By: Morgan Schoenrock

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer, is a great opportunity to spend time as a family while honoring the service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Here are five fun and easy ideas your family can do to celebrate this Memorial Day weekend together:

1. Whip up some yummy Red, White, and Blue treats. We love this fruit parfait with yogurt and colorful fruits. Layer yogurt and fruits until you have a tasty snack that looks like the American Flag! This layering process is so simple that small kids can help create this memorable treat. For a sweet twist, substitute whip cream for the yogurt.

2. Plan a Cook Out with Family and Friends. The best way to honor those that died fighting for our freedom is by loving on those around us. Fire up the grill, invite over loved ones and just enjoy some quality time together.  Organize a get together with neighbors or just grill out for your closest friends. Enjoy some time with the people you do life with. 

3. Put out an American Flag. Some neighbors takes this tradition to the next level and not only put a flag in their yard, but also a small one in each yard down the block. Order a few small flags for your neighbors and go put them in their yards as a family. 

4. Your take on the Hawaiian tradition of prayers sent on lanterns. On Memorial Day in Hawaii, residents write out prayer sand messages for fallen soldiers and then release them on floating lanterns. Floating lanterns may not be a possibility where you live, but the idea of releasing thoughts and prayers to the heavens can be done in different ways. Write a prayer, message or picture and release it in an eco-friendly way. This is a great way to express gratitude in honor of Memorial Day. 

5. Make a patriotic craft together. We love making patriotic wind socks to decorate the backyard and front porch. All you need are construction paper (in red, white and blue), glue, ribbon and string. To create, cut one or two pieces of construction paper into long strips. Glue these strips as streamers hanging off of the long end of a full piece of construction paper. Once glued strips are secure, roll full piece of construction paper into a tube and secure with glue to make a cylinder. Add string to the top to hang.

We hope these fun ideas help make your Memorial Day a special time for your family, appreciating the time together afforded by those that sacrificed for our freedoms. Enjoy!