Free printable file folder games: Make games as craft projects for lesson plans

Hello my Omschooligans! Games and craft projects make excellent lesson plans. Making learning games as craft projects is a perfect way to extend activities. And one of the simplest and easiest games to make are file folder games. Here are lesson plans 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.

Play to Learn Preschool has a free downloadable pack of 10 free printable filefolder 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.

Stitching Hearts WW offers an assortment of free printable file folder games to download, print, color and assemble. 

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 project mileage from free printable file folder games by assigning students make them. They can practice cutting, pasting, assembling and following directions. 

DIY recycled cardboard playhouse with cardboard appliances kids can make themselves

Hello my Omschooligan friends! Teacher Omi is so excited about spring and I hope you are too! Today n this beautiful May Day, let's make some recycled cardboard crafts for kids! We made a recycled cardboard castle, play store and puppet theater a few days ago. Today we're making recycled cardboard playhouses. Use these in homeschool, preschool and just for outdoor fun! These free printable lesson plans include fort or house making rubric plus a guide to making appliances for your recycled cardboard playhouse. 

Montessori connections to recycled cardboard playhouse craft project for kids

Preschool children are wonderfully imaginative. If you give them an old box and tell them to pretend it's a car, they will enjoy hours of fun in their Maserati. Kids don't need a  expensive pre-made playhouse to have fun. You can make a recycled cardboard playhouse easily. In fact, teachers and parents, you can create entire Montessori preschool practical life learning centers for home or school, with just a refrigerator box, available in dumpsters behind appliance stores. 

Safe cardboard cutting and construction guide for kids

Here is a guide on how to help children safely cut and craft with cardboard:

1. Age-Appropriate Tools

Selecting the right tool depends on the child's age and fine motor skills.

• Safety Scissors (Ages 3–6): Standard blunt-tip or plastic children's scissors work well for thin cardboard, cereal boxes, or index cards.

• Corrugated Cardboard Scissors (Ages 6+): Specialized heavy-duty craft scissors (such as Westcott Right Shears) can cut through single-wall corrugated cardboard without the danger of an open blade.

• Adult-Only Tools: Box cutters, craft knives, and heavy shears should only be used by adults to prep the cardboard or score difficult cuts.

2. Safe Cutting Techniques and Setup

Teaching proper handling ensures the process remains fun and injury-free.

• The "Away" Rule: Teach children to keep their free hand firmly on the cardboard at a safe distance from the blade, always cutting away from their body and fingers.

• Stable Surface: Place the cardboard on a flat, non-slip surface, such as a self-healing cutting mat or a sturdy craft table, rather than holding the piece in the air while cutting.

• Punching Starter Holes: For window cutouts or internal shapes, have an adult use a craft knife to make a small hole first. This allows the child to insert their safety scissors safely without forcing the blade through the material.

3. Alternative Joining and Shaping Methods

Sometimes, avoiding sharp tools entirely is the safest way to let children craft independently.

• Cardboard Scoring: To fold or bend cardboard, an adult can lightly score the line with a box cutter, allowing the child to fold it easily along the line with their hands.

• Cardboard Fasteners: Use safety-conscious alternatives to connect pieces, such as tape, low-temperature glue guns (supervised), or brass fasteners and paper brads.

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💡 Pro-Tip

Safety First: Keep a non-slip mat under the cardboard to prevent sliding, and encourage children to take frequent hand-resting breaks when cutting through thicker materials!

Recycled cardboard craft project value added

First a word on recycled cardboard appliances boxes-they are wonderful tools for Montessori preschool play. They are eco-friendly, versatile, sturdy enough for children to play in and recyclable when you're finished with it. My father made me an entire cardboard playhouse full of furniture, with recycled cardboard boxes. Here's how to make a cardboard playhouse for Montessori preschool practical life learning centers. 

How to make a cardboard playhouse

This is not meant to be a permanent structure; but the tape will prevent the cardboard box wall from collapsing. There is no need for a roof or ceiling. Children understand the concept and will be able to imagine a ceiling. 

