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Fourth of July Birthdays
by Kim Tilley
What do you do when your child's birthday
falls on or near a holiday? How do you celebrate both without your child
feeling left out? Actually, most holidays combine very well with birthdays,
particularly the smaller holidays.
The 4th of July in particular is one of the best times to have a birthday.
What was once a tradition of going to see fireworks can become a summer event.
For us, it's our biggest family gathering of the year. We have 7 summer birthdays
to celebrate, including two of my sons, my husband and my father, ranging
from the ages of 2 to 50. Surprisingly, the cost isn't too bad. We all bring
a dish of something, and chip in for the fireworks. Most of the adults get
gag gifts, and we make or buy presents for the kids.
Here are some ideas that we use to combine this holiday and so many birthdays:
Flag Cake
Usually there are a couple of birthday cakes floating around at our celebration,
but the "flag cake" is usually the favorite, and it's so easy. Make your
favorite cake mix or cake recipe in a large, rectangular pan, let cool, then
"ice" it with Cool Whip. Decorate with blueberries and strawberries to make
a flag design on top, and refrigerate until ready to serve. For full recipe
see our Fourth of July Dessert feature
by clicking here.
Friends
If your child is older, he or she may want to invite friends to the celebration.
We have kept our celebrations to mostly family, but do invite friends and
their families over for the cookout and fireworks. Why not invite a few of
your children's friends for the festivities and a backyard campout of sleepover
after the fireworks show?
Party Favors
Have the kids make little flags by drawing the paper flags and attaching
to popsicle sticks, toothpicks, or twigs. Kids can design their own T-shirts
too, with fabric paint. We like to do these ahead, and wear them for the
celebration. You can buy really nice 4th of July applique panels at your
sewing store. The "VIP" Fabric Company makes a wonderful assortment for about
$2-4 for a panel (available at any sewing store), that will do several shirts.
Just fuse onto the shirt with an iron, and then use fabric paint or your
sewing machine to edge the appliques. You can also design iron-ons with your
computer, print them and stick them on a shirt. Check out programs like "Hanes
T-shirt Factory".
More party favor ideas: kids can decorate their own party hats with
sparkles and paint in patriotic colors, or make some fire-free "sparklers"
by painting spools in red, white and blue, then inserting silver pipe cleaners
into the top, You can also add beads to the end of the pipe cleaners.
Fireworks
I have never met a kid who did not like fireworks on his birthday. What a
great way to share a birthday-with your country! At our celebration, everyone
pitches in to pay for fireworks and we put on our own show. If you can't
do that, try to find a nice fireworks show to attend that is not too overcrowded.
A nearby park does fireworks here on July 3rd, which we can see from our
house. We get a double dose of fireworks, which is great fun for the kids.
Editor's Note: Fireworks can be dangerous. We urge you to read this article and make your own educated decisions.
Cookout/Picnic
Have a potluck dinner and cookout. We try to keep all of the activities outside
if possible. Have others bring side dishes and some of the cookout items,
just worry about the birthday cake and burgers. A watermelon or pie-eating
contest can be fun too, make sure to take lots of silly pictures of the
relatives. Don't miss our feature on creating your own picnic kit
by clicking here.
Outdoor Games and Activities
We love to have a "family olympics" at our celebration. We have our annual
badminton "championships", where the winner gets to take home a "traveling
trophy" that is uglier than original sin, that must be displayed proudly
in their home for all to see. We also play volleyball, go fishing and love
to stargaze after the fireworks are over. As the kids get older, we are adding
things that are easier for them to do. This year we are thinking about adding
Frisbeegolf, an outdoor checkers championship, and maybe "twister". The kids
are never bored and enjoy having the adults get in on the fun. Check out some fun outdoor games by clicking here.
Hopefully, a combination of relatives, friends, fireworks, games and presents
will be something your child looks forward to on the 4th of July. Siblings
may wish their birthdays were in July! With a little planning, it can be
a fun, eventful day that your family and friends look forward to all year.
What's Related:
4th of July Wreath
Backyard Camp
Stars & Stripe Shirt
Summer Birthdays
See more Fourth of July crafts and activities in
our Holiday
section.
About the Author
Kim Tilley, a tightwad at heart and the mother of three active boys. Frugal by force
and later by choice, Kim cut her income by 60% to stay at home with her children
and discovered that anyone can live better for less. Her work has appeared
in print publications such as The Tightwad Gazette. In her free time, she
entertains herself by chasing kids and finding ways to create something from
nothing!
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