Grab your red, white and blue – next Wednesday is already the 4th of July! Since America’s birthday lands smack dab in the middle of the week this year (which, let’s be honest, allows for a nice break from work), you still have a full weekend to get ready for any preparations that may need to get done. If you’re a last-minute party planner, have no fear – this blog is chock full of 4th of July party ideas you can throw together, including a fun DIY for the kids, and no one will ever know! With summer whizzing by, a day off from work with family fun and some great food is just what we all need this 4th of July.

Americana A-Frame Tent

Let freedom ring! Our Americana A-Frame tent is our most patriotic tent, and obviously perfect to bring along to any 4th of July celebration. Whether you’re hosting your own BBQ, visiting someone else’s, going to the local park or even hanging at a local fireworks show, this tent is the perfect place for kids to relax and celebrate the USA.

The cotton canvas exterior is held up by sturdy wooden frame poles and features painterly stars and stripes. At 42″ x 45″ x 35,” this tent has plenty of room for playing inside while natural light streams through the roll up window – which is also the perfect place to look up and admire the fireworks show. There is also an open floor to allow for imaginative play, no matter the terrain. It is the perfect playtime “home” for your “brave” little one this 4th of July!

DIY Sparklers

Besides the awesome food, the next best thing about 4th of July parties are, of course, the beautiful fireworks displays! While sparklers can be a super fun and beautiful addition to any party, they are also dangerous especially in the hands of little ones. If you’re looking for a lot less stress while also finding a way to help the kids feel like they’re still part of the celebration, making these DIY Sparklers is the perfect solution. The best part is they are super easy, super pretty and super safe!

What you’ll need

• Wooden Dowels
  • The ones we used are 12″ long x 0.125″ width
• Gold Metallic Paper
  • You can find this in the gift wrapping section at Michaels, or you can order a great alternative by clicking here.
• Glue Gun + Glue Sticks
• Scissors

How to make them

1. Start with the gold metallic paper – grab a piece and fold in half.
2. Cut the size strips you want according to the thickness you want.
   1. You can make short sparklers or long ones – or both! – for variety. We chose to do long ones, but you and your kiddos can get creative here!
3. Once you have made your fringe, you will have a folded edge and a fringe edge. Take your folded edge and line it with hot glue from your glue gun, or glide a glue stick along.
4. Line up one end of your dowel to the folded edge where you just layed the glue down.
5. Slowly roll the dowel with the folded edge. Keep going until you reach the other end of the folded edge.
6. Once completely rolled up, set aside and allow to dry.
7. OPTIONAL: If you have extra red, white and blue paint around, paint the wooden dowel to be extra festive.
8. Start waving and celebrating!

More 4th of July party ideas

Of course most 4th of July parties are all about the food, but it’s also just as important to set the right festive ambiance and go all out! If you’re looking to get even more creative this year with your 4th of July party now that you’ve got your DIY Sparklers, here is a list of some other fun additions to any 4th of July party  to think about and grab over the week!

• Red, white and blue: It’s not a 4th of July party if it’s not on everyTHING and featured everyWHERE! It is essential to make sure you stop by your local party supply store to ensure your decor is Americana to the fullest. Also great to grab red, white and blue frosting and sprinkles for cookies or other baked goods you plan on serving. Bonus points for any camo or bald eagle decorations!
• Stars and stripes: Want to make some festive snacks? Grab some star-shaped cookie cutters for a simple way to make a flag out of cookies, or also use the cookie cutters to cut fruit such as watermelon into star shapes!
• Looking for fireworks? You don’t even need to leave your house to watch a great fireworks show. All you need is your TV, or even a projector, and YouTube! Just pull up some videos of fireworks shows and viola – you’ve now got a great, safe fireworks show and a funny ambiance to have at your party!
• Dress as Uncle Sam: This one, the kids are sure to love! All you need is a very patriotic suit and top hat (some are sold at Target or even on Tipsy Elves) along with a white beard and BAM! You are Uncle Sam. Ask to collect taxes from all your party guests for a good laugh!
• Fireworks centerpieces: If you’ve got extra DIY Sparklers, arrange them together in a vase or mason jar for a really cute centerpiece! You can even go the extra step and paint the mason jars red, white and blue.
• More safe firework alternatives: In addition to the DIY Sparklers, there are many other safe firework alternatives to use this 4th of July. You can pop confetti poppers like the ones here, give children a patriotic pinwheel like the ones here to spin around, or get these funny photo props for guests to take photos with!

Let us know!

Do you have more party ideas to celebrate the 4th of July? Or maybe you have some awesome plans this year and plan on making the sparklers? Let us know all the details and how they turn out in the comments below!