More Patriotic Fun

We were going to stamp with just star cookie cutters but when I was looking through my stash I found that I have a flag and country cookie cutter.  Who knew!  So using red, white and blue paint Eva got busy stamping away.  (We used gray paper as our base so the white would show up.)

I hung the finished product up with our fireworks from the other day.

Eva also got to practice her fine motor skills using tongs to pick up sparkly pompoms.  We tried chopsticks first but those little guys were a little too slippery.

The tongs worked much better and Eva was able to sort the pompoms by colors-red, white and blue.

Then she got fancy and made each star red, white and blue.

We hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe weekend!  Happy Canada Day!  Happy Friendship Day!  Happy Fourth of July!

Stars and Books

I found a bunch of red, white and blue felt stars in the dollar bins at JoAnn Fabric and thought they would be perfect for patterns!  Eva did great when I used all three colors but had trouble with two (she wanted to add the third one in).

We also went to the children's museum and found some more patriotic books (our museum is also part of our county's library system and they have tons of books!).
    

Fireworks

Eva has never seen actual fireworks so we watched this video from New Year's:

Then we set to making our fireworks picture.  We used white glue, a loofah and glitter.  First, Eva dipped the loofah in glue and stamped it on a sheet of black construction paper.

Then I put some glitter in a cup for her to sprinkle on the glue.

We let that dry and then we were able to admire our own firework display.

July Fourth Fun

This week we will be preparing for the Fourth of July with a bunch of patriotic activities.

Small Motor Activities
Musical Instruments- we'll bring out the instruments we made for Memorial Day to play along with patriotic music

Pattern Stars- we'll use red, white and blue stars to create patterns

Large Motor Activities
Marching- left, right, left, we'll be marching around the yard in our own little parade

Sparkler Twirling- we'll put to use the fire-free sparklers we plan on making

Crafts
Sparklers- these sparklers won't ever burn out because they'll be made from pencils and patriotic garland

Glitter Fireworks- we'll loofah paint some glue and then add sparkling glitter to form these Fourth of July must-haves

Red, White and Blue Star Painting- we'll use star cookie cutters and star-shaped sponges to make an All-American collage

Condiment Finger Painting- nothing says the Fourth like hot dogs so we will honor that holiday tradition by finger painting with ketchup and mustard

Field Trip
Train Ride around America- okay we won't be going on a ride around the entire country but we will go on the train at the local children's museum and check out the giant postcards from around the U.S.A

Fourth of July Parade- an annual tradition!

Books

   

(Image source- http://www.goodreads.com/)

Happy Memorial Day!

Eva and I hope that you have an enjoyable day and take time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
We are decked out in our red, white and blue today.  Eva made a special hat to wear by sponge painting stars on blue construction paper and then adding glitter glue and star glitter.  I cut the paper in half and then stapled to fit around her head.

We also made some red, white and blue cupcakes based on the this tutorial.  We'll be sharing them with our cousins at a cookout this evening.

Edited to Add:  Here is the final product partially enjoyed:

They came out really well!  I topped them with whipped cream frosting, red sprinkles and blueberries.  They tasted great with a side of watermelon.
Finally we honored the fallen soldiers by marching in our own mini parade.

Have a wonderful day everyone!  Our new theme will be up later today.