*~4th of July~*

This week we are celebrating the birth of our country!  Here are some cute crafts and activities you can try with your little one to get into the patriotic spirit of the holiday! 

Painter's Tape American Flag

What you'll need:

White construction paper

Painters tape (the blue tape)

Red paint

Paint brush

Blue construction paper square

4th if July star confetti or star stickers

Directions:

Place painters tape strips horizontally on the construction paper (these will be your white stripes when you remove them!). Squirt the red paint down the center and let your little one paint the paper red.  Make sure your child is wearing an old T-shirt or something to cover their clothes, this can be a messy project!!  Let the paint dry completely and then you can remove the tape to reveal your flag's red and white stripes!

While you're waiting for the paint to dry, have your child use a glue stick to put the confetti on the blue square, or place his stickers.  After everything is dry and you take off the painters tape, let your child glue the blue square onto the flag, and as soon as it dries, your flag is done!

Red, White, and Blue Sensory Bin 

Sensory bins are a great way to help your child's development, and this one has a very patriotic theme!

What you'll need:

Rice (how ever much you need to fill your chosen bin)
Food coloring

4th of July Confetti/sequins
Other patriotic themed items
Plastic storage bin 
Ziploc Baggies

Directions: 
Divide your rice equally into three different ziploc baggies.  Put blue food coloring in one, red in another, and in the third one, leave it white but add your confetti.  Mix and knead the bags thoroughly to get the color well blended!  After your rice is nice and colorful, spread it out on some wax paper to dry.  Once it is all dry, mix it all in your plastic bin.  If you have any other 4th of July themed objects (age appropriate, of course!) that you want to add, throw them in too.  Let you child play and explore this new texture!

Patriotic Play-dough!

 

What you'll need:
1 cup water
1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 TBSP oil
Food coloring (you can also use sugar free jell-o for color!)
Glitter (optional)

Directions:
Stir all the ingredients until smooth, then cook on medium heat until it pulls away from the
pan. Let the dough cool down a little, then knead it 'til it's smooth!  You can add glitter to your plain "white" dough after cooking to make it a little more exciting! 
  

Thanks to No Time for Flash Cards for the awesome ideas, they have great activities to help little ones learn and play!  Have a fun 4th of July!!!