Happy National Lighthouse Day! Yes that’s a thing, and it feels appropriate that the “holiday” falls in summer, when beaches and shorelines are on everyone’s mind. Here’s a cute craft that Travis put together to celebrate.

Use white tape (or any light-colored decorative tape), to make two rings around a red plastic cup. This will be the base of your lighthouse. Turn the cup upside down.

Cut a door and windows from black construction paper and glue on to the cup.

Now place a battery-operated tea light on top. Cover with a small plastic cup (clear is probably best, but we had a yellow one that looked neat, too!). Your lighthouse is ready to shine.

Another fun activity? Have your child climb onto a stool (carefully!) and rotate around, flashing a flashlight. This is especially neat after dark.

Of course you’ll want to make story time all about lighthouses. Try Hello, Lighthouse or The Lighthouse Cat.

And if you can, take a trip to a real lighthouse!

We visited one close to home for a day trip full of fun pics and salty sea air.