Philadelphia Facts and 4th of July Party Inspiration

Culture Party for Kids: Philly Culture & American History

We’ve had the best time coming up with fun and educational themes for our Passport to Culture, travel at home series. This month’s is focused on Philadelphia, with 4th of July Party Inspirations. Alina has really learned so much through these parties. And even for the lack of details/facts she may have forgotten, the idea that this world is bigger and more beautiful than she can image is making its way into my girl’s psyche. That’s all I ever wanted with these culture party for kids: to combat prejudice and create a fascination, inquisitive nature when presented with cultures, traditions and people new to her.

12 Philly Facts To Teach The Kids

Philadelphia is one of the most important cities of our country’s history. Here are a few Philly Facts to teach the kids when hosting your own Culture Party or even to chat about during your 4th of July Party

1. Philadelphia has two well-known nicknames. It’s the “City of Brotherly Love,” and the “Cradle of Liberty.”

2. Philadelphia is the birthplace of the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. Brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri first served the sandwich in the 1930s from a little hot dog stand. The sandwich was so popular, Pat was able to open his own restaurant. Philadelphia is also known for soft pretzels, mustard, and soda pop.

3. Philadelphia is considered to be one of the most haunted cities in the United States of America, and has one of the highest densities of haunted houses.

4. Philadelphia is home to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were both signed and adopted. It is also home to the Liberty Bell, is where Betsy Ross made the first flag of the USA, and was the original capital of the United States.

5. The Philadelphia flag (found below with the printable for your own Passport Stamp!) is beautiful creation of blue. The scroll below the coat of arms reads, “Virtue, Liberty and Independence”, which is the state’s motto.

6. Philadelphia is the county seat of Philadelphia County and with a population of 1,526,006 is the largest city in the State of Pennsylvania, and the fifth-most-populous city in the United States

7. In 1946 Philadelphia became home to the first computer.

8. In Philadelphia in 1775 Johann Behrent built the first piano in America calling it under the name “Piano Forte.” Alina will begin piano lessons soon, so this was a really exciting fact for her!

9. Fairmount Park in Philadelphia is the largest city park with over 8,000 acres. We definitely want to visit it one day!

10. The Philadelphia Zoo is the nation’s first public zoo. For my little animal lover, this was a really cool fact!

11. The first African-American church (Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church) was established in Philadelphia in 1794. We talked about her Grandpa Bell, who was a preacher in our home state of California, and what this first black church might have been like.

12. The First Thanksgiving Day Parade was in 1919 in Philly. We also remembered The First Thanksgiving story.

4th of July Party Food Inspiration

The food we ate during our Philadelphia party is also great party food for 4th of July! Of course we had Philly Cheese Steak and Root Beer Floats, both All-American party foods. Since mustard was invented in Philly and goes great with homemade soft pretzels, we made those too!

Cooking with kids is an important part of parenting. Check out the Homemade Philly Pretzel recipe that’s perfect to get your little ones involved with! 

4th of July Party Decor: DIY Patriotic Bunting Tutorial

This red, white, and blue bunting is light weight, weather-resistant and inexpensive. At only $6 for 36 feet, this cheap patriotic decoration is an eye-catching and fun way to celebrate early American history. Try it out for your Philadelphia Culture Party for Kids or even as 4th of July party decor!

Supplies:

3 plastic tablecloths 1 red, 1 white, 1 blue (purchased at a party supply store)

Scissors

Sewing machine

Tape or nails for hanging

Stapler

Directions:

1. Lay out each tablecloth, individually, and use scissors to cut each one lengthwise into four equal strips.
2. Using your sewing machine, stitch together one blue strip and one white strip, lengthwise. Then stitch one red strip to the other side of the white strip, lengthwise. You should now have one 9 foot long red, white, and blue piece.
3. Repeat step 2 until all remaining strips are stitched together. You should now have four 9 foot pieces. You can stitch these four pieces together along the short ends to make one long 36 foot piece on bunting, or you can hang them separately.
4. To hang the bunting, tape or nail the along the top edge only, pulling tightly so that it does not sag. I like the blue on top, but you any hang it any way you’d like! To make the “swags”, start at the bottom and just gather the material together, bunching as you go. Staple together to hold. You can put as many “swags” as you’d like in your bunting, just make sure they are equal in size.
5. Cover each stapled area with a rustic star or any other patriotic décor you’d like!

We had a great time chatting about the Philly Facts for kids while making pretzels, playing with sparklers and coloring our Philadelphia flag for our passport. We sang songs, like the Star Spangled Banner, and since she memorized it at school this year, Alina proudly recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

I love exposing my kids to the beauty of other cultures and can’t wait to take them around the world… but I am so proud to be American. My grandparents immigrated here from Cuba with their small children (both of my parents came from Cuba with their parents before they were 10 years old). I grew up with the understanding that being born in America is an incredible gift to never take for granted. I was excited to take an afternoon to showcase that pride with my children.

Click on the printable above to download your own Philadelphia Passport Stamp! Cut it out and add to your kid’s passport! Also, check out our travel-at-home adventures in Paris, France, China, and Ireland. Check back soon for adventures in Morocco and Hawaii!

Love this series? Share it! Where do you want to see us “travel” next?