Free Printable Kwanzaa Lesson Plans, Games, Crafts, Activities

Habari Gani? This is the Swahili greeting given at Kwanzaa, the least known but fastest growing of the winter holidays. When you greet someone with Habari Gani? you are saying literally, 'what's the news?' Kwanzaa, meaning 'first fruits of the harvest' celebrates family, community and culture. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 - January 1, seven days. In the seven days there are seven principles to aim for; I have listed their Swahili name as well as a description westerners can understand. Printable Activities, Games, Lessons and Crafts for Kwanzaa

unity (umoja),
self-determination, knowing oneself (kujichagulia),
collective work and responsibility; sharing the load (ujima)
cooperative economics, barter, trade for the common good (ujamaa),
sense of purpose (nia),
creativity (kuumba),
trust, faith (imani)

Free Printable St Nicholas Day Crafts and Activities

Free Printable St Nicholas Day Crafts and Activities December 6 marks the Feast Day of the popular saint of Christmas, St. Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th century bishop in Asia Minor and is the patron saint of Russia and Holland. Here are free printable St. Nicholas activities for your family, homeschool, religious education classes and Catholic school students. Explore St. Nicholas the man, the legend, the bishop and the saint. St Nicholas Day printables

Free Printable Stone Soup Lesson Plans for Thanksgiving

Friendship Soup and Stone Soup Classroom Lesson Plan Activities 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, homeschool and church groups, making Friendship Soup or Stone Soup shows what wonderful things can happen when people share. This lesson plans gives teachers a lot of bang for their time investment. "Stone Soup" is easy to make, satisfies everyone and provides some nice pragmatic and esoteric lessons. Read more...

Best Books and Movies for Veterans Day

Books and Movies for Veterans Day Veterans Day remembers and celebrates the lives and efforts of soldiers, sailors and airmen the world over and especially those who gave the last full measure. It has been said of World War One that it very nearly obliterated an entire generation. In the wake of this most dreadful time followed prohibition, speakeasies, organized crime, the Jazz Age, the Stock Market crash, the migration of masses from the farm to the city and ultimately the Depression and World War Two. The disillusionment felt after World War One was expressed in literary, music, art, education, theater, financial and political upheavals felt round the world. From a 25 year teacher and homeschool mom, here are the best books to read and movies to watch, to a get a feel for this holiday. Veterans Day lesson plans

Free Printable Weather Lesson Plans, Earth Science Activities, Coloring Pages

Free Printable Weather Lesson Plans, Activities, Coloring Pages Speaking as a veteran teacher and homeschooler, I have found that children learn best when they are actively engaged. Planning a unit on weather, science or safety? Here are free printable coloring pages and activity booklets from the National Weather Service. These printables include activities on emergency preparedness, health epidemics, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, drought, heat waves, tsunamis and more. printable severe weather lesson plans

Free Printable Hubble Space Telescope Lesson Plans

Free Printable Hubble Space Telescope Lessons The link to this content has changed. It was originally written for Yahoo! Beta Local Detroit. I'm in the process of redoing it. In the meantime, here's the direct link to the Detroit Science Center teacher resource page. The IMAX theater at the Detroit Science Center is an invaluable teaching tool for teachers and home school families. When we homeschooled our children, I was always on the lookout for great outside-the-box community connections and learning experiences. We visited the the IMAX theater in Grand Rapids 13 years ago when it was brand-new. The kids were fascinating by the presentation and learned a great deal about geography from the film. Here are free printable Hubble space telescope, solar system and astronomy lesson plans. printable Hubble Space Telescope lessons

Typhoon Nesat--Pedring, Typhoon Nalgae--Quiel Batters Philippines, Vietnam, China

In Nesat- Pedring's Wake, Typhoon Nalgae- Quiel Batters Beleaguered Philippines In the wake of Typhoon Nesat, known as locally as "Pedring," the Philippines is struggling with yet another onslaught from Typhoon Naglae, or Quiel. Quiel is making landfall in Palanan Bay, in Isabela province with Signal 3 winds. Signal 3 means 101-180 kph or 75-115 mph wind speeds and is equivalent to a Category 1or 2 hurricane. Read more...

