It’s the 4th of July!

American Independence Day, celebrated every year on the Fourth of July, is much more than parades and fireworks. To help children understand why we celebrate—and why it’s important—take a trip to the Internet.

My favorite website is Kaboose, where I found everything from kid-friendly quizzes and essays to craft projects, recipes, and suggestions for fun family celebrations. Have family members take the “How much do you know about Independence Day” quiz and then compare scores. Print patriotic pages for younger children to color. Do word puzzles or craft projects.

If that’s not enough, there are many kid-friendly websites where you can find ideas for learning about and observing our nation’s birthday. Here are a couple that are run by parents (a unique opportunity the Internet affords):

• DLTK’s Crafts for Kids, a website run by “a mom with two girls as my official craft testers and my husband as my technical support.”
• All Kids Network, “a network of websites dedicated to providing fun and educational activities for parents and teachers to do with their kids ... We are a mother, father, and daughter who make up the team and do all the work to make these sites possible. Our daughter is a little over two years old, so she plays the role of craft and activity tester!”

There are lots of ways to celebrate the Fourth of July in Lake Country. To share your favorites with our readers, register or log in to add a comment. And have a safe and happy Independence Day!