Free printable Groundhog Day lesson plans, groundhogs worksheets, coloring pages

Okay, who's sick of winter? Hopefully Punxatawney Phil or one of his groundhog cousins is as well. Don't know who those guys are? They're the official Groundhog Day rodents whose shadows determine how much winter is left. Groundhog Day is Feb. 2 and you know people must be desperate for a holiday if they'll celebrate an animal getting out of his den for a stroll. Here are free printable Groundhog Day lesson plans, crafts, games, activities and worksheets with groundhogs.   Free printable Groundhog Day lesson plans, groundhogs worksheets, coloring pages

Free printable preschool Valentine worksheets, games, crafts, activities

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, Pinterest, email, and blogs overflow with valentine crafts. Alas, many are also costly. So, don't pay. Here are free printable preschool valentine worksheets, games, crafts, learning activities and lesson plans. Fru-gals and fru-guys, use these for Valentine's Day fun.  Free printable preschool Valentine worksheets, games, crafts, activities

Free printable Lenten calendars, Catholic liturgical calendars, Lent printables

Our Lenten journey in the Catholic church begins on Ash Wednesday and follows Jesus Christ for forty days of suffering in the desert, up to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. Here are free printable Lenten calendars to help your experience of Lent.   Free printable Lenten calendars, Catholic liturgical calendars, Lent printables

Free printable Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival lesson plans

China's lunar calendar system is centuries older than the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese New Year begins in on February 8, 2016. The beginning date for Chinese New Year varies from late January to mid February on the western calendar. 2016 celebrates Chinese New Year of the Monkey (or KangXi). Each of the 12 years in the Chinese zodiac is represented by a different animal and the calendar repeats every 12 years. It was Chinese New Year of the Monkey in 2004 and will be again in 2028. CNY kicks off the Spring Festival in China and ends with the Lantern Festival, a quaint, charming holiday.   Free printable Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival lesson plans

Free Printable 4th of July party planner and crafts

Planning a 4th of July bash? Need party planning tips and printable crafts? Look no further. Here are patriotic games, American history coloring pages, red white and blue crafts, flag crafts and fun family ideas. Free Printable 4th of July Crafts. 

Free Printable 4th of July Coloring Pages, U.S. History Lesson Plans

4th of July, or Independence Day, commemorates the US signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's our nation's birthday. How people celebrate differs. I remember lavish picnics, parades as a kid. Then going to the beach and fireworks with our kids. I also threw holiday-themed parties, homeschooling our children. Here are free printable Fourth of July games, flag crafts and coloring pages, American history lesson plans and worksheets and patriotic activities. Use as party invitations, games and decorations. Combine free printables with activities and recipes listed in my other 4th of July party articles (linked) Read on  4th of July Free Printable Coloring and Games

Free Printable Holiday Themed Puzzles, Games, Mazes, Cut-and-Paste Craft Activities

Planning a holiday party? Any holiday--Memorial Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Valentines Day St. Patrick's Day, Easter---I've got links for free printable crafts, games and puzzles. There are printables for other holidays--Cinco de Mayo, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Diwali and more. Or maybe you're hosting a birthday party. Whatever the age and gender of guests, you'll want games. Here are free printable activities. Use for slumber parties, VBS, Sunday School, kids in day care, rainy days, road trips and more. A summer of printable games, puzzles, crossword, word search, Sudoku, cryptograms, dot to dot, mazes, hidden pictures, secret codes, coloring pages, cut and paste craft activities.    Free Printable Halloween and Christmas Puzzles, Games, Mazes and Cut-and-Paste Activities

Free Printable Disney Frozen and other Disney Printables at New Site

I've written articles on free printable kids crafts since 2007. I often share them on this blog. When writing about free Disney printables, I often linked to the Family Fun website (from Family Fun magazine). Family Fun partners with Disney and is the source for Disney-themed crafts. I just wanted to alert readers that Family Fun-Disney now operates under a new website Spoonful.com.

All the original FF Disney and holiday activities, games, puzzles and lesson plans are there now. Sometimes the old Family Fun links redirect to Spoonful and you can just click for the printables. But if doesn't work, type spoonful.com in your URL bar. From there, search for what you want. Sorry for the inconvenience. But you'll be pleased to know it's probably better as Spoonful has even more free printables than the old site. And it's cross-referenced better, too. Look for Disney "Frozen" and "Sophia the First" printables and crafts, too. Free Disney Printables from Family Fun New Site Spoonful

Free Printable Cinco de Mayo and Mexican-Themed Coloring Pages

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of the Puebla, not Independence Day. It's more American than Mexican as a holiday. Nevertheless, any excuse for a fiesta, right? And kids love to make holiday and cultural crafts. Ergo, here are Free Printable Cinco de Mayo Coloring Pages and Crafts

Free Printable Earth Day Coloring Pages and Lessons

April 22 celebrates Earth Day, the holiday formerly called Arbor Day. Here are free printable Earth Day lesson plans, coloring pages and activities for your science classroom and homeschool. Use for 4H club or scout troops too. Biology, species, habitats, environmental science activities and moreFree Printable Earth Day Coloring Activities 

