Published: 7/2/2020

By: Maryann Loya

It seems like Easter was just yesterday and we were trying to figure out how to celebrate at home during the beginning of quarantine. Now, here we are entering July and we are still unable to do many of the summer activities we have grown accustomed to. To top it off, we are coming up on yet another holiday that we will be celebrating at home. Luckily, there are many at-home activities you can do to ensure that you and your family enjoy the holiday and make it a memorable one. To get your holiday started, be sure to tune in to the City of Peoria’s All-American Festival at Home on Saturday at www.facebook.com/CityofPeoriaAz. Here is a list of fun ideas to make this 4th of July memorable.

Build your Own Food

Take your backyard BBQ game up a notch by creating a delicious build-your-own (BYO) theme for your family. For the main course, create a BYO hot dog and hamburger bar. Place all of your family’s favorite toppings in small bowls and let everyone choose their own. Add bacon, grilled onion, veggies and condiments.

For the sides, create a BYO fry bar. For this one, feature different kinds of fries, tater tots, sweet potato fries, and onion rings, to name a few. Then, have different sauces available like ranch, ketchup and aioli. Add some cheese and bacon bits to complete the bar.

To round out the BYO theme, finish it up with an outdoor soda float bar using different flavors of soda, ice cream and special toppings. Keep the ice cream cool by putting mini water balloons underneath the ice cream in a bucket. Have a cooler nearby with different flavors of soda and chilled glasses that are ready to be filled. Complete the float with toppings like sprinkles, cherries and whipped cream. Top it off with a festive straw!

Your family will love making their own creations with all of their favorite things.

Backyard Water Games

Beat the heat by setting up a squirt gun station. Create a squirt gun station by filling a plastic tub with squirt guns. You can find great ones at the dollar store. Break them out to enjoy a fun game, and cool down.

If you want to take the water games to the next level, fill up water balloons and grab a wiffle bat. Set up bases and enjoy a fun family game. When a family member hits a balloon, let that equal a one base run. Or, make your own rules!

Don’t have a pool? No problem! Make your own slip and slide by grabbing a tarp and laying it in your backyard. Cover it with some dish soap and place a hose at the end for a fun, outdoor activity.

Patriotic Scavenger Hunts

Create a scavenger hunt in your backyard by encouraging players to find red, white and blue items, mini American flags and a nickel in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Or, you can create a mini flag hunt by placing the flags throughout your back and front yard. Pick up festive prizes for the winners, like Cracker Jacks, pinwheels or Red Vines.

Even though this 4th of July will be different from any before, you can still make it memorable. With a delicious menu, creative games and quality time with loved ones, you cannot go wrong!