Free Printable Columbus Day Activities

Free Printable Columbus Day Activities Columbus Day is observed on the second Monday of October. Plan your Columbus Day using these free printable lessons, games, coloring, crafts and cut and paste activities. Columbus Day marks the landing of Christopher Columbus ships on the Caribbean Islands of the New World in 1492. Although there is speculation about the exact location, and the Italian Columbus was not the first to see the Americas, he was the first to record and create early maps of what he found. Students can explore the history, science, math and culture surrounding Columbus's voyage with these free printable lesson plans. These lesson work for special needs students, general education students and are ideal for homeschool students. Columbus Day lessons

Free Printable Kids Calendar, Schedules, Organizers, Chore and Homework Charts

Free Printable Kids Calendar, Homework Planner, School Schedules, Online Organizer Tools One of the best ways to teach a child to be organized is to help them follow a daily calendar or schedule. Go back to school  with free printable 2012 monthly and weekly calendars, personal organizer tools, personal planner and school schedules for kids. Many are coloring page calendars, too. Free printable coloring page calendars make great math and time lesson plans for elementary and special needs students. Keep preschoolers busy when older siblings aren't in school with free printable coloring page calendars. You might even use these free printable coloring page calendars are birthday or holiday gifts for family and friends.free printable calendars

Free Printable Labor Day Coloring Pages

Free Printable Labor Day Coloring Pages Labor Day, celebrated the first Monday is September, in the US remembers the contributions of organized labor, unions and workers. Here are free printable occupations, careers and worker coloring pages for Labor Day. Labor Day is also the last picnic holiday before school starts, so if you are organizing a Labor Day BBQ, picnic, or party, you will want these free printable coloring pages for the children at your party. Teachers, start your school year off right with a social studies unit that explores community helpers, workers, occupations and careers. These coloring pages make excellent activities for that a unit on Labor Day. Labor Day coloring pages

Free Printable Nature Crafts, Beach Party Activities

Free Printable Summer Beach and Nature Craft Activities  Homeschoolers, if you're looking for fun, relaxing summer activities for your family, look no further. Family Fun magazine is the best family magazine to hit news stand since the Saturday Evening Post. Family Fun focuses on inexpensive, diy crafts, games, recipes and activities for the whole family. Here are free printable summer fun crafts and scrapbook activities from Family Fun's free printables page Printapalooza. printable summer crafts

Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July Patriotic Theme Party

Red, White, Blue and 'Green'! 4th of July Backyard Water Park Written for 4th of July, this educational hands-on history party will work great for Memorial Day, too. Here's a complete DIY patriotic water fun park with 10 activities that you can set up in your backyard. All the guests, young and old can enjoy the fun! Be sure to make a separate area for the land lubbers who wish to stay dry. Your lawn gets a good drink of water and everyone can cool off. This would make a great back to school party, too. Lesson plans included! outdoor patriotic games

Free Printable Cinco de Mayo, Mexico Coloring Pages

Free Printable Cinco De Mayo and Mexico Coloring Pages Cinco de Mayo, or Fifth of May, celebrates the victory of the smaller Mexican army over the mighty French juggernaut, in the Battle of Puebla, 1862. Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence day, but many Hispanics celebrate it. Here are free printable coloring pages for Cinco de Mayo. Commemorate the Mexican cultural celebration Cinco de Mayo with free printable crafts, coloring pages and lessons. Use these free printable activities in the classroom, homeschool, 4H, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops and church groups. free printable Cinco de Mayo lessons

Best Resources for Free or Cheap Field Trips

Best Resources for Free or Cheap Field Trips As a 25+ teacher and homeschooler, my educational philosophy is to make learning approachable, meaningful. hands-on. Consequently, field trips are an important components of my instruction. Here are dozens of free or inexpensive field trip resources. home school field trips

Free Printable Twilight Book Series and Movie Activities

Free Printable Twilight Book Series and Movie Activities The "Twilight" book series numbers four and the movies, three: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Here are free printable lesson plans to use "Twilight" books and movies in class and homeschool. Read more...

Free Printable Algebra, Geometry Math Help

Do you have 'math anxiety'? The words algebra, geometry, calculus and trigonometry are enough to strike fear in many hearts. But don't despair; here are free printable algebra, trigonometry, calculus and geometry lessons and homework reference sheets. You can view these handy math reference tools and homework helpers online and print from a PDF by clicking the page. Read on

Free Printable Flags of the World Coloring Pages

United Nations Day is October 24. There is no more enduring symbol of a nation that the national flag. It’s a thumbnail, an icon for a country. The flag symbolizes pride and rallies people. The flag is flown or lowered to reflect national joy or sorrow. Here are free printable world flags from around the globe. Use these free printable flag coloring pages in geography lessons and social studies cultures units. One note: Students should not be allowed to "free color" the world flags. They should be taught to color flags correctly according to country. 

Coloring Castle has free printable flag coloring pages. There are black and white flags to color and colored flag templates that shows students how to properly color the flag. Countries represented include: Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, Czeck Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands (Holland), Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

Activity Village includes free printable world flags from the six of the seven continents: Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia and Europe. The site has many free printable flag coloring pages from Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia, Cyprus, England, Ghana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Wales. Print geography lessons and social studies printables, coloring pages of famous buildings, landmarks and children in traditional native costume. Free printable geography lessons and social studies activities include maps and charts, too.