1. Cut the refrigerator box along one of the long edges. 
2. Open the box and flaps of both ends. 
3. Place refrigerator box upright around one corner of the room, flaps toward the floor. 
4. Alternate flaps, one in, then the next facing outward (to form a base). 
5. Arrange the cardboard playhouse so that it encloses the corner. 
6. Invert refrigerator box so printing faces inward. 
7. Duct tape edges of cardboard to the walls and tape flaps to floor.
8. Cut a window or two in the sides of the box. 
9. Cut window panes and curtains and color them in. 
10. Or staple scrap fabric to make curtains. 
11. Draw a flower box on the outside or make a little rack to place real plants. 
12. Cut a door that opens and closes or cut a doorway and hang a piece of cloth like a curtain. 
13. Place old green and brown towels along the bottom of the cardboard playhouse to look like earth and grass and to mask the edges. 
14. Draw a doorbell or attach a bicycle bell.
15. Inside your Montessori preschool practical life learning centers, place a doll cradle with assorted dolls, child-sized table and chairs,
16. Keep reading for tips on how to make recycled cardboard kitchen appliances.
17. Add play food and pretend dishes
18. Repurpose a coat rack as a costume rack for the house area costumes. 
19. Set up artificial trees and flowers to lend verisimilitude. 
20. Inside the house, put a basket of books that pertains to the subject you're studying. 
21. Add comfy throw pillows. This makes your Montessori preschool practical life learning centers into a quiet reading or library learning centers.

Recycled cardboard sink for playhouse

When I was young, my parents made an entire play house for me from recycled cardboard boxes. 

• To make a play sink, tape a cardboard box closed on all sides
• Cut slits in the box. 
• Insert a small plastic dishpan or pink tub like hospitals send patients home with.
• Push tub down into the hole you cut. Cardboard frame will hold the tub in place and create a 'sink'. 
• Make faucet, spout and handle for your play sink from two recycled dispenser bottles. Foaming hand soap dispensers look the most realistic. 
• Cut small holes in the back of the box sink. 
• Drop dispenser pieces into the holes so that just the top pump part shows through. 
• Tape dispenser tube inside box so it doesn't wobble. 
• Children can pretend to run water by pressing pump dispenser (be sure to say "shhhh" to imitate water sound!)
• Or make pretend handles. Make discs of cardboard, clay or cork. 
• Cover with duct tape. Punch hole in center. 
• Insert old pencils or straws. 
• Cut a hole in the back of the cardboard near faucet. 
• Insert straws/pencils and tape to back inside of box. 
• Label "hot" and "cold." 
• Rotate discs like knobs. 
• Place recycled dish soap bottle on sink. 

Note: the image doesn't show exactly how the "hot" and "cold" should look. Place them behind the pumps. 
Recycled cardboard refrigerator

• Use a tall rectangle box placed upright for refrigerator about the size of a vacuum box. 
• Duct tape pieces of cardboard to make a shelves. 
• Place an old plastic dishpan or plastic box in the bottom for a vegetable drawer. 
• Cover all cardboard surfaces with contact paper and seal edges with duct tape so cardboard appliances last longer. 
• Place small clothing rack near the play kitchen to hang aprons and chefs hats. Dress up is important in child's play.

Here's the quick printable outline:

The Refrigerator Box Playhouse

• Benefits of Refrigerator Boxes: Sturdy, versatile, green, and recyclable.

• Step-by-Step Construction Guide:

  • Cut the refrigerator box along a long edge.

  • Open the box and flaps at both ends.

  • Place upright around a room corner with flaps toward the floor (alternating the base flaps inward and outward).

  • Invert so the printing faces inward, and duct tape the edges to the walls and floor for stability.

• Customization and Detailing:

  • Cut windows and attach curtains (using colored paper or scrap fabric).

  • Draw a flower box or add a small rack for real plants.

  • Create a swinging door or a doorway with a cloth curtain.

  • Use green and brown towels at the base to represent grass and earth.

II. Montessori-Style Integration

• Learning Centers: Practical life learning centers for home or school.

