Easy Kids Crafts for Fourth of July

I don’t know why the Fourth of July feels like a crafting holiday to me, but it does. I guess it’s because stars and stripes and red, white and blue are such simple things to work with and build off of, and there’s something extra-homey about a kid-made American flag.

Even if you’re not super crafty yourself, these kid crafts for the Forth of July are quick and easy to make and fun to use as decor for all your holiday gatherings.

These cute ribbon wand flags from Ruffles and Rain Boots are also a great fine-motor skill activity for little ones as they loop the ribbon to attach it to the stick. Add to the fun by painting the sticks if you like (before you add the ribbon, of course!).

Speaking of ribbon, Momfessionals has an easy flag craft inspired by a wind sock made from a plastic cup and ribbons. This one is especially great for parents (or teachers!) who don’t like the mess that’s often associated with kids crafting.

Stringing beads is another great fine-motor skill builder, and kids can get lots of practice stringing beads when they make these patriotic necklaces. These are made with beads and paper straws. Littler kids can make beaded bracelets with pipe cleaners and pony beads. Get the tutorial from Buggy and Buddy.

Paper tubes are a great base for all sorts of crafts, including this patriotic blower from Natural Beach Living. There is a little painting involved, so this one isn’t quite as quick as some of the other ones, but they’re still really cute.

I thought these rockets from Heart Filled Spaces were also a paper tube craft, but it’s actually all made with cardstock cut with a cutting machine (there are instructions for doing it by hand, too). You could use a tube if you wanted to make it a little easier!

Or make this cute straw painted paper plate star craft from Our Kid Things. This one can get a little messy, but it’s also a lot of fun!

Fall is a great time to learn about and observe the birds in your area, but you can do this any time of year. Whether you’re watching from a backyard or a playground, you’re sure to find a few birds and can learn about the birds that are native to your region in any case.

If you do see birds at home or where your classroom is, the Merlin app is a great one (if your school allows phones). If you don’t already know it, it listens to the sounds around you and can identify birds based on their calls. Very cool and a reason for kids to be quiet while you’re observing nature. Having an old fashioned paper guidebook to the birds where you live is also a great idea because kids can use it to look up birds and it’s just fun to have in the science center.

The specific birds involved in your learning will vary depending on where you live, but here are some bird activities you can do with your kids at home or in the classroom.

Natural Beach Living set up a simple bird nature study center that includes bird books and feathers in front of a big window. There are also some printables you’ll find links to in this post including three part cards and bird observation charts for birds local to them and a bird unit study with lots of great printables (this is a paid resource).

Adventure in a Box has a printable birds of the world bingo game, which might inspire you to learn more about some of the 48 different birds included, from emu to snowy owl, grackle to Atlantic puffin.

If you’re American you’ll enjoy these state bird coloring pages from Flanders Family Home Life. If I can count, only 48 states are listed (which I wouldn’t have noticed except Arkansas isn’t there; it’s one of many whose state bird is the mockingbird). Print out all of them or just your home state, or give each child a bird to research and color to do a presentation in the classroom.

And you can learn more about the different types of bird nests and see if you can observe any of them on a nature walk with this guide to bird nests from Fun Mom Printables on Etsy. It includes information about eight types of nests with drawings and three part cards.

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