Chinese New Year of the Goat books for kids, children's literature from China

Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival celebrates the culture of the Orient. It begins Feb. 19 in 2015 and culminates with a Lantern Festival. What better way to explore Chinese culture in your classroom than with literature? Here is a list of children's books for pre-K to second graders from China. Some books are specifically Chinese stories and others are Japanese Buddhist stories. Chinese New Year encompasses traditional animals of the zodiac so many kids' books in this list are animal-themed. It's CNY Year of the Goat (or Sheep) in 2015.

Free Easter bunny printables, Peter Rabbit printables, Velveteen Rabbit crafts

Easter is probably the most quintessentially preschool holiday of all. Easter baskets, candy, egg decorating, bunnies, baby animals, spring--little children love this festive season. So for the young and young at heart, here are free printable Easter bunny crafts. I've included printable activities based on my two favorite bunnies, Peter Rabbit and the Velveteen Rabbit, too. Parents and homeschoolers, use for preschool lessons; teachers, you'll want these for preschool classroom fun.Free Easter bunny printables, Peter Rabbit printables, Velveteen Rabbit crafts - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

 

Free Printable Puppets and Preschool Themed Mini Books to Act Out

When I taught summer enrichment, one class that always went over big was puppetry. Here are free printable finger puppets, stick puppets, paper bag puppets and 3D play sets (to use like puppets). Many have accompanying mini booklets kids can read and act out with their puppets. There are Bible, animal, people, Disney character, monster and other puppet themes. Perfect for Vacation Bible School, summer school, daycare and rainy day fun!  Free Printable Disney, Animal, Bible Finger Puppets

Free Endangered Species Coloring Book for Earth Day

The Environmental Protection Agency- EPA has developed a free printable 28-page activity and coloring book entitled Save Our Species. This free printable resource, perfect for Earth Day, has been developed and provided to the public as an educational information guide. On Earth Day, students can explore endangered species in the United States, by coloring the animals, plants and habitats.   Free Printable Earth Day Endangered Species Coloring Activity Booklet 

Free Printable Peter Rabbit, Velveteen Rabbit, Easter Bunny Crafts

Secular Easter is a child-friendly holiday. Baskets, candy, egg decorating, bunnies, baby animals, spring--things kids love. Here are free printable Easter bunny crafts, plus printables based on my two favorite bunnies in children's literature-- Peter Rabbit and the Velveteen Rabbit. Those books have been dear to me since I was a toddler. Parents and teachers, you'll want these for preschool classroom fun.  Free Printable Easter Bunny Crafts for Preschool

Harry the Dirty Dog Game, Craft, Snack, Printables

Are your kids going winter stir-crazy? Too cold to play outside long. Snow too deep for little one. Well, you need a craft afternoon. I learned as a teacher/homeschool mom to make lesson plans hands-on. So my craft parties include an interactive story and snack and lots of free printable book-based activities.
One of my husband's favorite children's literature characters is Harry the Dog, created by Gene Zion and drawn by Margaret Bloy Graham. My mom described a yarn bush she made for the birds and it reminded me of Harry. Here are activities based on "No Roses for Harry."   No Roses for Harry Recycled Yarn Craft, Snack, Printables

Book Crafts, Printables, Snacks, Games, Activities from Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

2014 is going to down as the Winter of Infamy. But don't worry, parents of bored kids, teacher-mama has more children's literature activities. Hands-on lesson plans with story, game, craft and snack. Today's is on "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" and appropriately for this arctic season-- "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" Both of these wonderful stories come courtesy of Bill Martin and Eric Carle. My oldest could read this entire books at three, thanks to the repetitive verse. Book Activities from Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Free Printable Harry the Dirty Dog Activities

Are your kids going winter stir-crazy? You need a craft afternoon. I learned as a teacher/homeschool mom to make lesson plans hands-on. So my craft parties include an interactive story and snack and lots of free printable book-based activities.   No Roses for Harry Recycled Yarn Craft, Snack, Printables

2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts, Printables

Chinese New Year begins early in western calendar January 31, 2014. This year, we celebrate the Year of the Horse. It's also called the Spring Festival and concludes with a Lantern Festival. I'd love to visit China--all that festivity! The theme is Good Fortune and the expression is "Gong Hay Fat Choy!" wishes luck for the coming year.
Speaking of luck, I happened upon a cute site I thought I'd share with parents: Activity Village. It's one I've used a lot over my career writing about educational printables. But they seem to have improved site loads and content. There are crafts, games, puzzles, coloring sheets and worksheets for kids on CNY (Chinese New Year). There are recipes, game and party ideas. Read on.  2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts for Kids

Free Printable Books Kids Can Make and Read

I am all about hands-on lessons for kids. Children learn better when they do. So why not have them make mini books and read them? Here are free printable story books kids can cut and assemble, then color. They can use to learn vital reading skills. This site has free printable books on all kinds of subjects: ABC, numbers, shapes, animals, holidays, seasons, safety and more. Free Printable Books for Children to Make and Read 

Free Printable Coloring Mini Books for Children

Educator Jonathon Holt says children learn best when they are actively involved. Here are free printable mini booklets for children to color. Subject include letters, words, seasons, animals, science, Bible, holidays and lots more. These books make excellent classroom, homeschoool and supplemental lessons for ages 4-7 years (grades preschool through second). These free printable activities are especially good for special needs children. Free Printable Coloring Mini Books for Children

Free Printable Disney Easter Activities

Celebrate the joy of Easter with these free printable Disney Easter activities. Need some free printable greeting cards? Here are links for ten different Disney character Easter cards. Print Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore, Rabbit, Roo and all your friends from the Hundred Acre Woods. How about some free printable Looney Tunes Easter cards? Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and other Looney Tunes friends. For Easter letters, why not print some stationery, decorated with Disney's Winnie the Pooh? Write an Easter message to grandma and grandpa, teachers and friends.  Free Looney Tunes printables

Free Printable Kevin Henkes Activities

Kevin Henkes writes adorable childrens stories: "Kitten's Full Moon", "Lilly's Plastic Purse", "Owen", "Wemberly Worried" and more. My personal favorite it "Shelia Rae, The Brave" about a bombastic older sister who finds that a little sister can be a big help when courage fails. Here are free printable crafts, lessons, activities and coloring pages from Kevin Henkes books. Read on

Jon Scieszka's 'Science Verse' and 'Math Curse' Make Math and Science Approachable

On a never-ending quest for science and math lesson plans that appeal to kids and make content user-friendly, the books of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith meet task. 'Science Verse', 'Math Curse' and 'Squids will be Squids' combine learning and fun. Read on

Preschool and Elementary Life Science Lessons from 'Mousekin'

Preschool and Elementary Life Science Unit Using Edna Miller's 'Mousekin' Books Using the Mousekin book series, by Edna Miller, you can teach complete units in life science. Teach camouflage  hibernation, ecosystems, habitats, symbiosis and more. Here are lesson plans for preschool and elementary life science activities.
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