FUN FRIDAY--HAPPY 4th!
Last Minute Fun Activities for our 250th Celebration...
MEMORIES
Growing up, I spent many 4th of July celebrations at my grandparents’ cabin near a little mountain lake. It was beautiful but also riddled with angst because of my grandmother’s erratic behavior. The neighboring cabin often invited us kids to their festivities, which included building boats out of scrap wood and singing patriotic songs. We’d spend the afternoon making boats out of leftover wood scraps they had laying around and then they tied them together for a boat parade on the lake at dusk. This was the prelude to the fireworks! (I don’t have any pictures of this. You’ll have to use your imagination.)
TODAY’S FIREWORKS AND INDEPENDENCE
Our family likes fireworks. We introduced sparklers when the kids were old enough. We usually set off at least a few fireworks, but we’ve also seen great displays at local fairgrounds. What beauty in the sky and what a celebration of independence!
Independence is a big deal. I could write copiously about freedom, but today I will say this: We are blessed to live in a free country, and it’s important we treat one another with respect and honor as we share this country. Remember when we were kids and we found people to play with at the park, just because? Let’s have that kind of inclusion and curiosity with those around us!
LAST MINUTE IDEAS
If you’re looking for last-minute celebration ideas, aside from confetti poppers and other safe options, here are some no-cost common practices and last-minute ideas for you and your kids:
FREE Options for Celebrations
Look for a local parade and bring a bag to collect candy!
Search for local 4th of July parties. Our small town hosts a rodeo, parade, and BBQ. Roughly 12,000 people come to our town of 800 on the 4th.
Most fairgrounds host a fireworks show—check it out!
Dig in your closets and look for red, white, and blue clothing. Mix and match to come up with festive outfits.
Crank up 4th of July tunes and dance! You might consider older songs like, You’re a Grand Old Flag or well-known ones like, Proud to be an American. Create your own playlist or find one ready to go.
Have an extra potato or two? Cut out star shaped stamps from potatoes (I like to use a small metal cookie cutter in a thick slice of potato) and dip them in paint, if you have some, for a festive art project. This is fun to use on T-shirts with fabric paint, although there is some cost/planning needed for this option. Sponges are a great alternative to potatoes—you can cut stars out of sponges to dip in paint.
Play Eye-Spy for red, white, and blue objects that are around your house or yard. What is normally there that’s red, white, and blue?
Eat red, white, and blue foods. Our favorites are blueberries, strawberries, and ice cream or whip cream!
HAPPY 4th!
However you choose to celebrate, may your 4th be full of hope and joy—and true independence! Blessings!
Marci, the scrap-wood boat parade on the mountain lake gives this post its real heart. You hold the complicated memory of childhood celebration, including your grandmother’s erratic behavior, alongside the neighboring cabin that made room for the kids through boats, songs, imagination, and fireworks. That makes your last-minute ideas feel rooted in something deeper than activities: celebration as welcome, play, curiosity, and finding people to share the day with. Thank you for helping families find simple ways to make memory, joy, and true independence feel close at hand.
What great ideas, Marci! (I was too busy getting ready for our company to read it earlier.) Your memories make this post personal. 🤗