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Free Printable HOP Movie Coloring Pages and Easter Themed Crafts

HOP is a cute movie that came out around Easter, 2011. E.B. (voiced by Russel Brand) is the teenage son of the Easter Bunny. Like the 1980s Roger Rabbit and Space Jam, HOP features live actors with animation. Here are free printable crafts and coloring pages from HOP.  Free Printable HOP Movie and Easter Coloring Pages and Activities

Free Printable Cultural Crafts for Chinese New Year

 Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. It ends with a Lantern Festival. I like how the Chinese celebrate, with all those festivals, don't you? The theme is gentle and positive--good luck and prosperity. Here are cultural crafts from many lands, including China. The printables focus on Kung Fu Panda. Use these for CNY 2014 Year of the Horse, beginning Jan. 31.Free Printable Ethnic and Cultural Crafts for Social Studies  There are also printables from Latino, Native American and other groups.

Printable 2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Activities

 Chinese New Year begins today. The Chinese zodiac is distinguished by 12 animals. 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Here are activities and ideas for parents and teachers to explore Chinese tradition. Here are Lantern Festival crafts and games. There are animal coloring pages, recipes and worksheets.Chinese New Year for Parents and Kids 

St. Lucia Day Activities and Printables

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 activities for St. Lucia Day. Lucia is the patron saint of Scandinavia. For more information and free printable crafts based upon the legend of St.Lucia, check out these links.   Free Printable St. Lucia Day Activities

Free Printable Thanksgiving Clipart, Games, Crafts

 Entertaining kids during holiday preparations isn't easy. From 30 years teaching and 25 mothering, I know about making things kid friendly. Don't just entertain, put children to work helping. Have kids make decorations, greeting cards, games, crafts with these free printables. Use clip art to make Thanksgiving things too. Pilgrim, turkey, Native American, fall leaves and pumpkins, they're all there. Ways Kids Can Help With Thanksgiving Preparations

Free Printable Advent Calendars, Religious and Secular

Advent is a penitential season that starts four weeks before Christmas in Catholic and Orthodox-christian churches. As in lent (before Easter) we pray, fast and give alms to prepare our hearts for the "coming" (advent) of Christ (from the Latin "adveniat regnum"--coming of Christ's kingdom.) The first Sunday of Advent in 2013 is December 1. Here are printable advent calendars for kids. Free Printable Advent Calendar Crafts for Kids

Free Printable Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar

Thanksgiving in the US will soon be upon us. If your kids are anything like mine, they love holidays. As a homeschool family, we spent lots of time making holiday gifts, treats and crafts. But holidays can also mean antsy, bored kids who can’t focus. Well, this teacher mama has an activity for that! Free printable countdown calendars. Here’s a link for freebies from Disney/Family Fun Spoonful. Scroll through the Top 14 Thanksgiving Printables to find the calendar.  Free Printable Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar for Kids 

Free Printable Paper Toys, Games for Preschool Kids

My e-friend Marilyn "The Toymaker"draws these whimsical little creatures, writes stories about them and then creates nifty crafts to go with them. AND she puts a lot of them on her blog for you to print free. Marilyn is awesome like that.

Once you visit this site, you'll be hooked. To name but a few, there are butterfly, dog, kitty, pony paper toys. There are holiday crafts and not just for standard holidays--Christmas, Halloween. World holidays, pagan sabbats, cultural festivals, religious observances, there are printable paper crafts and games for many. This kitty is a treat bag for Halloween. You can print it if you use her images according the rules. Free Printable Paper Toys, Games for Preschool Kids

Free Printable Rosh HaShanah Activities for Kids

Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year and began at sundown September 4, 2013 on the western calendar. Rosh HaShanah precedes Yom Kippur in the Jewish month of Tishreh. Here are printable activities for Rosh HaShanah. It's the first of two Jewish high holy day. It falls on the approximate date when Moses led the Hebrews out of bondage from Egypt. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is the highest holy day--the Days of Atonement. These holidays are a time for reconciliation and repentance. Referred to by Hebrew people as The Days of Awe, the sacredness of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are roughly equivalent to the importance of Easter in the Christian Gregorian calendar.  Free Printable Rosh HaShanah Activities 

Free Printable Summer Craft Activities

I just can't believe it--another school year rolling around. When I started this blog, my youngest was 9. Now she's 15 and our oldest daughter is married! Seriously, folks time goes and kids grow quickly. seize every opportunity for family fun. Speaking of Family Fun, I love that magazine and website. Family Fun focuses on inexpensive, diy crafts, games, recipes and activities for the whole family. With summer 2013 winding down and back to school looming (or here for some students), how about an end of summer craft fest? Here are free printable summer crafts and scrapbook activities from Family Fun's free printables page Printapalooza. With Family Fun, you can always be sure
you'll get safe, inexpensive, green, diy family activities from fun other great families.  Free Printable Summer Beach and Nature Craft Activities