Independence
Day Activities & Crafts
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Why
do we celebrate the 4th of July?
Imagine how you would feel if you moved into your own house but
your older sister or brother kept telling you what to do all of
the time and was forcing you to give them more and more money
all the time. It would be very frustrating and would make you
angry right? Well that is how the colonists felt. They were the
settlers who lived in this great land and Great Britain kept trying
to make them follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started
getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own
rules. They no longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell
them what to do; they wanted to become an independent country.
To
inform Great Britain that they (the Colonists) had decided to
govern themselves, a group of appointed officials (Congress) met
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and appointed a group of people
to write the formal document that would be sent to Great Britain.
The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write a first copy of
the document, so he worked for days, until he had written a document
that he thought said everything important that the committee had
discussed. On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read Jefferson's
work. They revised the document and declared their independence
on July 2, 1776. They officially made it theirs on July 4, 1776.
That is why we call it "Independence Day." Congress
ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence
and they all began signing the "official" copy on August
2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies
to all of the states.
The
Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper.
The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for
treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave
to sign something that would be considered a crime! So next July
4th remember all those brave people who risked their life to stand
up for what they believed in, your independence.
Homemade
Flag
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: High
Material: A large sheet of white paper, a sheet
of blue paper, red and white paint, a sponge and glue
Instructions: Glue the blue sheet of paper to
the upper left hand side of the paper. If you white sheet is not
big enough then you will need to trim the blue sheet. Cut a star
shape out of the sponge and have your child dip in the white paint
to make the stars on the blue sheet. Then let your child paint
the red and white stripes. Once dry put your child’s creation
in a special spot to help celebrate the occasion.
Bike
of Independence
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Red, White and Blue Balloons and Streamers
Instructions Help your child decorate their bike, tricycle or
wagon with the red, white and blue balloons and streamers.
Stars
Galore
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: High
Material: Red, white and blue paper, scissors,
glitter, glue, paint, crayons and any other material you might
have.
Instructions: Cut out star shapes for your child.
Older kids can cut out their own but you will need to draw them
for them. Have your child decorate the shapes with markers, crayons,
pens, paint, glitter, and whatever else you may have.
Star
Necklaces
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material: Yarn, construction paper, colored beads
and a hole-punch.
Instructions: Have your child cut out some different
colored stars. With your hole-punch (or a sharp pencil) put a
hole in each star. Thread the different stars and beads onto the
yarn to make their own special 4th of July necklace.
Explain
Old Glory
Age: 5 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material: A US flag, map (or picture of a map)
of the USA and one of the original 13 colonies.
Instructions: Explain to your child what the
stars and stripes on the US flag represent. Talk about the original
13 colonies and how they became the United States of America.
