Kids can make these Fourth of July crafts, using just red, white, and blue construction paper and some basic craft supplies.
Make an Uncle Sam Hat
It’s easy to make an Uncle Sam top hat from white and blue paper, with a paper plate for a brim. Although the traditional Uncle Sam hat is plain white with a blue band and white stars, stripes using strips of red paper or markers can be added.
Supplies:
- White paper plate
- Scissors
- Four sheets of white paper
- One sheet of blue paper
- Pencil
- Glue
- Tape
Directions for Uncle Sam Hat:
- Carefully poke a hole in the center of the paper plate, and cut away the center of the plate, leaving only the rim.
- Place the paper plate rim on a piece of white paper and trace around the inside edge.
- Cut out the white paper circle and set it aside. This will the top of the hat.
- Tape three sheets of white paper together, overlapping them slightly along the long edges, so that they form one long, tall piece.
- Cut the sheet of blue paper width-wise into thirds.
- Glue the pieces of blue paper to the lower edge of the white paper.
- Cut stars from the extra sheet of white paper, and glue them to the blue paper.
- Overlap the ends of the white paper together, forming a cylinder.
- Adjust the amount of overlap until the cylinder is the right size to fit inside the paper plate rim, then tape the ends of the paper together.
- Tape the cylinder to the paper plate rim, then tape the white circle to the top of the cylinder to complete the Uncle Sam hat.
Make a Fourth of July Paper Windsock
This simple Independence Day craft uses construction paper and crepe paper to make a colorful, patriotic windsock to hang outside on a dry summer day.
Supplies:
- Red, white, and blue construction paper
- Red, white, and blue crepe paper
- Scissors
- Tape
- Yarn or ribbon
Windsock Directions:
- Cut four strips of red paper, each about 3 inches tall and the width of the paper. Do the same for the white and blue paper.
- Tape two red strips together end to end, then tape the other two red strips together end to end. Do the same for the white and blue strips, making two long strips of each color.
- Arrange the strips in alternating colors, overlapping them slightly along the long edges.
- Tape the strips of paper together along the long edges.
- Cut pieces of red, white, and blue crepe paper for the tails of the windsock.
- Tape the ends of the crepe paper to the bottom edge of the strips of paper.
- Overlap the ends of the strips of paper, forming a cylinder, then tape the ends of the paper together.
- Cut three pieces of yarn or ribbon, each about 12 inches long.
- Tape the ends of the yarn or ribbon to the inside of the top of the windsock, spacing them evenly.
- Tie the untaped ends of the yarn or ribbon together, and hang up the windsock.
Children can also combine these two crafts and make an Uncle Sam windsock by following the instructions for the paper plate hat, then attaching red, white, and blue crepe paper streamers to the brim.
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