How to Plan a Cheap Kids Party

Holiday parties are great fun, but they can get out of hand if not properly coordinated. Here is an easy, inexpensive diy holiday party planner for cheap kids party. kids party planner

Free Printable St Lucia Day Activities for Advent

Advent is the period of preparation for Christmas. Several special feast days fall during Advent: December 6- St. Nicholas, December 12-Our Lady of Guadalupe and December 13- St. Lucia. Here are free printable St. Lucia Day activities. St Lucia Day activities

Homemade Butter Recipes for Kids

Students of all ages love hands on learning activities. What better way to understand how something works than with interactive educational experiences? Making butter with your students teaching chemistry and science
principles and it's great fun! butter recipes

Free Printable Kids Calendar Personalized, Color Your Own

Calendars make an excellent learning tool for homeschool math lesson plans. Here are free printable calendars that you can personalize and give as gifts. Perfect for telling time lessons, too. free printable kids calendars

Free Printable Stone Soup Lesson Plans for Thanksgiving

Free Printable Stone Soup Lesson Plans for Thanksgiving When I was in kindergarten we did a classroom Thanksgiving activity that has stuck with me all my life: Friendship Soup, also called 'Stone Soup' (taken from the old legend retold by Marcia Brown). Perfect for scouts, home school and church groups.
free printable Stone Soup activities

Free Printable Leaf Identification, Tree Identification Charts

A popular autumn lesson plan is to assign students to make a leaf identification booklet. Here are free printable tree identification charts and leaf patterns and fall craft stencils. Parents, homeschoolers and teachers, make flashcards with these tree and leaf patterns. Use in hands-on Montessori style games for nature science study. Make tree and leaf books. Assign students to collect leaves, press them or make leaf rubbings. Students should label leaves and trees using identification diagrams.
About Forestry has free printable leaf patterns for tree and leaf identification from common trees around the country. The site also has textbook-quality, beautifully detailed free printable leaf coloring pages taken from naturalist Charles Sprague Sargent's leaf plate illustrations. Each page features a different leaf with its corresponding tree, berry, nut and foliage. These printable illustrations include cut-away drawings and other helpful identification data, plus the Latin classification for genus and species of the tree. The website gives the leaf and tree names in their American variation. Use these printables for taxonomy lessons on KPCOFGS (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family Genus and Species) as developed by zoologist Carolus Linnaeus.

Arbor Day offers several printable nature science resources and online tree and leaf identification activities. Here's a link for About Forestry's leaf and tree identification homepage. From here, follow the links for different information about conifers, deciduous trees, hardwoods, and other assorted trees from different biomes and habitats. Don't miss these free printable forest map activities showing location and region of different types of trees. Scroll down to find the region and tree type you are looking for. Here's a free printable tree and leaf matching game. Print as coloring pages of leaves. Here are websites with free printable fall leaf patterns for autumn crafts. Here are free printable leaf stencils for decorations and children's activities.

Free Printable World War 1 and WW 2 Lesson Plans for Veteran's Day

Free Printable World War I, WWII Activities Free printable military and World War history activities. Soldiers, vehicles, uniforms, battles, campaigns. Print coloring pages, battle maps, worksheets, games, puzzles, vocabulary crosswords, charts and fill-in the blank diagrams. Read More

Free Printable Graphic Organizer Tools

Free Printable Graphic Organizers and Content Maps for Lesson Plans Graphic organizers, content maps and content webs all refer to visual aids created by teachers to help students visual concepts and organize information into an understandable pattern. Here are free printable graphic organizer tools and content maps. Read More

Mask Making for Social Studies Lessons

Social Studies, Literature and Arts Connections: Mask-Making Crafts in the Classroom Decorative masks are significant in many cultural traditions and religious ceremonies. Native North, Central and South America, Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa other tribal groups use ceremonial masks. Here are several easy, recycled mask making crafts. Read More

