Summer seems to be in full swing! It is HOT here in New England! We’re in the middle of a heat wave, which means lots of pool time and pumping the AC indoors. 4th of July is almost here, so I wanted to do a Patriotic book & craft project to celebrate! We had some fun designing these and reading indoors on a hot day to get a little break from the sun. There are a lot of fun books you could pair with this craft, we chose to go with Wonders of the USA!
What You Need for Your Patriotic Craft
- 2 white paper plates (per kid)
- red, white & blue paint
- paint brushes, sponge stamps, etc
- Beans or pasta
- Scissors
- Stapler & Tape
Time for FUN
I always start with some craft prep before bringing the kids to the counter to play! This time, my craft prep included cutting out a half moon shape from the middle of each paper plate to create a handle, cutting some sponges into star shapes, and rummaging through my cabinets for old pasta.
Properly contain your kids to avoid messes (love my learning tower for this!), and get them ready to paint. Have them paint the raised side of the paper plates with their red, white & blue paints! I helped with the star stamps because they couldn’t figure it out, and were just smearing the paint all over the plate (#momproblems). Really they can decorate it any way they’d like!
After you have created patriotic masterpieces on your paper plates, let them dry! I choose to leave ours overnight, but you could likely paint in the morning and finish the project during the afternoon. I filled the lower section with some old pasta I found, and stapled the edges shut. Now we have a fancy noisemaker!
Let’s Read our Patriotic Book!
Are familiar with Shine-a-light books yet? They are the most unique & fun book I have come across! Kids (or parents) use flashlights behind the page to see hidden pictures. It is helpful for building critical thinking, and help keep kids’ attention during story time. We love to use them at all times of day, but especially covered up in a blanket fort, snuggled in mom’s bed, or in our rocker getting ready for nap time.
Wonders of the USA takes you on a cross-country tour to see our nation’s famous landmarks! Take a look inside the Statue of Liberty, check out the Grand Canyon & Yellowstone National Park, peek inside mission control at NASA.
We learned lots of fun facts
- There are 377 steps to the top of the Statue of Liberty
- The Golden Gate Bridge is painted orange so ship can see it in the fog
- Alligators hold their breath underwater
- The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long over 1 mile deep and 18 miles wide
I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July week! Stay cool, and enjoy all the festivities! There are so many fun patriotic themed books out there, this is just 1! You can check out a bunch of other options here! If you would like to be in the loop for more fun & projects like this patriotic craft & book pairing, check out my VIP group! To learn how to earn this book and many more for free, contact me!
[…] There are some books that draw kids in with interactive pieces. The more involved you can get a child in a book, the more they will enjoy reading! Book with textures, flaps, and interactive elements make kids actively engage in reading materials. Older kids love books with internet references and links to connect technology and reading. One of my favorite parts of being a UBAM book lady is seeing all the incredibly awesome fun and interactive styles we have that make kids get excited about reading! We love to take it up a notch and pair fun crafts & activities with our books to make it a really fun experience! A few of our favorites are our flower & construction sensory bins, and our holiday crafts like our thanksgiving turkeys and patriotic noisemakers! […]