Fourth of July Picnic Party

Having a picnic is the perfect way to celebrate the nations birthday. If you plan the picnic for later afternoon and choose a park where you can see a fireworks display your guests can come for dinner and stay until the end of the fireworks. Here are some ideas for activities to do at the party:

• As it gets dark provide the kids with sparklers. These will provide lots of fun, but be sure to have enough adult supervision to make sure that the kids do not burn themselves.

• Before the picnic spend an afternoon making star shaped sugar cookies. Before baking the cookies poke a hold in the center of each star. Make sure that you don't roll the cookie dough too thin; keep the dough about a half-inch thick. If the holes close after cooking poke the center again right after they come out of the oven. Tie each cookie to the end of a long string. At the picnic hang the cookies from a tree, clothesline or between the poles of a picnic structure. Have each person attending the party stand in front of one of the cookies. With no hands they must eat their cookie. The first one to finish his cookie wins.

• Decorate with paper tablecloths, streamers and other items that you do not mind getting dirty. This also makes clean up afterwards easier because you can just throw everything away.

• Do other fun picnic activities like tug of war, three-legged and wheelbarrow races. You should also bring items like footballs, badminton sets, a croquet set, flying disks, and other outdoor game equipment, so that everyone will have something they can do. For some of the younger kids bring sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, hula hoops and kickballs.

• Bring plenty of seeded watermelon. Have guests line up with a piece of watermelon and have a watermelon seed-spitting contest. See who can spit it the farthest, highest etc. You can also provide guests with bubblegum and have a bubblegum blowing contest.

• A classic Fourth of July bike parade is also another fun activity for a picnic. Bring items so that kids can decorate their bikes and then have them line up and have a parade for their parents. You may also want to consider bringing a small radio and patriotic music to play during the parade.

• If the day is really warm it would also be fun to provide everyone with water balloons and water guns. Be sure to pick up any water balloon pieces on the ground when you are done. You can involve guests and kids by letting them know that anyone who turns in pieces of balloons will get a piece of candy.