The Fourth of July holiday is coming up quickly, and with it comes outdoor fun, picnics, barbecues, fireworks, and of course, a parade! You can’t go to a Memorial Day or Fourth of July parade without something fun to wave in the air, so we’re going to make this duct tape parade stick with the kids.

Patriotic Duck Tape Parade Stick

You know when you run out of aluminum foil or plastic wrap, you’re left with that heavy duty cardboard tube? Well, I hope you don’t throw those away! They are great for crafting, and if you have one handy, you can make this parade stick with me too!

What You’ll Need To Make a Patriotic Duck Tape Parade Stick

• Duck tape: red, white and blue
• Scissors
• Sturdy cardboard tube (from aluminum foil or plastic wrap container)
• Hole punch (optional, can also use star stickers)

Making the Duct Tape Parade Stick

First, you’re going to need Duck Tape in red, white and blue. You’ll need scissors, a sturdy cardboard tube, and either a hole punch or some star stickers. I used the cardboard tube that came from my aluminum foil, they are good and sturdy!

Pull off a strip of white tape about 12 inches long. Fold the tape in half lengthwise onto itself and stick it together, pressing down squeezing the air out. Repeat this until you have 3 of each color.

Use scissors to trim off any sticky edges. Starting from the bottom of a strip, cut strip up the middle, stopping about 3 inches from the other end. You now have two separate tassels, cut each of those tassels up the middle making a total of four. Repeat these steps for all of the tape strips.

Cut small bits of tape to attach the strips to the end of the cardboard tube. Overlap each one as you go. Once they are all loosely attached, cut a strip of blue tape and wrap it around the taped tassels to secure it. Repeat with another strip.

Wrap the cardboard tube with strips of white tape. Pull a piece of blue tape, long enough to go around the tube once, but don’t cut it from the roll yet. You can hold the roll in your hand and stick the end of the tape to the table while you work, or have a friend hold the roll for you.

Use a hole punch to create some holes in the tape for the stars. (If you prefer, you can skip this step and just apply silver or white star stickers instead.) Secure the hole punched blue tape around the top of the cardboard tube, just below the tassels.

Finally, add red strips of tape that have been cut to about 1-1.5″ wide around the stick to add the stripes.

You’re all done! Wave your parade stick and have fun!

Don’t miss more patriotic crafts ideas like our Magazine Mosaic Flag, which is another easy and fun craft for the kids to do, and a good way to repurpose your old magazines! Another favorite is these Patriotic Luminaries that double as utensil holders for your Fourth of July or Memorial Day cookout. Also, these Patriotic Pinwheels and Coffee Filter Flowers are a fun afternoon craft to do with the kids.

Stop by my cooking blog to find festive treats for Fourth of July or Memorial Day like my most popular ones above, Mini Shortcake Cups, American Flag Brownies, and American Flag Kabobs!

Print Project

5 from 3 votes

Patriotic Duck Tape Parade Stick

Make a Patriotic Duck Tape Parade Stick with the kids to use at the Memorial Day or Fourth of July parade!

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

• Duct tape: red white and blue
• Scissors
• Sturdy cardboard tube from aluminum foil or plastic wrap container
• Hole punch optional, can also use stickers

Instructions

• Pull off a strip of white tape about 12 inches long. Fold the tape in half lengthwise onto itself and stick it together, pressing down squeezing the air out. Repeat this until you have 3 of each color.
• Use scissors to trim off any sticky edges. Starting from the bottom of a strip, cut strip up the middle, stopping about 3 inches from the other end. You now have two separate tassels, cut each of those tassels up the middle making a total of four. Repeat these steps for all of the tape strips.
• Cut small bits of tape to attach the strips to the end of the cardboard tube. Overlap each one as you go. Once they are all loosely attached, cut a strip of blue tape and wrap it around the taped tassels to secure it. Repeat with another strip.
• Wrap the cardboard tube with strips of white tape. Pull a piece of blue tape, long enough to go around the tube once, but don’t cut it from the roll yet. You can hold the roll in your hand and stick the end of the tape to the table while you work, or have a friend hold the roll for you. Use a hole punch to create some holes in the tape for the stars. (If you prefer, you can skip this step and just apply silver or white star stickers instead.) Secure the hole punched blue tape around the top of the cardboard tube, just below the tassels. Finally, add red strips of tape that have been cut to about 1-1.5″ wide around the stick to add the stripes.

This post was originally published on this blog on June 10, 2013.