The 4th of July will soon be upon us. That’s the perfect time to have a family get together — with lots of watermelon, corn on the cob, root beer floats, and hamburgers fresh from the grill.

And it’s the perfect time to have an easy craft for the grandkids.

Voilá! I give you sparkler pencils!

No. Not the kind that you light on fire and sparks spit out. The kind that is a craft.

The nice thing about this little craft is that it takes minimal supplies, it’s super easy to make, and it’s a snap to make.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• red, white, and blue tissue paper
• red, white, and blue pencils
• scissors
• tape

Cut rectangles out of the tissue paper that are 4 inches by 6 inches.

Fold each rectangle in half

Starting at the unfolded edge, cut slits 3/4 the way to the fold making a fringe.

Place the folded edge of a rectangle partially down from the eraser. Wrap the paper around the pencil and tape it on. Slightly bend the strips down.

And you’re done!

Your grandkiddos can make a whole flock in no time at all.

I combined blue tissue paper with white and taped it to a red pencil. I liked having  2 colors on the pencil so that the pencil’s color theme was red, white, and blue. If I had thought about it soon enough, I would have done it with the other pencils, too. Sigh.

I hope these pencils will brighten your 4th of July holiday activities!

(P.S. Dear Reader, if you don’t live in the U.S., use tissue paper and pencils the colors that are found in your country’s flag.)