4th of July activities

Are you needing to entertain children and guests during the 4th of July? Here are some activities for your family and friends.

Capture the flag

Croquet

Baseball

Basketball

Bike ride

Bob for apples

Bocce ball

Bowling (use liter soda bottle for pins & play outside)

Build a fort using sheets & other materials outside

Donut eating contest (hang them from a string...no hands)

Egg toss contest

Feed the ducks

Fireworks: your own or the cities

Fishing

Flag football

Fly kites

Four-square

Frisbee

Frisbee golf

Go for a walk

Go miniature golfing

Go rollerblading

Go swimming

Go to a park

Have a BBQ: see my BBQ ideas here

Have a picnic

Hide-and-seek

Hike

Hopscotch

Kickball

Limbo

Night games: No bears are out tonight

Pie contest: who makes the best one?

Potato sack race

Shuffle board or make your own (a smaller version) called kick the disk

Soccer

Street hockey

Relay race

Tackle football

Tag: freeze, tv, shadow, etc.

Three legged race

Volleyball

Watch a parade

Water balloon volleyball

Water baseball

Water fight

Even more outdoor activities here

BBQ menu ideas

July is here! Can you believe it; the year is just zooming by.

Let's get our wheels turning and plan a great 4th of July BBQ. Remember you don't have to make all of these but this will help you gather your perfect BBQ ingredients!

For beverages you will need:

Lemonade

Ice water

Juice

Punch

Soda

Patriotic drink: cranberry juice, blue Gatorade, 7-up, ice cubes

For the appetizers you will need:

Chips & dip (or 7 layer dip)

Crackers & cheese (or a cheese ball)

Shrimp & cocktail sauce

Meatballs

Chicken wings

Veggie plate: carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, pickles, olives (black & green), dip, etc.

Fruit plate: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

For the main course you will need:

Hamburgers & buns

Hot dogs & buns

Bratwurst

Grilled bbq chicken

Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, salt, pepper, ranch, etc.

Toppings: cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions (raw & grilled), sauteed mushrooms, etc.

For the side dishes you will need:

Potato salad

Green salad

Pasta salad

Fruit salad

Jello salad

Deviled eggs

Baked beans

Watermelon

Coleslaw

Corn on the cob

Green beans (or casserole)

Funeral potatoes

Grilled zucchini

Baked potatoes & toppings

Sweet potatoes & toppings

Potato wedges

Grilled pineapple

For dessert you will need:

Cobbler: apple, cherry, peach, etc.

Cake or cupcakes

Pie: berry, pumpkin, key lime, lemon meringue

Cookies: peanut butter, snicker doodle, sugar, chocolate chip

Brownies (or mint)

Ice cream

Popsicles

Patriotic pinwheel tutorial

Today we will be making decorative pinwheels for the 4th of July.

You will need:

decorative paper (preferably double sided)

hot glue

iRock gems (or other centerpieces like buttons)

craft sticks (or popsicle sticks, clothes pins, wooden dowel)

Star banner tutorial

Today we will be making a Patriotic Star banner.

You will need:

red, white & blue craft paper

white yarn

hot glue

hole punch

stapler

4th of July ideas

Our Country is preparing to celebrate our Independence. So lets decorate and party!

To see my BBQ ideas go here

To see my 4th of July activities go here

Star Garland:

6x11 inches of red, white & blue stationary weight paper

scissors

stapler

pencil

hole punch

string

See my tutorial here

Martha Stewart's directions here

Patriotic pinwheels:

5 inch squares in two sided decorative paper

glue

scissors

map tacks

clothes pins

My decorative pinwheel tutorial here

Martha Stewart's directions here

Sand candles:

sand in red, blue, white

drinking glasses

clear vases or jars

funnel

small candles

directions here

Wind streamers:

empty oatmeal containers

blue & white craft paper

glue

double sided tape

twine/string

red & white ribbon/crepe paper

hole punch

directions here

Centerpiece cans:

clean cans

festive craft paper

double sided tape/hot glue gun

directions here

Flag party favors:

2x10 inch clear plastic bags

round blue candies

red & white candy sticks

string/ribbon

directions here

Martha Stewart gives us these great ideas and more, check them out here.

Family fun has tons of children's crafts and ideas as well, check it out here.