Arts and Crafts for Fourth of July, Flag Day and Father's Day

If you're feeling crafty for Flag Day, or Father's Day, I've got some ideas over at NJFamily.com.

For Flag Day, there are directions to make this easy, and theoretically mess-free, American Flag using dried beans. And of course, it would be perfect for a Fourth of July celebration as well.

I should note that my toddler son threw the beans all over the kitchen instead of patiently gluing them down, which almost anyone would find annoying.

Kitchen floor. With beans the toddler flung.

Almost anyone except his grandma who said, "good for you - crafts are a waste of time!"

For Father's Day, I've got lots of ideas from the Pinterest font - check out Homemade Gift Ideas for Dear Ol' Dad.

And you can always make Dad a video, check out the one I made my husband for Father's Day last year here.

Happy Flag Day!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Fourth of July!

For lots for Fourth of July arts and crafts, click here.

Red, White and Blue Breakfast: Three Easy Ideas for July Fourth or Memorial Day

I thought it would be fun to make a red, white and blue breakfast for my kids in honor of Memorial Day on the last morning of school before the long weekend. These red, white and blue ideas would also work great for July Fourth!

My two-year-old and I hit up the grocery store and returned with blueberries, strawberries and these funky flat marshallows, ready to see what we could create.

Here are three easy red, white and blue July Fourth or Memorial Day breakfast ideas - all that can be made with just strawberries, blueberries and whatever else you have in the house - we had white chocolate chips just asking to be used up, and sweetened condensed milk. Both worked great for the "white."

1. Pancakes topped with a kabob made from strawberries, blueberries and marshmallows.

2. Pancakes cut-out in star shapes and topped with strawberries, blueberries and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. My kids loved this one so much they insisted on having it again for their after-school snack.

3. Oatmeal topped with strawberries, blueberries and white chocolate chips. I threw a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on this too, because honestly, that stuff tastes good in and on everything.

I also made red, white and blue muffins, which turned out really yummy. I'll post photos and the recipe tomorrow.

Happy Memorial Day! For ways to celebrate the holiday with children in a meaningful way, including a few patriotic flag crafts, visit Memorial Day: A Day of Remembrance.

Handprint Crafts for June - Graduations, Flag Day and Father's Day

It's June and the crafting is easy with grads and dads to celebrate, as well as the grand ol' flag. And yes, I've found handprint crafts to share for all these holidays. You can also check some of the previous handprint craft posts for suns, flowers and other fun crafts for summertime.

For many families, June brings a graduation or a "moving up' ceremony.  I love this personalized graduation certificate from Makes and Takes, made with a child's handprint. This project is easy enough to make at school with every child in the class, or at home for a family keepsake:

Photo from MakesandTakes.com

Flag Day is on Saturday, June 14. This holiday commemorating the adoption of the 13-star version of the Flag of the United States in 1777 (the 50-star version was adopted on July 4, 1960) is the perfect time to make a handprint flag with your own little patriots:

Photo from LessonPlansPage.com

You can also make a flag with handprints and footprints. Serendipity has great instructions for making this patriotic masterpiece:

Photo from Serendipity

Father's Day is Sunday, June 15, and I love combining the handprint theme with the sentiment "Best Dad, Hands Down" on everything from tee shirts to ceramic tiles to greeting cards.

Roots and Wings Co. has a version on canvas,which is explained in great detail, but to be honest, still seems like it would be a lot of work for a regular person like me to create. Still, it looks so good it would be worth the effort. I'm planning to give it my best mom-try with the kids.

Photo from Roots and Wings Co.

I also love this Father's Day Hand Print Sun Catcher. The Homeschool Classroom has very detailed instructions, and a reminder for along the way that it's the process not the product. So true in life in general, and especially when crafting with kids.

Happy June, happy handprint crafts, and happy summer!

Have other great crafts to share? Please leave your links in the comments below.