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That Fourth of July BBQ or picnic usually involves outdoor water and sports activities, but you may want to add a couple of quiet time crafts that will help teach young school-aged children the meaning of this special holiday. Writing with a quill pen or making a few embroidery stitches, are inexpensive ways to keep your budding John Hancock's and Betsy Ross's busy while you are waiting for the chicken to cook or the fireworks to begin.

            Supplies for these two crafts can be bought at a craft store. The skill level is for children from 5 to 10 years old, with adult supervision.

            Writing with a feather is bound to make any child curious. They may not even believe you when you tell them that is how people wrote 200 years ago. Bright colored feathers can be purchased, and they need to be large enough to hold - about 6" in length. An adult can cut the end of the quill at a slight angle. For ink, use red and blue tempera paint. Thin it a little with water to make the consistency of ink (about the consistency of a milk shake.) Baby food jars make nice inkwells. Manila paper is thick enough to withstand the scratching of the quill feathers, and the creamy color resembles the parchment the original document was printed on.  Dip the point of the quill into the ink for a few seconds to allow the ink to soak up into the hollow quill. Hold the pen by the feather as you would a crayon or pencil and challenge your young rebel to sign his or her name. Let the creativity flow from there. When dried, these pages can double as placemats.

            Another quite activity is to sew a design on gingham. Buy about a yard of red or blue gingham with small, but not tiny squares. Cut the material into square, about 6" by 6". Buy embroidery thread in black, red or blue to contrast the materials. You will also need embroidery needles with a large eye and embroidery hoops for each child. Don't buy anything fancy. The cheapest spring type hoops will be good enough for this project. Show the would be Betsy Ross how to separate the threads. Embroidery thread usually comes as 6 strands twisted together. Cut off a piece about about a foot long and divide it in half each consisting of three strands. This should thread easily through the wide-eyed needle. Tie a knot at one end. Take the square of cloth and put it between the two parts of the hoop to hold it taught. Starting from the inside of the hoop, draw the thread through the cloth, and using the squares as guides, make cross stitches or other simple stitches to create a design. These pretty red, white and blue creations can be used as napkins.

            Both activities do require adult supervision. Both activities are also wonderful opportunities to slow down and discuss the meaning of this holiday. Topic starters might include, "How do we do it (write, or make clothes) today?" or  "What inventions around us make life easier?" First attempts will not be perfect, but keep it simple with plenty of room for experimentation.