World Flags Coloring Pages has free printable world flag coloring pages for just about any nation or country in the world. This site includes free printable United States flags from each state and provincial flags from countries around the world. Be sure to view the original to color properly.


Enchanted Learning has many free printable world flags, national flag lesson plans and flag coloring pages. To print activities with no banner, users are asked to pay a $20 annual site fee. Check out these sites for free printable social studies lesson plans and geography lessons.

Free Printable Writing Prompts, Poety Frames, Form Poems

Poetry is one of the most expressive and unfettered forms of creative writing. Writing poetry can be daunting for beginners. I love to empower the inner poet. Here are free printable poetry frames and poem patterns to break the creative ice. What are poetry frames and poem templates? Frame poems and poem templates are patterns for poems that creative writing students and aspiring poets can use to guide their writing. Depending on the age and maturity of the poet frame poems can be adjusted. Great for special needs children.free printable poetry lessons

Free Printable American History Lesson Plans



Most elementary school curriculum contains a unit on American history. In 4th grade, many states require teachers to teach pioneer, settler and early American history. Here are free printable lesson plans for social studies and American history. free printable early american lesson plans

Free Printable Earthquake Lessons Plans, Tsunami Information

The 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami caused death, evacuation, fires, nuclear reactor issues and widespread devastation. Here are free resources to explore earthquakes and tsunamis with children to help them process the event. Free printable lesson plans, ELA activities, literature (including Pearl S. Buck's book, "The Big Wave") earth science worksheets and geology lesson plans. Click here

Free Printable Atoms Lesson Plans on Nuclear Reactor Meltdowns

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami on Friday caused an explosion at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor building. Nuclear reactor meltdown is a horrible fear. Here are lessons and activities to help children understand nuclear energy issues. Free printables, videos, information and activities. free atoms lesson plans

Free Printable Dr. Seuss Lorax Lesson Plans for Science, Earth Day

March 2 marks the birthday of American icon Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Suess Geisel. Dr. Seuss wrote pearls of wisdom in silly verse. He illustrated them in candy flavors and neon colors. The Lorax, Horton, the Grinch, The Cat in the Hat are among the world's most beloved children's books. He also wrote educational preschool stories under the scrambled pseudonym Theo LeSieg. March is also National Reading Month, kicked off with Read Across America. Use these activities to celebrate with children in classrooms or homeschool.
Start your activities quest at About.com Here are free printable Dr. Seuss activities. Outer-Limit.net has free printable Grinch coloring pages from Dr. Seuss's holiday classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The Grinch and the Whos of Whoville are some of Dr. Seuss's best-known and most beloved characters. Homeschool Share has many free printable Dr. Seuss worksheets, coloring pages and activities. Lucy Learns has Cat in the Hat coloring pages. There are also printables of The Sneetches, The Lorax, Sam-I-Am and Green Eggs and Ham.
PBS Kids offers free printable Dr. Seuss character coloring pages and activities. The homepage,The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That has a plethora of Seuss-themed lesson plans, games, crafts and puzzles. Lessons cover math, reading, writing and science. Gerald McBoing-Boing, red and blue fishes, Horton Hears a Who and other Seuss characters help kids learn.

Seussville is the homepage for all things Dr. Seuss. This link takes you to the games and activities page, with lots of free printable Seuss goodies. There are printable Earth Day games based on the Lorax, Cat in the Hat counting games, preschool worksheets, coloring pages and gobs more. But don't stop there. Check the Parents and Educators tabs for other educational Seuss activities.

Free Printable Black History Month Lessons, Activities

Carter G. Woodson created the idea of Black History Month in 1926, but it wasn't until 50 years later when the first February Black History Month was celebrated during the United States bicentennial. Here are free printable black history lessons. Black History Month explores the history, culture, struggles and contributions of the Aftrican diaspora (displaced or forced immigration population) in the US, Canada and UK (they observe African-American history month in October). Included in this article are movies, resources, lessons, biographies, games, puzzles, worksheets, literature lessons, social studies and history lessons and more. Use these activities in your classroom or homeschool. Click here...

Free Printable Chinese New Year Crafts, Lessons, Activities



Free Printable Chinese New Year Crafts and Lesson Plans. The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the Gregorian (western) calendar on February 3, 2011. 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, in the 12 year Chinese Zodiac rotation. Here are free printable crafts to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year printables

Free Printable Epiphany Lesson Plans, Three Kings Day Lessons and Activities

In many nations, especially southern and eastern Europe and South America Christian religions celebrate January 6, or Epiphany as the main gift-giving holiday. In the Catholic faith, Epiphany, or Three Kings Day is a religious observance. Here are free printable Epiphany activities. free Epiphany crafts

Pinners, welcome!

Follow Me on Pinterest