some really excellent lessons on how to do everything safely and responsibly. After all, you can't just wander into the nearest clump of trees with a bowie knife and start hacking away!

"Forest Craft" comes from that utterly absorbing line of thinking that all of us can take time out, get out into the countryside, get some fresh air and unleash our creativity in a really cool way.

With the book's emphasis on safety and adult supervision, Richard takes us through a series of amazing projects and makes such as a kazoo, mini furniture, duck call, whimmy diddle (!), rhythm sticks and the 'biggest gun' in the Harry Potter universe, an elder wand!

It's DINO TIME! Laura and Tia are back with yet another fantastic and imaginative craft book, this time on a scaly prehistoric theme.

Kids absolutely love dinosaurs, and they particularly love dressing up as dinosaurs, roaring and stomping about.

Whether your little ones are budding palaeontologists or just dream of being a Tyrannosaurus Rex (hey, who doesn't?), they will love these fun crafts. 

There are so many brilliant books out there that encourage kids to 'get out and play' and break the cycle of sitting in front of screens and tablets every day...