Simple 4th of July Crafts

Here are two simple crafts you and your children can make to help celebrate the 4th of July.  Both crafts could be used in a Patriotic parade or simply to make your children more festive in July!  If you are planning a gathering for July the 4th, you could prepare the supplies for these crafts, and let the children make and enjoy them that day.   I loosely followed the directions found on the Family Fun website (Headband, Wand) to create these crafts.

Patriotic Headband

Supplies Needed For Each Headband:

• 2 sheets of 9″ x 12″ craft foam (red, white, or blue)
• 54″ duct tape (red, white, or blue)
• 8 pipe cleaners (red, white, blue, gold, or silver)
• 16 small (about 3/4″) foam sticker stars
• several other small stars or other Patriotic stickers

Directions:

• Cut each foam sheet into strips measuring 2″ by 9″. (I used a paper cutter for this.)
• Carefully cut each strip in half, but stop about 1 ” from the bottom.  Do not completely cut the strips in half.
• Line the 10 of the strips up, uncut edge at the bottom, side by side, alternating colors.  (You can use the 2 extra strips for another headband.)
• Cut a strip of duct tape, 26″ long.
• Carefully place the duct tape across the bottom of the lined up foam strips.
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• Turn the whole thing over.  Now the sticky side of the tape is facing up, and it should extend a couple of inches beyond the foam strips on each end.
• Use two star stickers for each pipe cleaner, and sandwich the end of the pipe cleaner between the two star stickers. 
• Lay the pipe cleaners, star end up, in the center of 8 of the foam strips.
• Place another 26″ strip of duct tape on this side of the headband, enclosing the pipe cleaners and the other side of the foam strips.
• Decorate the outside of the headband with the other stickers.
• Measure the headband to fit your child’s head, and then secure with a small strip of duct tape.

Patriotic Wand

Supplies Needed for Each Wand:

• 12 in. long dowel rod
• 3 12 in. lengths of ribbon (3 different colors)
• 1 large foam star
• 1 medium foam star sticker
• 1 small foam start sticker

Directions:

• Stick the small sticker on the medium sticker, and then stick the medium sticker on the large foam star.
• Hot glue the stars to one end of the dowel rod.
• Tie the 3 lengths of ribbon in a knot underneath where you glued the stars.

The Finished Products!

Roan recently finished her tenth year of homeschooling her children.  She tries to provide the supplies and instructions for seasonal crafts, and she usually blogs about her family’s craft endeavors (and various other homeschooling, homemaking, and exercise related topics)  at her personal blog, Joyful Always.