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3, 2, 1, launch! Try making these super simple paper cup launchers for a backyard rocket launch competition that’s out of this world.

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Place two rubber bands lengthwise across the cup, making a cross shape over the opening.

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Add a third rubber band around the cup, to secure the two rubber bands in place. This will be the "rocket."

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Get ready to launch! Place a second cup upside down on a flat surface. Put the "rocket" over the base cup. Holding the lip of the rocket cup, pull down and release! Watch your "rocket" go flying!

cups (2)

rubber bands (3+)

Rubber Band Powered Cup Launcher

bugs

nature science

nature crafts

plant science

art-science projects

summer

plants

Nothing ruins a great picnic celebration like mosquito bites. This year, I'm going to make some natural DIY mosquito repellent that also serves as decoration so that my family and I can enjoy the weekend festivities without any unwanted visitors. I was surprised how easy the DIY mosquito repellent jars were to make, and that all I needed were a few ingredients from the produce section of the grocery store. Once I had the lemons, limes, and rosemary, it only took me a few minutes to make each container. Plus, I could make them before the party and just screw the lid on tight until it was party time.

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Gather the materials you need to make your natural DIY mosquito repellent.

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Slice up the lemons and the limes. Have a grownup assistant help with this step.

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Fill the water about 3/4 of the way up with water. 

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Place a few slices of lemon and lime on top of the water. 

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Place a floating tea light candle on top. Your DIY mosquito repellent is ready! Now, when it's time to party, all you have to do is light the candle. Use them at your next picnic, backyard party, or camping trip to keep those pesky mosquitoes away. It's the natural essential oils in the plants that make this DIY mosquito repellent effective. They don't like them, which means they won't be hanging around your party.

jar / glass jar / mason jar

lemons

limes

rosemary

floating tea light candle

water

knife

Natural DIY Mosquito Repellent

summer fun

Summer means warm weather, outdoor fun, and fireworks!  My kids are obsessed with the decorations and fun of the 4th of July!  To get ready, we made these fun toilet paper roll fireworks.  The kids had a great time painting them and have loved marching around with the streamers flying behind them.  They are all set for the parades!

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Gather all materials.  I always keep a basket in the bathroom to collect toilet paper rolls.  You never know when a good project will come along!

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The kids painted their toilet paper rolls with red, white, and blue washable paints.  My 4-year-old made stripes on hers.  My 2-year-old just painted in abstract bursts, but all of them turned out beautifully.  We always put our paint on paper plates for easy clean-up, but you could also use old applesauce or baby food containers.

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Once the toilet paper rolls dried, the kids put foil star stickers on them.  My 3 and 4-year-olds were able to do this with little assistance.  My 2-year-old had some trouble with this, but was able to put them on once I helped him remove them from the sticker sheet.  This is a fun way for little ones to practice their fine motor skills.

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For the top of their fireworks, we traced a cup and cut out a circle.  By cutting a line to the center of the circle (like a radius), we were able to create a cone shape.  

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I added a line of glue to keep the cones closed and the kids helped me count to 10 while we pressed firmly to seal our cones.

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The kids then added a line of glue around the top of the toilet paper roll and glued their cones to the top.

toilet paper tubes

construction paper

crepe paper

glue

star foil stickers

Washable paint and brushes

scissors

Toilet Roll Firework Rockets

cardboard crafts

My kids love decorating for the holidays, and garlands are one of the easiest ways to do so. They loved making these sparkly, six-pointed stars out of cardboard tubes. The stars were easy to make...and a great way to recycle!

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Gather your supplies. We used a glue stick since it dries fast and is less messy. We also used loose glitter and glitter glue to help decorate. (When using loose glue you will want a paper plate or piece of paper to put the glitter on.) 

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Start by cutting the toilet paper rolls in strips, stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Older kids can easily do this themselves. 

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Then fan out each strip and fold it so it lays flat. 

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Then rub the glue stick along each cut strip. 

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Press the side with the glue on it into the glitter. Then tap to remove the loose glitter. 

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Then we used the glitter glue to add dimensional detail. 

