10 Fun and Simple Ideas for a Homemade 4th of July!

I love Independence Day.  It is one of my favorite holidays because it is full of gratitude for our country and fun family time. Over the years, I have realized that with 5 kids, especially when they were younger, simple was best.  So I tried to come up with fun ideas that were manageable for all of us to have an enjoyable day.

Here are 10 fun and simple ways have done to Celebrate the good old 4th of July!

1. Homemade Parade

One of our favorite community parades for the 4th is a simple one that is 90% kids on decorated bikes!  There are also various creative floats, trains, and homemade concoctions.  The simplicity of this 4th of July parade is so wonderful.  On the years we haven't been able to participate, my kids still ask to decorate their bikes and parade around our culdesac!

{Or you can always attend a local parade}

2. Backyard Barbecue 
with our traditional homemade ice cream
or have the kids make their own!

3. Carnival

 a simple one could be created in your own backyard like my oldest did one year.  She had "bumper cars" with the oversized cars, a waterslide from our playhouse to a blown up pool, a "bounce house" on the trampoline, a "haunted house" decorated with cobwebs and pictures in the playhouse, popcorn and treats, and even had tickets the kids had to use to participate.  Some other fun ideas would include a fishing pond, a sandbox dig for treasure, face painting or more carnival ideas here.

4. Street Firework Show

Every year, our cul-de-sac has our own firework show.  Everyone gets what they want from the local firework store, sets up camp chairs and the families rotate who goes out and displays their fireworks for eachother.  A perfect way to celebrate at your own home with young ones and to socialize with your neighbors. Some years we've even set up tables and everyone brought a goodie to share.  And if you are really ambitious, you could have a street barbecue leading up to it!  Once a summer, our neighborhood has a bbq and it was a wonderful way to get to know everyone.  We choose one street to host the bbq and everyone brings their own meet and a potluck item to share.  {Then in the winter our neighborhood has our bonfire.  So fun!}

 

5. Dress Patriotic with fun hairdos too!

My kids love to get patriotic in red, white and blue from head to toe!  Last year, we even did face painted stars at home.  I got the cute hairdo idea here and added fun pipe cleaners.  My girl's hair is so fine that it never looks the same as it does with thick hair.  But it was still fun!

6. Water Fun!

Waterfights, water park, going to the lake or setting up a giant slip n' slide {you can purchase a large tarp from home depot for this and it is a blast for kids and adults alike.. you just need a water source wherever you find to set it up}

7.  Homemade Crafts

Make Rag Flip Flops - a simple and FUN craft.  You can purchase flip flops for as cheap as a dollar at the dollar store.  Then choose various fabrics that are patriotic and cut them in 1x6" strips.  If you want the crinkle cut look in the above picture, use Pinking Shears , but you can have straight edge as well.  Then let your kids tie the strips of fabric in knots around the straps of the flip flop and voila, you have an adorable new accessory to wear and your kids have had fun doing a craft. We tied about 24 ties per flip flop, so 48 per child.  But you may want more or less!

Although it says valentine, you could easily make this fun firecracker for the fourth of July with oreos, lifesavers, rolos or mentos!  We just wrapped oreos with red paper.  I would choose blue or white for the dynamite pipecleaners at the top and and blue or white ribbon/paper for the saying.  Type up "Happy Independence Day" or even let your kids or spouse know that they are "dynamite" to you in patriotic colors!

8.  Have Creative Patriotic Food

We posted previously tons of fun patriotic food from pancakes to fruit pizza to ice cream.  My kids love to bake right now and they love to be in charge of even making simple cupcakes with red and blue sprinkles.



9. Annual Talent Show

Another idea made up from my girls is that we have an annual family {and friends who are there} talent show.  It often falls on the 4th of July!  It is so enjoyable for me, maybe not my husband who they makes participate too!  We have had talents such as card tricks, magic tricks, somersaults, singing the alphabet, handstands, pushups, and comedy acts.  Of course there is always the fancier guitar songs or variety acts from those who want to put more into it.  It's a very fun tradition thanks to my girls!

10. Camping or Hiking 
there is no better way to celebrate Independence Day in my mind than being outdoors camping, hiking or at the lake! 

Happy Early 4th of July to all of our readers!

See our other 4th of July ideas or

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Patriotic Food for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Veteran's Day, or Presidents' Day

It's fun to get in the spirit of patriotic holidays by having red, white, and blue foods. Here are a few patriotic foods we've tried and enjoyed:

Patriotic Pancakes

One of our favorite foods is pancakes, so an easy patriotic breakfast that we like to make is red, white, and blue pancakes. I just divide up the batter and add food coloring paste to the mix before baking on the griddle. Here's our favorite pancake recipe.

Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream

Top raspberry ice cream with whipped cream and blueberries to complete a trio of patriotic colors. My favorite raspberry ice cream recipe is here.

Fruit Pizza Flag

The fruit pizza I made above was not for a patriotic holiday--so I didn't use red, white, and blue fruits. But many people have adapted this fruit pizza dessert into a cute American flag for patriotic holidays. Just choose the appropriate red and blue fruits to top the dessert to make it patriotic (see the cake below for an example of how to arrange the fruit to look like an American flag)

Instructions:

For the pizza "dough" use your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Here's our all-time favorite! Flatten out the dough to create one extra large cookie that fills an entire pan. Bake the cookie dough crust in an oven until it is lightly browned, according to the instructions for your chosen cookie dough.

You could use a round pizza pan to make it more like a "pizza," or use a rectangular cookie sheet to make it a flag shape.

Then, once the cookie dough crust is baked, add a topping. You could add your favorite whipped or cream cheese frosting. I like to do a frosting that is a mixture of whipped/cream cheese.

Fruit Pizza Topping:

12 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 c. frozen whipped topping
fruit (i.e., strawberries, blueberries, etc.)

Blend together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Fold in frozen whipped topping. Top with desired fruit. To make the fruit pizza patriotic, use red and blue fruits such as strawberries and blueberries. If you want, lay out the fruits in a flag design with a rectangle of blueberries in the upper left-hand corner and stripes of strawberries throughout the rest of the fruit pizza.

Cake with Patriotic Fruit Topping

This is similar to the fruit pizza above but instead of using a cookie dough crust, we used a white cake as the base. Then we just added frosting and fruit topping to create an American flag!

Ingredients:

White Box Cake
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 pint whipping cream (whipped)
2 boxes of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 package Danish Dessert Topping
1 package blueberries

Instructions:

1. Cook white cake according to instructions.
2. Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.
3. Combine cream cheese mixture with whipping cream.
4. Make Danish dessert and use juice from the strawberries for liquid. Add strawberries to Danish Dessert.
5. Top Cake with creamy mix
6. Make stripes on the flag with strawberry mixture as shown above.
7. Make "star" corner of the flag by making rows of blueberries as show above.
8. Refrigerate. Best if served cold!

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