Free fun is always fabulous to have.  The Fourth of July should be a fun-filled day of picnics and fireworks.  I was flummoxed to read how many communities may have to cancel their festivities due to failure to find funding.

To help the families in these communities, I decided to scour the web and find some free fun people can share with their friends and families.

Here is a site that filled to the gills with activities, games, recipes, facts, crafts and more! Check out how to make salt playdough pins. Salt playdough is an inexpensive way to make your kids playdough. It uses 3 ingredients that most people will already have on hand. All you need is salt, flour and water. I made this for my children when they were younger. It is very simple to make and it's non-toxic!

This site includes directions for a "Star Studded Door Hanger" that uses white paper plates, and a few other easy to get items. This would be a fun activity for kids at the picnic, and you will probably have the plates on hand already! Kids always enjoy making something they can keep and bring home. It makes any gathering much more memorable for the children.

Have the kids have their own parade if the town's has been cancelled! Instructions on decorating bikes and trikes are included here. Start a new neighborhood tradition using these ideas. Gather all the kids on the block and have them get busy! It is a great way to meet each other and show community spirit.

Have a game of Bingo during your picnic. Kids love Bingo, in fact everyone loves a game that allows them to jump up and yell a funny word. This site has 4th of July themed Bingo templates that you can print in color or black and white. Add a few inexpensive prizes and you have a new family favorite!

There are also 4th of July word search games, word mining games and word ladder games. All of these will help the kids have fun and stay out of trouble. Word mining is when you make different words from a phrase such as "Fourth of July". You make words using the letters in the phrase, you can make the word "foot" for example. Word ladders are when you change one word into another word by changing on letter at a time. For example you can change "flag" into "four".

You can get directions on making "Festive Book Marks". These include an option to have the Pledge of Allegiance print on the back. Make a "Flag Bag" for the kids to put their Bingo prizes in. Or you could try the "Doorknob Hangers" or the "Fourth of July Fold Out Greeting Cards".

All your little princesses will love this!  "Betsy" the paper doll, complete with different outfits, flags, bows, hats and ribbons.  My daughter used to love paper dolls.  When I made them with her I would usually glue to doll part to some thin cardboard, like a cereal box.  If you plan to make these, you may want to save various cereal boxes, cracker boxes and such to glue the dolls to.

You can download coloring pages for the little ones.  Patriotic screen savers are available for free.  You can print off flags and have the kids glue them to popsicle sticks or toothpicks to make their own flags.  (Click on the picture of the bear holding a flag.)  You can get finger puppets for the kids to cut out and play with.  This site also has some downloadable games such as jigsaw puzzles that are free.

If your town is foregoing a fireworks display this year, go to this site and watch their firework display.  Sit everyone down after dark and oohhh and aaahhh over these fabulous fireworks.  It may not be the biggest or brightest display you have ever seen, but they are fireworks.  What is the Fourth of July without fireworks?

This site has a very ingenious "Uncle Sam" craft you make with a small stick or twig.  The older kids will love this.  First have them go and forage for their stick, then they can paint it into Uncle Sam.  Some cardboard and felt will complete the look.  This will be something they can keep for years.

They also have a slew of recipes available.  BBQ everything, burgers, chicken, pork, seafood, veggies, and more.  Desserts like "Mom's Apple Pie" and "US Flag Cake".  Different types of picnic salads, marinades and appetizers are also highlighted. 

Remember the pet rock? This great site has instructions on making a "Patriotic Rock". First have the kids find a suitable rock. Then paint it. What a wonderfully simple idea! Kids really love items they make themselves and this is one that will stand the test of time. I think that when they get to choose their materials, as in choosing the perfect rock, they feel more ownership in it.

Pinwheels are so much fun. You will learn how to make a "Patriotic Pinwheel" using paper, a pencil and a thumbtack. This site includes complete instructions to make a pinwheel. It does advise this craft for older kids only since thumbtacks are being used.

You can get a neat "Fourth of July Activity Book" that will give the kids hours of activity. They also have instructions for making you own "Fireworks" using dark construction paper, glitter and glue. I really like the "Penny Pendant". There are many more here also. Most of these crafts seem best for older children.

Can you, like I, remember making things out of cardboard egg cartons?  This site has the cutest "Uncle Sam" made from an egg carton.  Some construction paper, yarn, glue, paint and egg carton will give you an "Uncle Sam" you will love.  Make a craft and recycle, the best of both worlds!

There is a "Patriotic Torch" you can make from construction paper and crepe paper.  The kids will have fun making it and even more fun waving it around.  If you have boys, I am sure it will become part of a "sword" fight!

There are printouts to make "Patriotic People" mobiles and a "Patriotic" mobile from pictures of the Flag, Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell and more.  You will find instructions on making a "Patriotic Hat".  They describe how to make a "Stars and Stripes" picture that seems pretty foolproof. 

One note:  You will need to sign into this site to print the printouts.  However, it is full of good information for families.

"Chicken and Chili Cheese Cups", "Grilled Pound Cake with Berries and Ice Cream"...yummy, I'm getting hungry!  Oh yea, I am looking for crafts for the kids.  I must say that those recipes look delicious!  I will be trying them out myself later.

I love this one and so will your kids!  "Can-Do Stilts" are made from 2-29oz tin cans, and clothesline.  How simple can that be.  You will need to have a puncture type can opener it says and of course you'll want paint to make it more fun.  This is one idea I have never tried, and it sure does look like a winner!

Everyone can be a winner with these "Crowning Glory" crowns.  Using duct tape and flexible straws and topped with colored pipe cleaners, glittery pompoms, pieces of garland, and any other crazy thing you can think of, these are sure to be a hit.  The kids and parents will laugh at each other's funny crowns.

I hope these links help you to have the best Fourth of July celebration ever! Even if your town is having festivities, get the kids in the neighborhood together and have your own parade. It is the fun things that you do with your children that will live in their memories forever. They may remember the fireworks, but they will never forget the parade.

Kids love to be creative and crafts are a wonderful outlet. They create a sense of pride in one's self and increase confidence and competence. Your child will become more secure in their self when they create things. Always be sure to praise the finished product and never compare one's to another.

I want to wish everyone a safe and fun Fourth of July this year. Enjoy, have fun and make memories.

(**Remember, fireworks are fun, but they can be dangerous. Make sure you supervise their use. Kids often learn through their mistakes, but we want to keep them safe. I have known a few people in my life who lost fingers or a hand from playing dangerously with fireworks.)