Free Printable All Saints Day Scavenger Hunt Party Games

All Saints Day Party Games: Saints Scavenger Hunt and Riddle Guessing Games Planning an All Saints Day party or party after All Saints Eve mass? Here are several free printable party games. I've written several variations of an All Saints Scavenger Hunt and Riddle Game. Print these clues for your All Saints Party.
Read More

Free Printable Earth Science, Geology, Rocks and Minerals Lesson Plans

Here are free printable geology lesson plans and earth science worksheets. Look for charts, graphs, maps, activities and printables to explore geology, rocks and minerals and earth science.
Geology has free printable geology lesson plans and earth science worksheets. You can print charts, geographical maps, geologic maps, periods of the earth, rocks and minerals, earth structure and diagrams that demonstrate plate tectonics. Look for earth cut-away models, soil layers, volcanoes, ring of fire, the relationship between volcanoes and earthquakes, carbon dating, how fossils and fossil fuels develop, rocks and minerals and more.
National Geographic Kids is a superb resource for worksheets and lesson plans on earth science, rocks and minerals and geology. Scroll around to find specific earth science activities you need. Teachers and homeschool parents don't miss the huge assortment of geology and earth science printables awaiting you!
Next, spelunk (that's explore in geo-speak) your way over to the Geological Society of America for dozens of free printable geology lesson plans. Who better than the GSA to teach kids about earth science, geology, rocks and minerals, ages of the earth models and other earth-friendly topics? Visit Discovery Education for free printable earth science lesson plans. Click the age/grade you need and then click "science" to find free printable geology worksheets, activities and printables.

Mining USA has some useful educational free printable resources geared specifically to coal mining. National Geographic is the best, hands-down, all around site for earth science lesson plans, geology worksheets and rocks and minerals information. 

Here are free printable lesson plans on cave, fossils, bats, archaeology, paleontology, habitats, geology, spelunking and earth science. The National Parks Service has free printable lessons on the U.S. national park at Carlsbad Cavernsin New Mexico. There's curriculum for elementary school in the free printable booklet About Bats, Caves and Deserts. For middle school students, the NPS Carlsbad Caverns website features free printable archaeology lessons on Caves, Canyons, Cactus and Critters. High school students explore geology, spelunking, Global Positioning Systems and orienteering in the Chihuahuan Desert Lab school. Materials are designed to be used with interpretive visits but some may be used as stand-alone lessons in class. Check out the cool activities on fossils, bats, paleontology and other cave phenomena.
Also from the NPS, are free printable materials on Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There are free coloring pages, word games, puzzles and lesson plans in the Junior Ranger section. Kids will love the printable Trog Tour booklet (trog is short for super cool fossils called troglodytes) The Making Connections series from Mammoth Cave National Park features books for grades K-3, 4-5 and 6-8. There are 83 pages of free printable paleontology lesson plans for teachers and homeschool parents. And be sure not to let young archaeology students miss the free printable Fossil Identification Guide with coloring pages of fossils to label.
Lascaux Culture has interactive lesson plans on Lascaux cave drawings. Explore paleontology and archaeology with the prehistoric paintings, There are cave maps, images, videos and timelines. Easy Fun School has free cave diorama lesson plan. The diorama is easy to make and uses cheap, household materials.has free printable animal habitat coloring pages. Students can research which animals live or hibernate in caves. This site has other free printable habitats dioramas. Crayola offers a free craft template to show interior cave rock formations.Here are free printable geology lesson plans on archaeology, paleontology, bats, and fossils.

