As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the US, governors and local officials are urging citizens to continue practicing social distancing, wear masks, and stay home when possible. This means the Fourth of July will certainly look very different this year, but just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate. Here are our best ideas for a virtual Independence Day celebration. 

1. Organize a picnic basket swap. Organize a collective picnic basket swap with holiday classics like corn on the cob, fruit salad, or whatever your family favorites are. Each participating family fills a basket and delivers it to another. Enjoy a picnic in your front yard and even video chat with others participating. 
2. Take a virtual tour of an American museum or monument. History buffs can enjoy an online tour of famous destinations including NASA, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Statue of Liberty, and more.
3. Host a virtual movie night. Do you have a go-to summer film favorite? Maybe it’s The Sandlot or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Whatever you choose, have a family movie night and organize co-viewing with other relatives or friends. You can even buy or rent a projector for a theater-like outdoor experience. 
4. Have a family pie-making contest. Pie making competitions are a staple of most county fairs, so this year, host one with your family! You can create a prize for the best pie and even swap treats with neighbors. 
5. Get crafty. For young kids, creating 4th of July themed crafts offers hours of glitter-filled entertainment. Suncatchers, painting rocks, or cookie decorating are all great choices and you can even use the final product to decorate your home for the occasion. 
6. Write with sparklers. Using a long exposure picture app lets you capture spelled out words or images traced with sparklers. Document your creations and send the pictures to friends and family. 
7. Play some games. Water balloon fights, egg tosses, capture the flag, and corn hole are all summer classics. Play with your family members for hours of fun! Bonus points if you invent your own game.
8. Run a virtual 5K. While many of us do not associate running with fun, if you do want to get a little active this holiday weekend, you can coordinate a fun run. Everyone agrees to run a route through their own neighborhood and you can even use a tracking app to map your run and share your route! 
9. Plan a porch potluck. Similar to picnic basket swaps, to create a porch potluck. Arrange for each family to make a different component of a meal and drop off servings at each house. At the end of the day, each family will have a complete meal delivered with homemade love from all around town.
10. Enjoy the fireworks. Even though we’re all staying at home, many cities like Boston and Nashville have confirmed they will still be putting on firework displays. If you’re not lucky enough to have a good vantage point from your home, find an online live stream to enjoy them from afar. 

Although we all wish we could be celebrating with our communities in person, the pandemic doesn’t mean we can’t still share some holiday fun. Try one or more of these ideas to celebrate the Fourth of July with your family.