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Ways to Play - 4th of July

May 27, 2021

Thanks for checking out this month’s Ways to Play for your 4th of July Little Holiday Box!

Included in your 4th of July Tot Box: custom Little Holiday Stars & Stripes Tee; Mr. Boddington’s Studio Washington, DC ABCs book; a Zoku Mini Pop Mold; retro white sunglasses; two Amborella Organics seed-bearing lollipops; Land of Dough Sand & Sails playdough; and a red star cookie cutter!

Here are some fun and silly ways to learn and play with items in your curated box:

Learning about the American Flag

Show your little this picture of the American Flag and point out the following:

Colors that make up the flag: Red, White & Blue.

Have your youngest littles find something red, white & blue in their Little Holiday box.
Your older kids can learn how to spell each color. Grab a toothpick or similar object to write each word in your playdough.

Number of stars on the flag: There are 50 stars on the flag, which represent the 50 states that make up the United States of America.

Have your children stamp the star cookie cutter into the playdough 50 times. See how fast they can go and what fun designs come out of this counting exercise.
Ask each child this: “Do you think it will take more than 50 licks or fewer than 50 licks to finish your (Rosemary Mint Amborella Organic) lollipop?”
Once that candy’s gone, be sure to plant your seed-bearing stick; this lollipop will grow mint!

Number of stripes on the flag: There are 13 stripes on the flag (7 red stripes and 6 white). Have your little make 13 long stripes with your included play dough. On a roll? You can even create an entire flag with the playdough!

Looking for more ways to play “outside the box”? Read on...

Red, White & Blue Rice Sensory Bin

What you need: uncooked white rice (2-3 cups), red and blue food coloring, a container with a cover, and a bin or tray to contain rice play.
Divide the rice into three equal portions. Set aside one portion of plain white rice.
Have your little one help you add a second portion of rice to a container. Add 7 drops of red food coloring (to represent the 7 red stripes on the flag), close cover tightly and shake. Repeat with the remaining rice, using blue food coloring in a separate container.
Voila! You now have a 4th of July themed sensory bin!
Grab a spoon and a few small cups for your younger littles. Watch their fine motor skills grow as they scoop rice into each cup. With your older littles, use the included star cookie cutter and help them make star shapes with their rice. OR, show them a picture of the American flag and help them copy it with the different rice colors. Make sure they get all 13 stripes in their design (7 red and 6 white).
Oldest kids can count out exactly 50 pieces of white rice—representing the 50 stars on the flag!
For more fun, mix the rice colors together, and then help your littles re-sort the rice into like colors. If you sort 13 or 50 of each color, you’ll reinforce those important American flag numbers!

Firework Art

What you need: Shaving cream, red and blue food coloring, toothpicks, white paper, cardboard (you can cut an old shoebox or even your Little Holiday box) and a large cookie tray or pan with low sides.
Spread shaving cream over the surface of the tray.
Have your little squeeze drops of red and blue food coloring on the shaving cream.
Use a toothpick to spread, mix and swirl the food coloring, creating patterns through the shaving cream.
Place paper over shaving cream designs to capture the artwork. Remove the paper, scrape off excess shaving cream with the cardboard. Hang or lay paper flat to dry.
Display your firework art and repeat as many times as you’d like!