July 4th Arts and Crafts
Cheer your way through the Fourth of July with these fun arts and crafts projects. Kids of all ages will find something to do, whether it's stringing up stars to decorate your campsite or making a red, white, and blue pinwheel. Be sure to plan ahead and bring all the supplies you'll need!
Stars and Stripes Pinwheel
Best for older children.
Supplies:
2 pieces of white construction paper (the thicker the better)
Scissors
A pushpin
A pencil with an eraser
Crayons
To start, make two square pieces of paper by folding a triangle out of one end of each sheet and trimming off the upper edge. Unfold your paper and decorate one side of each sheet. Place the undecorated sides of the paper together.
Fold your paper into a triangle, then fold that triangle in half. Unfold the papers and find the center point. Make cuts running from each corner toward the center, stopping at about the halfway point.
Gently gather each corner, taking care to be consistent in taking either the left or right corner from each triangle. Let the paper bend and billow up as you bring the corners together. Push a pushpin through the four overlapped corners and through the center of the pinwheel. Then push the pin into a pencil's eraser.
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Rockin' July 4th
Paint your own rock -- 4th of July style! Your rock will make a great table decoration, door stop, paper weight, or memento of the trip.
Supplies:
a large, clean, and smooth stone
a pencil
red, white, and blue tempera paint
paint brushes
varnish or other glossy finish (not required)
Begin by using your pencil to sketch out the flag. Make a square in the upper left for stars and paint that blue. While you let that paint dry, paint all the rest of your rock white.
Let the paint dry. Next, use your pencil to lightly draw stripes in the white paint (if you can, fit all 13 stripes. Hint: the top and bottom stripes should be red.) You might consider using a pencil or straight stick as a guide to help you make the lines. Paint in the red stripes.
Paint some white stars on the blue area. In the real US flag there are 50 white stars that represent the 50 U.S. states, but you might consider having fewer, especially if your stone is on the small side. If you'd like a shiny finish, coat with an acrylic varnish after the paint has dried completely.
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Star String
Decorate your campsite for the Grand Old 4th by making a colorful star string.
Supplies:
red, white, and blue construction paper
scissors
string or yarn (red, white or blue)
stapler, tape, or glue
crayons or pens
sequins, glitter, extra yarn, and other decorations (optional)
Directions:
Draw a large star on a piece of construction paper. Cut it out and use it as a template for cutting out the rest of the stars for your string. Decorate all the stars, then either cut a hole out of the top point of each star or use the stapler, tape, or glue to attach your stars to the string. (Hint, to make a hole, fold over one point of the star. Use your scissors to cut a pie-shaped wedge into the fold.)
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Glitter Fireworks
Make your own fireworks with paper and glitter! The black-paper background makes your "glitter"works pop like bombs bursting in air.
Supplies:
black construction paper
red, blue, and white or silver glitter
white glue
newspapers for underneath the project
a straw (optional)
Working on top of newspapers, use the glue to make fireworks stars on your paper. If your glue is soft, try dropping a blob on the paper and blowing on it through the straw. See what kinds of shapes you make.
Sprinkle glitter onto the glue. Tip your paper up and slide the excess glitter off your picture and back into the glitter container.
Let the glue dry and display your picture!
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Beaded July 4th Safety Pin Art
Supplies:
13 medium (inch long) safety pins
red, white, and blue beads
Separate out six safety pins. Slide beads along the pin of each one until you have three full pins of red and three of white beads. Take the remaining pins and fill each one about two-thirds of the way, three with white beads and four with red. Fill the rest of each pin with blue beads, adding in a white one from time to time to represent the 50 stars. For an advanced challenge, try to design a circle of white beads into your blue patch.
When you're finished, pin the beads in the right order to make a downward-hanging flag on your backpack or jacket. The blue goes in the upper left-hand corner, and the full red and white pins go to the right of that. (Hint: Both the far left and far right edges are red.)
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July 4th Campground Invitations
Whether you're having everyone over or are taking part in your campground's July 4th celebration, you can have a great time making Independence Day invitations.
Supplies:
Paper
Pens or crayons
Other decorations
Tape
Cut each piece of paper in half. Using one sheet, fold it in half to make a book. Decorate your invitations with stars and stripes, and tape them on the RV doors of people you want to invite.