Free Printable Holiday Coloring Page Greeting Cards

Free Printable Coloring Page Greeting Cards for Children Looking for a fun coloring project for your children? How about free printable color-your-won greeting cards. These greeting cards print in black and white so that children can enjoy coloring. Birthday, Halloween, Thank you, Get Well and more. Read More

Vocational Training, Career Opportunities, Life Skills

How to Choose a College Career that Fits You We aren't given a crystal ball to predict the future. There is no way to know for sure what college career will or will not make us happy or in which we will be successful. Here are some guidelines that will optimize career success, however. Read More

Free Printable Fire Prevention Week and Safety Lesson Plans

Free Printable Fire Prevention Week Activities and Lessons
Fire Prevention Week runs the first full week in October. Here are free printable fire prevention activities: lessons, games, puzzles, activities, crafts, charts, safety check-lists and many other fire prevention resources in Spanish and English. Read More

Free Printable Landmarks Lesson Plans, Famous Places Around the World

Free Printable Around the World Coloring Pages for Social Studies One of the most interesting aspects of social studies and geography classes is to explore cultures of the world. Here are free printable coloring pages of famous landmarks, building and points of interest from countries around the world. Perfect for social studies, geography, travel and world cultures units. Read More

How to Plan a Home School Field Trip

How to Plan a School or Homeschool Field Trip Field trips make excellent learning opportunities; they get students into the 'real world'. I've organized about 60 field trips for special needs students, adults, homeschoolers and general education students. Here's what works and what doesn't. Read More

Free Printable File Folder Games

March is National Reading Month and just in time, here's a great lesson plan to teach reading with file folder games. Students can learn just about any subject using file folder games to reinforce content and practice skills. Here are free printable file folders games online. Besides reading, teach math, reading, spelling, grammar, phonics, science, social studies and more. Print games for all ages and ability levels: preschool, kindergarten, elementary, special needs, middle school. Use for homeschool, too.
File Folder Fun has over 100 free printable file folder games in content areas across the curriculum. Search by age, grade level, theme and subject. File folder themes include animals, foods, flowers, weather, ocean life, circus. Themes teach math, reading, science, social studies, phonics, spelling, math, ELA (English Language Arts) history, music and other preschool and elementary school subjects. Click the games you want. The click "download." And voila, a screen appears with game background, pieces, cards, all materials you need, free.
File Folder Farm has gobs of free printable file folder games for math, English, reading, writing, spelling, science, social studies and more. Games can be used with varied ages. Click the game you want. The print, cut out and and assemble. Or better still, print in black and white. Have students color, cut and paste and assemble. You get two activities--craft, lesson plan and game--all in one!
Cindy's Autistic Support has free printable math file folder games. Use to teach counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division file folder games. You can make individual games for each math fact (times table) family.

To make file folder games: Print game board and glue to inside of file folder. Write instructions on outside. Laminate or cover with contact paper. Make a spinner by drawing a circle. Divide like a pie. Label segments with game advancement options. Place paperclip on paper fastener (brad). Poke fastener through center of circle. Spin paper clip. Store game cards or pieces in zippered plastic bag or envelope stapled to folder. File folder games store upright in filing cabinet or drawer. Get extra craft mileage from free printable file folder games by assigning students make them.

Free Printable Environment and World Poverty Lesson Plans: Water and Sanitation


Free Printable Social Studies and Science World Poverty Lesson Plans: Water and Sanitation Teachunicef.org offers many free printable lesson plans to study world poverty and hunger due to disease, famine, natural disaster, weather and political unrest. Here are free printable science and social studies lessons on Water and Sanitation. Read More

Free Printable World Poverty Lesson Plans: Climate Change

Free Printable Social Studies and Science World Poverty Lesson Plans: Climate Change Teachunicef.org is the lesson plan database of UNICEF. UNICEF has many lesson plans and educator resources for social studies, science and geography. Here is a free printable unit on Climate Change to explore world poverty and hunger. Read More

Free Printable Science Lesson Plans, Games, Activities, Graphs, Charts, Worksheets

