Editor’s Note: Today we’re re-visiting a favorite craft for celebrating the 4th of July.
These beautiful, inexpensive luminaries are a great project to do with your kids!
Fireworks, family, and fun—that’s what I look forward to on Independence Day. A sultry July afternoon (perfect for water activities!) followed by the frenzy of a night of celebration makes it one of my children’s favorite holidays, as well.
With our summer break half over and boredom setting in, it’s the perfect time for a craft! The one I want to share with you today is creative, fun, and very inexpensive. That’s a win-win, right?! We’ll be re-purposing empty food cans to create beautiful luminary decorations for our Independence Day celebration.
Supplies:
- Empty cans, any size, washed and dried
- Nail(s)
- Hammer
- Acrylic paint
Directions:
Your first step will be to secure some used food cans. Wash them out good and let them dry.
I decided to paint first, then hammer the nail holes into the painted can. If you do this, you may end up having to touch up some of your paint. The alternative is to hammer the holes first and paint afterward, but you can expect to have paint plugging up the holes that you’ll need to poke out with the tip of the nail. Either way works, and both will need a bit of touch-up in the end.
For this project, I chose acrylic paint—it’s fast drying, permanent, and works well for many different surfaces. After painting the base colors, I ended up adding a glittery glaze over the top of each can. Crafts and glitter just seem to complement each other, and the glitter reminded me of fireworks a bit!
If you like the sparkly effect but don’t have the glaze to add over your base coat, you could always sprinkle on a bit of glitter while the paint is still wet, as well.
Using a nail, you’ll punch holes in the can to allow light to shine through and illuminate the design. You can use just one size, or get intricate and use all different size nails. 
If you want a star or the letters “USA” on your finished luminaries, like the examples in the photos, it’s a good idea to mark out your pattern before making holes. Just add small dots with a marker before you start pounding away. If you’re more confident in your skills than I am, you can skip that step. It’s okay if you mess up with the marker; you can always paint right back over it. Messing up with the holes is a bit more of a challenge to fix.
Randomly-placed holes would be easier for young kids and can be very pretty; the effect is a lot like a starry sky.
When you are finished, just pop a tiny candle or another light source into the bottom and, voilà … beautiful party decor.
There are so many design ideas, really just limited to your imagination. Since we’re celebrating the 4th of July with this craft, I opted for some patriotic colors and designs on my luminaries.
Of course, the homeschool mom in me loved the one I made with constellations on it. I chose the Big Dipper—shown on top below—and Gemini with twins Castor and Pollux. I used those simply because both are rather well-known. Also, because my children can find the Big Dipper in the sky at night, I figured it would be more exciting to them.
My wheels are turning, though, and I’m already imagining this on a grand scale to create luminaries during a unit study. Just picture studying a constellation, finding it in the night sky … then pounding out a copy and lining up several different luminaries on your child’s windowsill at night! Sounds fantastic, huh? You might prefer to put little battery operated lights instead of a candle if you’ll be leaving them in a child’s room. Perhaps you could even use a string of Christmas lights, punch a hole in the bottom of each can, and make a whole series of constellations—oh, the possibilities!
I’m so thankful for my country and proud to live in the U.S.A.!
Do you have a favorite tradition on the 4th of July? Please leave a note and tell us about it. However you choose to decorate or celebrate this year, all of us here at A Reason For Homeschool wish you a safe and fun holiday.
Did you miss Bridgitt’s recipe for a 4th of July dessert?
Check out this simple, healthy fruit dish that will be perfect for your celebration!