• Furnishing the Playhouse:

  • Doll cradle with dolls.

  • Child-sized table and chairs.

  • Play kitchen furniture, food, dishes, and costumes.

  • Artificial trees and flowers for realism.

• Reading Nook Conversion: Add a basket of theme-related books and throw pillows to convert the playhouse into a quiet library.

III. Cardboard Appliance Tutorials

• Time Commitment: Under an hour per appliance.

• Basic Materials Needed: Cardboard boxes, box cutter/scissors, paint pens, assorted plastic lids from vitamin bottles or milk,  dishpans or tubs, duct tape, and soap dispenser pumps.

• Play Sink Construction:

  • Tape a box closed and cut a hole for the sink basin.

  • Insert a small plastic dishpan and secure it with the cardboard frame.

  • Create the faucet and handles using foaming hand soap dispensers and inserted straws/pencils.

• Play Refrigerator Construction:

  • Use a tall, upright rectangular box.

  • Add interior cardboard shelves secured with duct tape.

  • Include a plastic box/dishpan at the bottom for a vegetable drawer.

  • Cover surfaces with contact paper and seal the edges with tape.

• Additional Accessories: Place a small clothing rack nearby for aprons and chef's hats to encourage roleplay.

Here are my tutorials for 

Quick, easy no-sew bedroom play fort

Recycled cardboard play store and puppet theater

Quick, cheap easy no-sew bedroom play fort craft project for bunk beds or school room library corner

Hello my friends of the Omschool! Omschool is a mix-up of Omi (that's me!) which means grandma in Dutch, and homechool! I was a beta homeschool parent in the early 1990s. And now I'm proud to have Gen 2 homeschool grandkids. I was also a teacher for many years. So blog represents a collection of educational ideas put together over the years. On the second to last day of April Earth Month, I'm hauling some old articles I wrote on DIY activities to recycle, repurpose and reuse. I've been thinking a lot about forts and how important they are to kids. We made a cardboard forts a few days ago and today we're making forts in our bedrooms. And if you know me, you'll know these are going to be super cheap and so easy that kids can make them with a little supervision.  

No Sew DIY Play Fort Pattern

You've seen those cute play forts that come attached to a bunk or loft bed. Bunk or loft beds are available for sale with a tent kind of thing that attaches to the top bunk to form a play fort. A pirate ship or princess castle are usual themes. These attached bed forts are usually very expensive and not real well made. You can easily create a super cool no sew DIY play fort /bedroom canopy for your kids' bunk or loft bed. You'll just need with four free or inexpensive supplies. 

• two fabric shower curtains (available at Amazon, Walmart, Family Dollar, Walmart and Dollar General for $10 or less)

• two sets of curtain rings (available from same merchants for a few bucks per package)

• sharp fabric scissors

• duct tape in coordinating color with shower curtain (optional to make windows)

  ✨ Omi's Pro Tip:

  If you're using duct tape to reinforce the windows, try a patterned tape (like polka dots or animal prints). It acts like a built-in "window frame" decoration and saves you a step in the decorating process!

Funny Omi memory

I'll get on with how to make it but first a little walk down memory lane, that may resonate. So we all have that friend who is an outrageously talented, crafty gal. We'll call her "Rose" (you know who you are, milady!) She's a sewing diva, a domestic goddess. She whips up a DIY play fort with her handy, dandy sewing machine. You don't even know where your machine is, let alone the fact that last time you used it you impaled the needle through your thumb and had to go to ER. 

The envy of the neighborhood

Well, this friend made a play fort and it's the envy of the friend circle. It's got cute little windows, a door and probably a jacuzzi and full bar hidden somewhere in its realm. Her kids proudly display their cool new play areas. As your kids cast wistful sidelong glances at them and dirty looks at you. You stand by feeling like a pretty sorry mom who not only has no time, but also zero inclination to make a play fort for her kids' beds.

Be THAT mom and save your thumb

But don't worry, you're not a candidate for "lamest mom of the year". You don't have to be a seamstress. You don't even need to own a sewing machine to make this one. Just take those four supplies mentioned and you're in business. Why you can even get a double duty craft project for the kids out of it. And that's music to any homeschool parent's heart. BOGO household task done with kids occupied plus you get to be the cool mommy! 

