Eye-popping fireworks shows may be the highlight of a Fourth of July gathering, but there’s plenty of time to kill before the aerial festivities blast off.
To keep kids busy while they countdown to the glittery pyrotechnic display have them complete these fun Independence Day-inspired projects:
Patriotic Pinwheels
Cut-out a 4-inch by 4-inch square from cardstock or white construction paper. Use crayons, markers or colored pencils to decorate the paper in patriotic colors. Next, use a ruler to lightly draw diagonal lines from corner to corner. When you are done, you should have an “X” drawn in the middle of the paper square. Then, lightly draw a small circle in the middle of the “X”. Carefully cut along the diagonal lines, just until you meet the circle. Gently fold each corner of the square to the center of the circle. Use a brad to fasten the corners to the middle of the paper pinwheel. Finally, glue the brad portion of the pinwheel to a Popsicle stick. When the glue dries, your kids can blow on their pinwheels to make them spin or take the paper creations to the fireworks show and let them twirl in the wind.
Fireworks on a Stick
Materials:
- Red, white, blue, green and yellow glitter (or glitter glue)
- Sheets of black construction paper
- Craft glue
- Plastic spoons
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Popsicle sticks
Directions:
- If you are using traditional glitter rather than glitter glue, place some old newspaper over your work area for easier clean-up.
- Have kids squeeze lines of glitter glue or craft glue in patterns to look like exploding fireworks. They can make one big design and cover the entire construction paper or fill the paper with an array of different designs.
- Use the spoons to scoop and sprinkle glitter on the glue designs.
- Allow glue to dry, and then shake off excess glitter.
- Have kids cut around their designs to make a circular shape.
- Glue the paper circles onto the Popsicle sticks.
- When the glue dries, kids can wave their fireworks on a stick at a Fourth of July parade or you can gather a bunch and place them into a vase filled with red, white and blue hard candies to use as a festive centerpiece.