I turned into a subdivision that, just a few weeks ago, was the site of a neighborhood-wide garage sale. I had been delighted with the lemonade and cookie stand hosted by a little girl from my church. Aren’t lemonade stands a part of your childhood memories, too? Everyone smiles at a lemonade stand.

Yesterday, the same yard caught my eye even before I drove past. It was decorated with an outline of American flags. I knew those sweet girls had been at it again. Perhaps 50 tiny flags created the outline, and another five or ten marked the corners of the yard, and the end of the driveway.

I smiled when I saw the flags. I could almost heard the giggles that must have filled the air as they were carefully placed.

It made me think of 4th of July fun for Christian kids.

Most of the ideas are easy to put together, but the message is powerful and the memories are long-lasting.

• Decorate with American flags as my young friends did.
• Plan a parade. Decorate tricycles, bikes, and wagons with flags and colorful streamers. Enlist the siblings and neighborhood children. Add music!
• Go to a parade, and wave a flag!
• Watch fireworks. Oooh and aaah and cheer!
• Made a red, white, and blue snack with gelatin or fruit.
• Read a book about the 4th of July. Here are a few to consider. You might find them at a bookstore, your local library, or on the shelves of your own library at home.

1. The Night Before the Fourth of July by Natasha Wing
2. Red, White, and Blue by John Herman
3. F Is for Flag by Wendy Cheyenne Lewison
4. The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh
5. Apple Pie Fourth of July by Janet S. Wong
6. The Berenstain Bears God Bless Our Country by Mike Berenstain
7. America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser
8. Red, White, and Boom by Lee Wardlaw and Huy Voun Lee
9. Corduroy’s Fourth of July by Don Freeman and Lisa McCue

What books or family fun ideas would you add to the list?