Looking for a fun patriotic activity that gets kids moving? These DIY Twirling Firework Shooters are one of our favorite outdoor crafts for Canada Day and the Fourth of July. Kids blow through a paper straw to launch the colorful streamer twirler high into the air, then watch it spin and flutter back down like a firework before catching it and doing it all over again.
This activity is quick to make, uses just a few inexpensive supplies, and is always a huge hit. It combines crafting with active play, making it perfect for backyard parties, BBQs, picnics, or waiting for the evening fireworks to begin.
Why You’ll Love This Activity
- Perfect for Canada Day or Fourth of July
- Combines a craft and an outdoor game
- Encourages active play
- Great for fine motor skills and breath control
- Made with inexpensive supplies
- Kids can play with it again and again
Materials
- Paper drinking straws
- Red and white crepe paper streamers (add blue for Fourth of July)
- Clear tape
- Scissors
- Optional: Red washi tape or colored masking tape
How to Make Twirling Firework Shooters
- Cut several strips of crepe paper about 8–10 inches long. Mix red and white for Canada Day, or red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July.
- Gather one end of the streamers together into a small bundle and tape them together at one end. At the other end use scissors to cut slits on the end.
- Place your paper straw in the middle of the streamers. Wrap the bundled end tightly around the straw and secure with a small piece of tape. Fold the top over and secure again with another small piece of tape to create a lightweight collar.
- Slide the streamer bundle should slide off the straw easily so it can launch into the air.
How to Play
- Hold the straw with the streamer bundle resting on top.
- Point the straw upward at about a 45-degree angle and take a deep breath. Blow through the straw as hard as you can to launch the twirling firework into the air.
- As the streamer bundle reaches the top of its flight, it begins to spin and twirl before floating back down to the ground. Catch it, place it back on the straw, and launch it again!
- Kids love experimenting to see how high they can make their firework fly.
Tips for Success
- Paper straws work better than plastic because they provide a little more grip.
- Crepe paper is lightweight, making it perfect for spinning through the air.
- Keep the taped collar small so the twirler slides easily off the straw.
- Try making streamer bundles in different color combinations for each holiday.
- Play outside on a calm day for the best results.
More Patriotic Activities for Kids
Pair these Twirling Firework Shooters with a Canada Day or Fourth of July windsock, patriotic water games, painted rocks, sidewalk chalk art, or a festive sensory bin for a day full of hands-on holiday fun.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