Teachers and homeschool parents, here are free printable science worksheets, charts and diagrams of life cycles. Use these for biology, anatomy and earth science. The California Forest Foundation has produced a free printable science charts and diagrams booklet. All you have to do is register for the site (it's free) to get free printable science worksheets and lesson plans. Here's a packet of free printable environmental and earth science lesson plans including science charts and diagrams the carbon cycle, water cycle and more. Use these materials to teach students about critical environmental science issues of forest growth, deforestation, wildfire, ecology, biomes, habitats, ozone, atmosphere and more.
Here's a free printable Guide to California Wildlife that takes biology, environmental and earth science students into the biomes and habitats of the creatures in a large forest. This guide explores the symbiotic relationship among forest flora and fauna. Explore biodiversity, ecology, deforestation, natural geological influences, artificial interference and the wonder of nature. The California Forest Foundation provides more free printable biology lessons, crafts, coloring pages, activity sheets, games, simulations, charts, graphs and more. Educators will appreciate the wealth of resources available.Free shipping of these materials is only available for residents in California, but free printable downloads are available to everyone.
TSLBooks has close to 100 free printable science charts and diagrams, science worksheets and activities. Get free printable fill-in-the-blank charts, games, puzzles and lesson plans. Free Science Worksheets covers many different ages, grade levels and science content areas. You can find free printable science worksheets for earth science, nature study, geology, astronomy, geography, health, anatomy, biology, environmental science, botany, zoology, physics, engineering, physical science, ecology, chemistry and general science worksheets. What subjects will you find science lessons on? Here is just a small sample of the subjects: bicycles, butterflies, cells, insects, animal body coverings, animal classification food groups, food chain, energy, magnets, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, planets, solar system, astronomy, colors of the rainbow, weather,
What kinds of free printable science activities can you find? Matching games, memory games, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, graphic organizers, charts, diagrams, posters to label, domino games, sorting games, classification activities, response activities, card games, board games, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice and again, much more. Enchanted Learning has literally tons of free printable science worksheets and biology charts and diagrams, graphic organizers, earth science content webs and more. Scroll down this page of fill-in-the-blank charts for science charts and diagrams on all content areas.
Remember, printing responsibly is good green living also. Use the back side of discarded paper and recycle bin fodder for printing. Set your printer preferences to 'fast, economical' to save 50%-90% on ink cartridges

Preschool and Elementary Wood Shop Learning Center

Child Size Wood Working Learning Center for Preschool or Elementary School One of my favorite memories in kindergarten was 'wood shop'. Schools can't provide real tools and wood working activities due to safety reasons; here are safe, child-friendly preschool wood shop learning center activities. Read More

Back to School Fall Science and Nature Detective Kit Activities

Back to School Science Kick-Off Activities: DIY Nature Detective Kit
Welcome kids back to school with science exploration kick off activities. Make easy inexpensive individual nature detective and science investigator kits for homeschool, elementary and middle school students. Here's a 'recipe' for back to school fun. Very hands on. Read More

Free Back to School Books and Activities for Children and Teachers from Scholastic

Back to School Teaching and School Supplies Shopping from Scholastic Back-to-School shopping isn't just for students. Teachers and homeschoolers need supplies, books and materials also. For great pricing, coupons, special deals, promotions, freebies and educational goodies galore visit Scholastic. Read More

Free eReader, Nook Software, College Study Software from Barnes and Noble: NOOKstudy

Back to School College Prep Activities Free Barnes and Noble Nook Study Download Each year more textbook choices become available for college students. Renting, etextbooks and digital downloads are provide more options. Barnes and Noble offers a free download called NOOK Study, free ebooks and homework help. Read More

DIY Preschool Sand and Water Table Activities

The sand table, also called the water table or sand and water table, is a staple in preschool learning centers,  early childhood special education and kindergarten classrooms. The sand table is a hollowed out table that can be filled with sand and/ or water for interactive play. Here are diy water table ideas for preschool, day care, homeschool, Montessori, kindergarten and any exploratory classroom environment. The water table is an important part learning centers based classrooms. The sand table provides tactile stimulation, interactive hands-on exploration and play therapy for special education and early childhood development. It fosters perceptual and cognitive development in special education students. It helps with special education occupational therapy.
You can purchase a sand table or make homemade one using one of these alternatives: dish pan, recycled plastic laundry soap bucket, shallow plastic covered storage bin, inflatable child's swimming pool, small hard plastic swimming pool or covered Little Tikes Turtle sandbox. I have used all of these as a DIY water table in my teaching career. The nice thing about using a smaller water table is that it's portable. If you choose a covered container for a sand table you can store in when not in use. The Little Tikes Turtle sandbox makes a particularly nice sand table as you can use it indoors and outdoors, as a pool or sandbox.

