How to Celebrate the Fourth of July on a Low Budget

The Fourth of July can be a fun summer holiday to celebrate. With all of the fireworks, food, and family, its a great time to get together. You can have a fun Fourth of July without spending a lot of money. Below are some tips that can help you cut costs on foods, decorations, and have fun on this bright and fun holiday.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Coupons
• Plenty of friends and family
• A menu
• Family planning and organization
• Picnic basket
• Vivid imagination

Step 1

Watch for sales on some of your favorite Fourth of July foods at the area grocery stores. Clip coupons where necessary and stock up on everything that you will need before the holiday.

Step 2

Plan a potluck or family gathering with all of your close friends and family. Assign everybody one dish to bring, and also suggest that everybody bring some of their favorite meat to cook on the grill. This will cut the costs and some of the extra responsibility from your plate. With everybody bringing extra food and planning together, everybody can spend less money for their celebration.

Step 3

Stay at home in your local town and read the papers to find out about local events. Watch the fireworks in your hometown instead of heading out of town. Have your children participate in any of the fun games that are available. Pack a picnic and head out the park after all of the games are over, enjoy a picnic meal, and watch the fireworks under the stars

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How to Go Organize a Poetry Contest for Children

A poetry contest is a great way to involve children in literature and get them excited about reading and writing. By organizing simple rules, contacting schools or summer reading programs, you can find children who might be interested in entering the contest. The main key is letting everybody know what a great job they did even if they didn't win. Poetry contests are great for schools to hold or even libraries. Follow the tips below to organize a poetry contest for children in your area.

Things You’ll Need:
Written rules for the contest
Participation from area newspapers
Participation from area schools or libraries
Interested children to enter
Ribbons
Certificates

Step1

Decide on which age groups you would like to attract for the poetry contest. The best grades to choose would be kids who have learned how to write or spell for a few years. A great age group to try would be grades 4-6th, and perhaps junior high as well.

Step 2

Write down and form a group of rules for the poetry contest. Figure out how many lines the poem will be and the theme that the children will be writing on. You could decide on a different theme for each age group. Some ideas could be favorite animals, holidays, summer memories, even school days.

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