4th Of July Craft: Patriotic Jewelry

Summer is the perfect time to show some love for the red, white and blue. Help kids craft these super simple accessories that they can wear to any July 4th fete.

These instructions are for a necklace, but you could also make a bracelet. To make your jewelry stretchy and more versatile, substitute the twine for stretchy cord.

What you'll need:

• Red and white striped paper straws
• Scissors
• Twine
• Blue pony beads

Instructions:

1. Use the scissors to cut each straw into 8 equal pieces. The length doesn't have to be perfect, so don't worry if all the pieces are not identical.

2. Decide how long your child's necklace should be. Since we aren't using a clasp or other closure, the necklace needs to be long enough to fit over your kid's head. Cut the twine to that length, adding a couple of extra inches for tying the necklace.

3. Help your child decide on a design. The necklace can alternate pony beads with straws in any order and using any number of pony beads.

4. Hold one end of the twine while your child strings the opposite end with the beads and straw pieces.

5. When your child is happy with the design, help him or her tie the twine in a knot to secure.