26 Activities to Celebrate Independence this July.

This year marks our country’s 243rd birthday. Celebrate our great and powerful nation with some fun and family friendly activities.

16 Patriotic Activities to Celebrate the Fourth

1. Get your science fill with these fireworks in a jar.
2. Make your kids’ day with this patriotic slime
3. Celebrate the ideals our country was founded on.
4. Try a safer version of fireworks this 4^th of July.
5. Put some math into your 4^th of July celebrations.
6. Play a classic game on America’s birthday.
7. Go to a parade
8. Create something unique to wave at the parade.
9. Need something to wear to that parade?
10. It’s hot out there, make a water bottle holder for that parade.
11. Make this sweet and mostly healthy patriotic snack.
12. Get busy creating these fun and safe confetti launchers.
13. Create some quick decorations for your 4^th of July party.
14. Have the kids decorate their bicycles and have their own neighborhood parade.
15. Make some healthy patriotic pizzas.
16. Make your own bubble wands

10 Independent Activities for Visual Kids

Creativity is a thought process. But to hear our thoughts, we need to turn off the noise and tune into what our mind can imagine. Being comfortable in a quiet atmosphere needs to start in childhood. Here are 10 ways to help your kids enjoy being quiet.

1. Arts and Crafts:  Offer a wide variety of options, for any age and any interest level. Whether it’s craft sticks and pipe cleaners, building materials or jewelry-making kits, head to your local arts and crafts store and scour the aisles for supplies or prepackaged activity sets that will interest your child.
2. Building with Legos:  Legos and other construction toy sets provide hours of quiet, focused activity. While your child is deep in thought assembling pieces, their mind is learning to see and imagine, three dimensionally. 
3. Head Outside: Enjoy the great outdoors with your kids, even if it’s your own backyard. Take walks together, lie in the grass and see shapes in the clouds, spend an evening counting stars, tell stories around the campfire or catch lightening bugs on warm summer nights.
4. Drawing and Coloring: Crayons, markers and sketchpads provide endless opportunity for time spent in quiet reflective thought. A package of copy machine paper and set of washable markers are a low cost investment with a high return.
5. Listen to Music: With so much sound happening all around us, this may not seem like a quiet activity. Play classical or instrumental music while kids are busy with hands-on projects, or just be still and simply enjoy listening.
6. Read Books: Some kids spend time reading by choice. For others, it’s a lifetime love that needs to be cultivated. Set aside time to read with your child and to your child. Choose books that interest them, while including new ideas and adventures.
7. Solo Playtime: Encourage your child to spend time playing in their room, alone. This may seem a bit obvious but is often overlooked in the flurry of scheduled activity. Whether your child’s a natural or “alone time” needs to be developed, it has a far reaching impact.
8. Play the piano: Music lessons have value far beyond instrument competency. They enhance academic abilities, provide an activity children can do independently and one that may follow them into adulthood. Don’t have a real piano in the house? Not to worry, small portable keyboards are perfect for little fingers to practice. 
9. Bath time: Instead of another rushed activity to fit into an overly busy day, fill the tub, gather the bath toys — bubbles or no bubbles — and invite your child to enjoy a peaceful end-of-day bath. Don’t rush it.
10. Writing in Journal: Encourage your child to write in a journal regularly. The pages may be filled with words, pictures, stories or doodles, depending on their age and learning style. Keep it fun, and switch it up with special notebooks, a fancy pen or colorful markers.