Rockin' July 4th

Paint your own rock -- 4th of July style! Your rock will make a great table decoration, door stop, paper weight, or memento of the trip.

Supplies:
a large, clean, and smooth stone
a pencil
red, white, and blue tempera paint
paint brushes
varnish or other glossy finish (not required)

Begin by using your pencil to sketch out the flag.  Make a square in the upper left for stars and paint that blue.  While you let that paint dry, paint all the rest of your rock white.

Let the paint dry.  Next, use your pencil to lightly draw stripes in the white paint (if you can, fit all 13 stripes.  Hint: the top and bottom stripes should be red.) You might consider using a pencil or straight stick as a guide to help you make the lines.  Paint in the red stripes.

Paint some white stars on the blue area.  In the real US flag there are 50 white stars that represent the 50 U.S. states, but you might consider having fewer, especially if your stone is on the small side. If you'd like a shiny finish, coat with an acrylic varnish after the paint has dried completely.

Yule Log

Burning a yule log in the fire is a holiday tradition in Britain and other parts of Europe, but it's actually a fun thing to do during any season.  You'll find everything you need in the great outdoors - no need to bring anything from home!

Supplies
a small log or branch, suitable for burning in your campfire
leaves
flowers
twigs
vines
and anything else you find that can go into your campfire (no plastic or metal)

Lay your log down flat and use your leaves and flowers to decorate it however you like.  If you have vines, these can act as string to hold things on.  If there aren't any vines, long dandelion and other flower stems can work just as well.  That night, when your fire is going well, toss your yule log into the fire while you make a wish for the coming year.