30 Days of Summer - Post #5 - Hooray For the Red, White, and Blue!

Tomorrow (Wednesday, July 4, 2018) the United States of America will celebrate her 242nd birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! 🎂

And HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to YOU AND YOURS! 🎆🎉🎇

How do you and your family celebrate the 4th of July at your house?

Here are some of the things that our family has done to celebrate it at ours...

* Have a backyard barbecue and invite the neighbors or extended family over to join the fun!

* Have a blast at your picnic by putting out table crackers, which look like giant firecrackers, but are actually cardboard tubes filled with treats. Save toilet paper rolls, and cover the tubes with red, white, and blue tissue paper. Before sealing ends, fill with such things as printed out patriotic sayings, small red, white, and blue toys, foil-wrapped candies, or other treats (use your imagination). Seal ends, adding a piece of gold starred and glittered wire garland on top for fuse.

* Layer pre-made blueberry Jell-O, Cool Whip Topping, and strawberry or cherry Jell-O in clear cups. Top with a dollop of Cool Whip. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

* Put a patriotic spin on party games. For example, pin the name of an American icon on the back of each guest's shirt. Choose important people, places, symbols…even quotes found throughout our country's early history. For example…Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Francis Scott Key, Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, Philadelphia,Boston, the Old North Church, Constitution Hall, American eagle, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, "One if by land and two if by sea!", "Give me liberty or give me death!", "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.", etc. Each guest goes around and asks questions of the others, obtaining clues until they guess correctly who, or what, they are. Get creative with your selections and have fun!

* Wear red, white, and blue clothing, patriotic jewelry, and sparkly hair accessories.

* Watch The Patriot with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.

* Give small children large pieces of bubble wrap to stomp on. When they stomp it sounds like firecrackers going off. The kids love it and…just think…no mess, no smell, and no danger!

* Read the Declaration of Independence aloud as a family. Talk about what it really means and discuss the men that signed it.

* Plant red, white, and blue flowers in your flowerbeds and window-boxes. Things like petunias, inpatients, salvia, alyssium, and geranium work well. If you have enough space, and the ambition, plant them to resemble a flag!

* Fly your flag!

* Make Minuteman Ice Cream Sandwiches by spooning ½ cup vanilla ice cream between 2 chocolate wafer cookies. Roll edges in red, white,and blue sprinkles. Freeze until time to serve.

* Attend parades and local firework displays in your area.

* Put on your own firework display.

* Have a red, white, and blue water balloon fight.

* Make a cool, patriotic dessert.

Photo Credit

AMERICAN BERRY NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE

2 packages (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar

2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

1 ready to use graham cracker crust
2 cups fresh strawberries, halved
1/3 cup blueberries

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Whisk in Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set. Arrange berries in rows to resemble flag.

That's some of the things that we've done in the past to celebrate the 4th of July at our house. Now feel free to share some of yours!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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