Paper Bag Luminaries

• Turn ordinary paper bags into festive Fourth of July luminaries. Provide children with brown paper lunch bags, star-shaped stencils, star-shaped stickers and star-shaped paper punches. Invite them to trace the stencils onto the bags with red and blue markers, have them place the star stickers along the bag and use the paper punch to create holes in their bags. When children are satisfied with the design of their bags, open them up and fill them with 2 to 3 inches of sand. Insert tea lights into the sand and set the luminaries on a tabletop, on the steps of your deck, along your walkway or anywhere else you'd like to add some light.
  
  

Tea Light Holders

• Give plain glass tea light holders a patriotic makeover. Purchase inexpensive plain glass tea light holders from a craft store, as well as flat-bottle-glass red-and-blue craft beads. Have children attach craft beads around the outside of the tea light holders with craft glue. Once the glue dries, set a tea light inside the holders. When the candles are illuminated, the light will shine through the beads, reflecting the red and blue color onto the surface of the location they are set on.
  
  

Citronella Candle

• Keep the bugs away and add a festive flare to your part with this candle craft. Purchase citronella candle buckets; these buckets are typically silver on the outside. Cut sponges into star shapes. Have children press the sponges into red, white and blue paint and press the sponges onto the outside of the citronella buckets. Alternatively, children can use paintbrushes to paint red, white and blue stripes around the outside of the buckets.
  
  

Flowerpot Pillar Candleholder

• Transform a flowerpot into a Fourth of July candleholder. Instruct children to paint the outside of a terracotta flowerpot with blue or red paint. Once the paint dries, have them use the opposite colored paints; red if they've painted the pot blue or blue if they've painted the pot red; and white paint to paint stars onto the flower pot. Set a pillar candle in the center of the flowerpot and surround the base with sand to keep it from falling over. Use this candle as a centerpiece for your outdoor dining table.