ABOVE: Mikayla Willden, 5, dressed up as the Statue of Liberty for the Kinderland Nursery School's Fourth of July parade Friday morning.
The children in Rosetta McFadden's Kinderland Nursery School have spent the past two weeks discussing American symbols and learning songs, "God Bless America," "Yankee Doodle, and "The Star-Spangled Banner."
On Friday, they put those lessons into action.
The parade of children surged forward, out the door, down the sidewalk, past the squirt guns laying in wait, and down Curry Street and up Ann Street.
At the front were two large U.S. flags. Behind, came a miniature Uncle Sam in the shape of 7-year-old Sam Wilson.
"It gets hot out here," he said.
Next to him was 5-year-old Lady Liberty, Mikayla Willden, who when asked why she was given the role, looked upward toward her crown and thought and thought and then said: "I forgot."
Before the parade, Tabitha Howk and Courtney Betrue filled water gun after water gun.
However, they put them aside to march in the parade, carrying a large Nevada flag. The other children marched and sang along. Parents scrambled by their sides. At the corner of Ann and Nevada streets, the group of 50 stopped and sang "This Land is your Land" for business people.
The children completed the block, went back inside the building, and then scrambled off to a day of fun - some to the bounce house hosting a large Sponge Bob Square Pants at its top, others to the temporary tattoos done by Nancy Morris, mother of Gabriel, 3.
Chinese yo-yos unfurled stars and stripes. Star-shaped glasses fell off faces.
All wore red, white or blue, and together the bodies and colors made for a waving, moving, human flag.
Out front under the shade of trees, a group of boys soaked each other with the water guns. A woman hit with a stream of water made a comment, but Malah McFadden, co-owner of Kinderland, denied having anything to do with it.
Despite the squirt gun in her hand.
• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.