No 4th of July celebration would be complete without noisemakers! Follow these instructions for quick and easy musical craft projects.

What you need:

• Empty containers with lids such as plastic bottles, yogurt containers, juice cans, and coffee cans
• Sturdy paper plates
• Dried beans (kidney, lima, garbanzo, lentils, etc.) or uncooked rice
• Red, white, and blue construction paper or streamers
• White glue bottles or glue sticks
• 4th of July-themed stickers
• Crayons
• Roll of masking tape

Standard Noisemaker Instructions:

1. Have a grown-up at the art table help children with gluing and cutting as they decorate their noisemakers.
2. Write each child's name on the bottom of the noisemaker with a marker.
3. Encourage children to create his or her unique noisemaker by filling a container with various objects.
4. As each noisemaker is completed, encourage the children to notice the different sounds each noisemaker creates, depending on the container used and the type of object(s) placed inside.

Tambourine Noisemaker Instructions:

1. Have a grown-up at the art table help children with gluing and cutting as they decorate the tambourines.
2. Have each child choose two paper plates, place them on the table face down, and decorate the bottoms with crayons, stickers, cut paper, streamers, or all of the above!
3. Flip over one plate and have children place beans and/or rice in the center of the plate.
4. Have an adult work with each child to place the plates together, bottom-sides facing out, and seal them tightly with masking tape.
5. As each tambourine is completed, encourage the children to notice the different sounds each one creates, depending on the type of beans and rice placed inside.

Since it will be lights out for many preschoolers by the time the real 4th of July fireworks begin, have your little partiers create their own beautiful display so they can enjoy the show with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto!

What you need:

• Large roll of white or brown craft paper
• Markers
• Paint and paintbrushes
• A hefty supply of glitter in various colors
• White glue

Instructions:

1. Unroll a long piece of craft paper and lay it across a long table or along the ground. (Note: if you do this inside, be sure to place a plastic sheet or newspaper under the art area to prevent glitter from getting everywhere!)
2. Draw the outline of a simple landscape with the magic marker (suggestions: houses in the foreground, hills or mountains in the background, etc.). Consider drawing Mickey and his Clubhouse friends on the landscape so guests can interact with the whole gang.
3. Encourage the children to paint the landscape images.
4. Have the children create colorful fireworks in the sky using the glue and glitter.
5. Have a grown-up on hand help children pour the glue and sprinkle glitter.
6. When dry, hang up the landscape so the children can enjoy their own fireworks display!

Goofy loves a summer parade, and so will your guests. It's time to grab those homemade noisemakers, line up, and make some noise!

What you need:

• Noisemakers (see above)
• Wind toys like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse kite and the red, white, and blue Mickey Mouse Clubhouse pinwheel.
• Various instruments (triangles, maracas, kazoos, tambourines)
• Drum major baton: You can use a parade stick, or use a wooden soup spoon, empty paper towel roll, etc.

Instructions:

1. Gather your preschoolers together, making sure each one has something to shake or wave.
2. Then line everyone up, march around the yard (or the block!), and make some noise.
3. Don't forget to give everyone a chance to be the drum major and lead the parade!

Pluto loves to run around when he's on the trail of a new adventure. Let your little ones do the same with these Independence-Day-inspired backyard relay races.

What you need:

• Relay baton
• Lots of room to run around

Directions:

1. Divide the children into two teams, and give one baton to each team.
2. Set up a starting line and a turnaround spot.
3. Line up each team single file, and make sure the first runner from each team has the baton.
4. Start the race and have the first member of each team run to the turnaround spot and back, handing the baton off to the next person in line, and so on. (Note: you may want to demonstrate this so the children understand the baton handoff, etc.)
5. After your running relay, shake things up by challenging your preschoolers to do relays running backwards, hopping on two feet, or galloping like a horse!

The Clubhouse is always filled with lively music, and this spin-off of musical chairs is sure to get everyone in the 4th of July parade spirit!

What you need:

• CD player
• Energetic marching band music
• A large room or yard

Directions:

1. Have the children line up in a marching band formation.
2. Explain the following rules to the children: While the marching band music is playing, they should do their best marching band impression ... marching to the music with high knees and lots of energy. When the music stops, the children must freeze exactly where they are and in the exact position they were in.
3. To make the game sillier, vary the length of time you play the musical clips.

Mickey and his pals use all kinds of Mouskatools in their clubhouse adventures. Give your party guests a fun, sensory experience and see if they can figure out the Mouskatool they're holding while blindfolded!

What you need:

• A special box or bag to hold the Mouskatools (Note: You can decorate the outside to resemble Toodles)
• A variety of items that can be used as Mouskatools (For example: Magnifying glass, glove, a key on a keychain, a small comb, a bouncy ball, a toy screwdriver or wrench, a crayon, a paintbrush, and so on)
• A long strip of lightweight, soft cloth that can be used as a blindfold

Instructions:

1. Have the children sit down on the ground, while you are at the front of the group with your Mousekedoer bag or box.
2. Have a child volunteer to go first, and ask him or her to join you up-front, making sure he or she doesn't see what is inside the bag or box.
3. Gently tie on the blindfold to cover his or her eyes.
4. Have the child reach into the bag or box and grab hold of one object.
5. Depending on your group of children, you can either have the child pull the object out and let him or her try to guess what it is while the other children watch, or if everyone is too tempted to shout out the answer, have the child keep the object in the bag or box while figuring it out.
6. Once the child has made a guess as to the object's identity, remove the blindfold and see if he or she was correct!
7. Make sure to have enough objects to allow every child at least one turn. To make the game sillier, choose more obscure objects. The children will love laughing about their unusual guesses!