💡 Omi's Pro Tip:

When choosing your shower curtains, look for weighted hems. The little magnets or weights at the bottom help the "fort walls" stay straight and prevent them from flapping around when the kids are crawling in and out!

Super easy, quick, cheap, DIY 

As for the design, you can probably follow where I'm going with this shower curtain play fort. Hang the shower curtain from the top bunk or loft, using the curtain hooks. Metal bunk bed frames will have bars that the shower curtain hooks should accommodate. If not, get some of the expandable clip kind. We just bought them four for a dollar at Amazon for my husband's new homebrew room. 

So easy the kids can make it

Hang the other shower curtain at the back of the bunk bed or loft. Push the bed up against the wall and voila your child has a private little snug that took minutes to make.  Using shower curtain with hooks makes it easy for children to open and close the fort as they need to. Often the ready made bunk bed forts have zippers and snaps that break with continual use. Another value added feature. Plus, if you get the kind of shower curtains that are designed like window curtains, all the child has to do is step through. 

Fancy it up if you wish

• To create windows in your fort, cut four square openings like a window frame. Reinforce the window edges with duct tape to prevent fraying. 
• Have kids cut felt flowers and use glue dots to decorate the bottom. 
• Make a tulle net canopy by putting a hook in the ceiling and hanging it. Or use the Command strip idea to avoid marking the ceiling. 
• Label it with paint pens. 
• Or use a plain shower curtain and let kids decorate with their paint pens. This will keep them busy for hours! 

Make it stick

If you want to attach the curtain fort to the sides of the bed, simply stick small pieces of duct tape front and back, along the sides at even intervals. Cut slits through the tape layers to make no-sew buttonholes. Make about six or eight no-sew buttonholes. Using shoelaces, yarn braids, ribbon or any other material you wish, tie the curtain to the bunk bed or loft bed sides. Or even easier, use glue dots to add magnets along the edge. Personally, I just didn't and no one ever missed it. 

🛠️ Omi's Pro Tip:

For a "temporary" fort that doesn't leave marks, use extra-strength Command strips or adhesive Velcro dots to attach the curtain edges to the bed frame. Hang your canopy from one, as well. It’s a great hack for renters or for making the fort easy to take down on laundry day.

With this easy, inexpensive no-sew shower curtain bed fort or canopy, you just may be back in the running for cool mom of the year!

Free lesson plans: how to homeschool for nothing (zip, zero, no cost)

 Hello my friends! Om-school Omi here with some good...nay great...news for homeschool families. You can literally homeschool your children for nothing, as in zip, nada, zero cost with these free lesson plans and a little know-how. I'm going to share easy, free ways to educate kids, gleaned from 43 years of teaching. 

I've been doing this education thing in one way or another since I was 15, at summer camps, VBS, Sunday school and then as a certified teacher in K-8, Montessori, adult, preschool, special needs, tutoring, homeschool and substitute teaching. And I can assure you that it's not really that difficult if you plan and prepare accordingly. 

If the Covid 19 pandemic taught us anything about homeschooling our children it's that we prefer to pay for things (or feel more comfortable with purchased curriculum, cyberschooling, apps, etc.) than we do trusting our own teaching skills and common sense. But happily, as quarantine wore on, I saw many parents begin to have aha moments as they realized, hey, this isn't so difficult. We can teach our kids! To quote my beloved Barack Obama, yes we can! Parents began to wean from purchased packaged and digital lesson plans and experiment with ideas of their own. 

So now that Covid 19 is winding down, you can also keep up that momentum with homeschooling if you want. You don't have to homeschool every day or keep them out of group education. The key is to remember that every moment we are with our children we are teaching, modeling, and communicating in every act we perform or word we say. Daunting? A little. But also exciting. So how do we teach, model and communicate positive healthy, proactive ideas to our kids? Here are some ideas, my "free lesson plans" if you will. 