In the summer weather, take the Turtle sandbox outside for outdoor learning centers. In the cold, wet winter months, bring the sandbox inside and set up in your special education and preschool classroom learning centers. Cover the floor with an old recycled plastic shower curtain or tablecloth for easy clean up. Set a little broom and dust pan nearby so that children can sweep up sand and replace in sand table. This is good housekeeping practice for the house or practical life learning centers. For more special education lesson plans visit these blogs The Special Needs Child andPreschool Child Activities and Free Lesson Plans 4u and DIY Homeschool

Homemade Preschool Homeschool Sand Table, Water Table

Homemade Preschool Learning Centers: Sand Table Exploration The sand table is the backbone of a good learning center preschool classroom. The sand table provides hands-on,interactive learning, cognitive and perceptual development and tactile stimulation. Here are 20+ ideas for things to fill your sand table. Read More

Free Printable Back to School Organizers, Planners and Crafts

Free Printable Back to School Organizers, Planners and Craft Activities
"Back to School" has become a catch phrase in marketing. "Back to school" sales, shopping guides and promotions abound. We all know where we can go to spend money, but how about some money savers? Free printable back to school activities. Read More

Free Printable Ballet Coloring Pages, Ballerina Coloring Pages

Free Printable Ballet, Ballerina and Dance Coloring Pages I have wanted to be a ballerina all of my life. Unfortunately, I lack coordination. But I still enjoy watching ballet dancing. Here are free printable ballet coloring pages for you or your aspiring ballerina. Read More

ELA, Language Arts, Writing Homework Help: Punctuation

Language Arts, ELA, Grammar Homework Help: Punctuation in Writing Punctuation marks are like traffic signals; Punctuation tells the reader how to read the sentence. Punctuation marks help writing to make sense; without punctuation marks reading is difficult. Here is a guide to using punctuation in your writing. Read More

Free Printable Earth Science Lesson Plans--Ecology, Environmental Science Activities

Free Printable Environmental Science Lessons, Diagrams and Charts
'Green', 'renewable', 'sustainable' are catchwords in science and technology. How can we practice green living if we don't understand how earth cycles work? Here are free printable activities, diagrams and lessons for environmental science. Read More

Best Alphabet Books for Teaching Kids ABCs

Best ABC Books to Teach Letters of the Alphabet to Children
There are literally hundreds of ABC books to teach letters of the alphabet to children. Authors and illustrators across the genre spectrum have written ABC books for children. Here are my recommendations for best ABC books, based on words and pictures. Read More

Free Printable 4th of July Lesson Plans

Free Printable Patriotic Projects and Activities These free printable patriotic activities might be used as lesson plans for school or homeschool. Hands on activities liven up any lesson! Use these  activities for American history, Government, Civics and Social Studies.
Read More

American History Lesson Plans: Christopher Columbus

American History and Biography Lesson Plans: Christopher Columbus
4th of July is a great time to re-discover American history, beginning with Columbus. Christopher Columbus is credited with discovery of the New World, or America. Columbus was from Genoa in Italy. He was an explorer, mapmaker and navigator. Read More

WAHM Balance Work and Family: Handling Interruptions, Setting Boundaries

How WAHM Balance Family and Work- Handling Interruptions and Setting Boundaries The internet is one of the fastest growing source of jobs for SAHM, Stay-at-home-moms and WAHM, Work- at- home moms. A WAHM faces similar issues balancing work and home. Let's look at the problem of setting boundaries with family. Read More

Pinners, welcome!

Follow Me on Pinterest