This holiday craft for Fourth of July celebrations will let kids party on Independence Day in style! As an added bonus, children will learn a little history along the way.
Before beginning the craft, you may wish to give a little historical background about the meaning behind the celebration. A good way to start, is by reading the board book The Story of America's Birthday, by Patricia A. Pingry.
Before you begin, use the 3" bands of red construction paper to measure the circumference of each child's head. This will help you determine the appropriate length for each headband. Be sure to leave a little extra so that the ends can be overlapped. This will be important when it comes time to staple or tape the band into a circle.
Instruct students to lay their red construction paper bands on the table in front of them.
Give each child 13 white pipe cleaners which have been cut into various lengths. Instruct students to lay the pipe cleaners our perpendicular to the red construction paper, so that they are equally spaced from the beginning to the end. Walk around to be certain pipe cleaners are not bunched together.
Help children tape each pipe cleaner to the red construction paper. Be certain the tape is laid over the end of the pipe cleaner, so that the pointy end will not irritate the child's head once the headband is worn.
Using the pairs of blue stars which have already been cut, instruct the children to use their glue stick to glue one star to the front of the pipe cleaner and one star to the back - so that the two starts are actually stuck together, with the pipe cleaner in between.
When the glue has dried, circle the band of construction paper around the child's head once again. This time, staple or tape the overlapping ends together, to form a circular headband. Now you're ready to wear your new headband to your Independence Day celebration!
Explain to your students that the first American flag had 13 stars on it, just like their headbands. These 13 stars were meant to represent the 13 British colonies which formed the first 13 states in America. You can go on to explain that a "colony" is an area of faraway land that is ruled by another country. In this case, the people who lived in the 13 colonies had come to America from England. Even though they lived here in America, they were still under the rule of the King of England and were considered English citizens.
The Fourth of July or Independence Day, is the day commemorating the signing of an important piece of paper that said the King could no longer rule us. That important piece of paper is called the Declaration of Independence.
Spend some time reinforcing these concepts by reading The Star-Spangled Banner, by Rachel E. Or, look no further than Bright Hub for additional holiday crafts for Fourth of July celebrations and parties.