1) Be authentic. Just because we are educating constantly, doesn't mean we have to adopt a fake "teacher voice." Educating doesn't mean pontificating, preaching or proselytizing. Speak to children respectfully, positively and gently. 

2) Build for natural learning. Teaching is more about doing and showing than talking. St. Francis of Assisi said of preaching (which in its truest form is teaching) "preach always. Occasionally, use words." Genuine learning takes place when teachers share, foster and facilitate experiences. 

3) Facilitate. Montessori identifies this as the teacher's main duty. Make natural learning experiences accessible to students. Create activities--a craft project, for example--and then step back and let children interact with materials. Or just point out learning experiences (a bird's nest on a nature walk). Don't hover, orchestrate or  manufacture results. Let kids take from experiences what they will. See my post on grandchildren Lucian and Ezra and their experiences with a sand mold project we did with them. 

4) Observe. I can't emphasize enough the importance of quiet observation and reflection in the classroom. In an upcoming post I'm going to cover observation journals. There's so much going on around us in our world. Children know this and are constantly making us adults aware of this, if we listen. Sometimes, we learn more from them than they learn from us and what a blessing that is. I guess that's why Montessori says to "follow  the child" and the Bible that "a child will lead them." 

5) Empower. Sadly some children have had their experiences, observations and ideas diminished and need an infusion of confidence. They have come to believe that they aren't good enough and require constant validation from someone they think is superior. This is where we educators can interrupt and redirect that cycle and validate them. When subbing in an alternative high school for troubled teens, students were reading "The Crucible" aloud as a play. I complimented one young man who was generally very angry and withdrawn, on his delivery as Judge Hawthorne. I said he should consider community theater. He literally blossomed and I heard him after class telling students that he was thinking of trying out for a play. 

Stay tuned for more ideas on how to educate children without spending a cent! Photo is eldest grandson Silas mucking about with his homemade slime, making a mess, having a blast, oh and btw, learning about polymers. 

Story party ideas for children's literature based lesson plans: snacks, games, crafts

Psst, homeschool parents, want wow-worthy lesson plans for all ages? How about book-based story parties! A story or book party is suuuper easy to organize and costs next to nothing, compliments of your recycle bin, library bookshelf, snack cupboard, free printables and child ingenuity! Kids can do almost all the planning themselves, thereby getting some extra learning cred! Or you can throw an impromptu book party anytime the spirit moves! Here's how to do a story party (with children's literature crafts, snacks, games and cross-curricular connections)--for ages pre-K to middle school, any occasion--and why you should! 

For the impromptu kind, simply announce a book party. Is the weather wet or too cold or hot? Got a sick kid or three? Or maybe everyone's just a leetle crabby. Perfect story party time! Take an hour or two off and read to kids. Turn off the phone, computer, music and television. 

For the planned kind, like for a children's birthday party, choose a literature-based theme--adventure, mystery, vehicles, nature, animals-- and let each child choose several of their favorite books, if pre-K to first grade, or one for older kids. Or keep it open-ended. Or follow the unit theme for the week. You'll be amazed at how students can draw literature based connections between books. Themes might be nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fantasy (even older kids will love this).

Decorate the house. Put energetic kids to work making storybook based decorations of scenes from kids stories. You can get really crazy and decorate the entire house on your book theme.  My now-grown son did this with his college roommates for a Dr. Seuss themed going-away party. They decorated rooms in different biomes: mountains, desert, rainforest. Click this link for for free printable kids book crafts from DL-TK. 

Make costumes and let kids dress up (it is a party after all!). Just use your dress up bin. No need for anything fancy. The point is for kids to use their imagination and create their own. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on easy, DIY, no sew costumes. Here are links for free printable masks (perfect for the youngest learners!)

Make a pillow pile (crucial step). Pile the couch and floor with pillows and blankets. Invite stuffed animal friends. Kids enjoy getting snuggly, especially if they're not feeling well. My children and now grandchildren LOOOVVEE Omi's pillow pile story parties! They've developed a somewhat gestalt cult following LOL! 