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The stars dried pretty quickly since we used the glue sticks. We punched a hole at the top of each star and placed a string through the holes. Then we hung our festive garland on our mantle to ring in the holidays! 

hole punch

glue stick

glitter

string

Cardboard Tube Star Garland

decorations

birthday party decorations

art project

stars

KiwiCo crate box

With the holiday weekend around the corner, we decided to create a set of patriotic star shapes to create a festive garland. Learn how to use a basic string art technique to create a set of 3D shapes. What other shapes can you make?

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Cover the cardboard box with a layer of wax paper. This helps prevent the string from sticking to the box. (If you're using styrofoam, you can skip this step!) Draw a star on the surface of your box or styrofoam block. This will be the base to create the shape of your stars.

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Stick a toothpick into each point of the star. For any larger stars, stick a toothpick into each point and corner, so that you're using 10 total toothpicks.

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Cut a long length of twine or string, about 15 times the width of your star. If your star is 3" wide, cut about 45" of string. Dip the string into a mixture of 50% glue and 50% water. Make sure the string is fully soaked in the glue mixture!

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Begin wrapping a string around the toothpicks to create the star shape. Keep going until the whole length of string is wrapped around the toothpicks. Repeat the steps to make a bunch of stars in different colors. The more layers you wrap, the sturdier the star!

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Let the string dry, and then, carefully remove the toothpicks from the stars to reveal your string art shapes! String them up to create a unique star garland! For extra fun, try adding additional toothpicks in each star to create a randomized pattern!

twine

cardboard box - or styrofoam box

toothpicks

school glue

ribbon or string

wax paper

String Art Star Garland

Making crayons is a great way to recycle all those broken crayons! It's a lot of fun to choose a new color mix and fun shapes. These festive stars would be a great favor to have at a family Fourth of July party.

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We went through our old crayon box and pulled out the red, white, and blue crayons. I preheated our oven to 300 degrees.

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The kids helped me peel off all of the paper. They loved this part for some reason!

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We broke them up and placed them in a disposable baking tin. I popped the tin into the oven. The kids loved watching through the oven window as the crayons melted together,

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I carefully pulled them out, trying not to mix the colors too much.

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Next, I poured a little into each star shape on our candy mold and placed them into the freezer for a few minutes.

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They pop right out and are the perfect star-shaped crayon! If you want a more dramatic color contrast, you could melt each color separately and pour small amounts into each star mold. We liked the almost purple look we got with swirls of red, white, and blue!

crayons

baking dish (disposable)

candy mold (star-shaped)

Red, White and Blue Star Crayons

household craft

fashion

clothes

Tie dye is so much fun! It's so easy to customize for any theme—just change the colors. We made these to wear on the Fourth of July! 

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Some clothing dyes come with squirt bottles. I prefer that kind, because the prep is a little less messy. We always head outside when dealing with dye.

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We dampened our shirts with water and, starting from the center of the shirt, twisted it together.

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Once it was a nice twisted roll we added rubber bands. The more rubber bands you add, the more contrast you get. We did about eight per t-shirt.

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Next, it was time for color. We switched with the red and blue between each rubber-band. Try not to let the colors touch too much. The blending will create new colors and take away from the white we are trying to bring in for our color scheme. Once the shirt is covered in dye, place it in a plastic bag overnight. The next day cut the rubber bands off and wash in warm water with a little detergent. 

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The best part of tie-dye is revealing the creation! You never know what it will look like. My kids love the surprise.

t-shirts (white)

clothing dye (red and blue)

rubber bands

squeeze bottle (2)

plastic bags

plastic gloves

Red, White and Blue Tie Dye T-shirt

origami

Get ready for Memorial Day weekend with this banner of 3D stars. These DIY stars are super simple, once you learn the technique of making a single petal. As you create each petal, the 3D stars will start to come into form. You can experiment with different layers, sizes, and shapes, making these DIY stars great for any occasion. 

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Cut your colored paper into squares. You'll need 6 squares to make a star. You can make the squares any size you want. We made 3-inch squares for our first start. 

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Make your cutting guidelines by lightly sketching a small triangle in the middle. Then, draw two sets of lines on either side that do not meet in the middle.

Panda Crate

Sprout: Koala Crate

Labs: Kiwi Crate

World: Atlas Crate

Studio: Doodle Crate

Labs: Tinker Crate

Studio: Maker Crate

Labs: Eureka Crate

25 easy fourth of july projects for kids

Screen-free fun!