JUST FOR KIDS
AFUN-FILLED FOURTH OF JULY
by Lucretia Voigt
Ah, the Fourth of July is upon us, and Nantucket is probably one of the best places to be a kid. Water wars on Main Street, chances to dunk someone without getting in trouble and demands to eat as much pie as you can are a kid's dream come true.

Before you send your child out for fun and games, however, there are some activities you can do at home to remind your child about the real reason for this holiday. A great family activity is to make a wreath of handprints in red, white and blue.

Trace each family member's hands onto sheets of red, white or blue construction paper. You want to end up with a minimum of 10 handprints, at least three in each color. Cut out the handprints and glue them together in a circle. Lay it out first to make sure you only put glue where you need it! On each handprint, have the family member write something that they are thankful for in regards to living in America. Maybe they are thankful that we live in a country where there is plenty of food, including candy. Most kids won't say they are thankful for good schools, but parents can interject that into the mix. When you are done, hang it on the refrigerator as a reminder that we are fortunate to live in America.

For school age children, the Fourth of July is also a good time to have a discussion regarding rights. A good book to get the discussion started is "Judy Moody Declares Independence" by Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds. Judy takes a trip to Boston with her family, travels the Freedom Trail and learns about the birth of our country. When she returns home, however, she decides to have a revolution of her own! Of course, there are consequences to her actions, and in the process Judy learns the true meaning of freedom.

Another fun activity that will get your children thinking is to have them create their own flag. Most kids know what America's flag looks like, and that the 13 stripes stand for the original 13 states, and the 50 stars for the current 50 states. You can use any size card stock paper for this craft, but poster board works best.

For this craft, have some markers on hand, as well as crayons and magazines. Have your children consider what they feel is important. It may be their hobbies, team sports (yes, the Boston Red Sox are a national treasure, so that counts), their dog or cat or their best friend. Have them either draw symbols on the flag or cut out pictures from the magazines and glue these onto the flag to represent each of these things. Tell them to make the flag as colorful as they want, designing it as they choose. When they are done, hang the flag on the door to their room to let everyone know about the new country they have formed!

Okay, enough education for one day. Time for fun! Yes, fireworks, including sparklers, are illegal in Massachusetts. There are other ways, however, to make a noisy statement. Finger cymbals are easy and fun to make and can be used during the day and at the fireworks. For each set of cymbals, you will need at least two metal caps either from baby food jars, soda jars or Nantucket Nectar bottles. You will also need craft foam, a glue gun, star stickers and scissors. All of these supplies can be purchased on island at Island Variety. Trace the metal caps onto the foam and cut out the circles. Glue them to the inside of the caps. Cut two strips of foam: one 4 1/2" x 7/8", the other 3 1/2" x 7/8". Make a loop out of each strip and glue one into each of the caps. The larger loop will be for your index and middle finger, the smaller for your thumb. Decorate the cap with stickers and markers.

Another easy noisemaker can be made by recycling prescription bottles, frozen juice cans or small yogurt drink bottles. Rinse them out well before starting this craft!

In addition to the containers, you will also need some tissue paper or red, white and blue wrapping paper, twist ties, markers or stickers and rocks, beans or rice. It's fun to make several of these at a time and to add different items to each one to see how the noise changes. Have your children put a few rocks, beans or rice kernels in their respective container. Don't put too many because you want them to be able to move. Try out the noisemaker before going further. Is it the sound you want?

Once your children are happy with the noise, have them wrap the container in red, white and blue tissue paper or wrapping paper, making sure to leave at least 4" at each end. Secure each end with a twist tie. Your children can then decorate their noisemaker with markers or stickers.

The Fourth of July doesn't seem complete without a fireworks display, so grab your finger cymbals and noisemakers and head down to Jetties Beach. Then get ready to show your appreciation for the awesome fireworks by making

your own noise. I