Make book-based crafts. Don't buy anything. Don't even plan ahead. This is where your children's fabulously inventive minds get to cut loose. Task kids with planning craft projects based on the books you read. For printable crafts and craft project ideas, have them Google the name of the book plus crafts (for example "Harry Potter crafts"). Set out the recycle bin, crafts supplies and decorative collage items. 

Act out the story. Have kids write a script based on the book and then create costumes, props and scenery. This could take several days to a week. Provide dress-up clothes, bedding, towels, boxes, camping furniture and craft supplies. Just use what you have. The old blanket over chairs works great! Your recycle bin is a good resource for scenery. 

Make up interactive games to play at the book party. The best book-based game formats are scavenger or treasure hunts (with child-drawn treasure maps), LARP (live-action role play) and choose-your-own adventure. You can also make life-size board games based on books you read. Trouble, Monopoly, Clue or Chutes and Ladders work well as formats. For example, if reading The Hardy Boys, make up a Clue game on the book. 

Make snacks. Ask kids to think up snack and story pairings to. Make foods listed in kids stories, such as Little House in the Big Woods (cornbread) or The Boxcar Children (vegetable soup). Some, like American Girls, have accompanying cookbooks or recipes listed in the back. We once had a vintage Winnie-the-Pooh party with haycorn (pecan) pie, succotash (squash) and honey cake. But again, don't buy anything special. Half the fun is seeing the creative literature connections they come up with. Let them experiment. Oh and you must serve "coffee" (chocolate milk) or "tea" (juice) in fancy teacups like grownups do at their book clubs. Kids love pretending to be adults. 

Keep kids engaged.  Preschoolers and special needs children might illustrate kids stories they hear. Let kids draw and color while they listen. This keeps fidgety ones busy. Also mix up reading with activity. If they're getting bored, do something else. Fit the party to the child, not the child to the party. Don't make is too schoolish. Keep the focus on fun. Children who like writing might write a journal entry about the storybook.

Here are my children's and grandchildren's book recommendations. Harry Potter (thank you, Molly), "The Chronicles of Narnia" (a personal favorite), Arthur from PBS (Emma's fave), "Aesop's Fables" and "Grimm's Fairy Tales" (Jake's suggestion), "Mike Mulligan" (husband's suggestion) "The Hobbit" (Albert's contribution), Beatrix Potter, Dr. Seuss, Bible stories, superhero stories (grandsons Moses and Silas, this one's for you!) Disney princess stories (granddaughter Lola, lookin' at you here), Eric Carle books (Lucian, this one's yours!), Thomas the Tank Engine (for you, Milo) and baby Ezra's Pooh Bear But that's only the beginning! 

Recycled trash crafts for kids: Garden tools and sand toys from milk jugs

Hey teachers and homeschoolers, looking for some earth science lesson plans to teach environmental sustainability? How about making recycled trash crafts for kids with plastic milk jugs? Repurpose and reuse milk jugs into sand toys for the beach and garden tools. These crafts for kids work great in preschool science learning center, schools, scout troops, 4H groups, camp and day care and can be made with the youngest learners! 

To make a set of eight recycled trash beach toys or gardening tools, you'll need

-two clean plastic milk jugs per child

-permanent dry-erase marker 

-scissors (children's Fiskars scissors work great)

Draw a line around the base of milk jugs, about three inches from the bottom. Poke a hole anywhere in the line with scissors. Cut along the line to remove the top half (set aside for later). Now you have a sand pail, gardening bucket or plant starter. 

Next make sifter or strainer sand toys or garden tools by poking holes in the bottom of the milk jugs. Recycled trash beach toys are great money-savers. If they get broken, just re-recycle! 

Repurpose and reuse the top of milk jugs to make funnels and sand castle mold beach toys.  Draw a circle around the top, about two inches down from the mouth. Poke a hole and cut around the circle. Use funnels for preschool math learning center or sand and water table, too. 

With the leftover handle piece, make trowel garden tools. Draw along the indentation on the jug where the handle is. Snip the lower end of the handle to separate it form the jug. Poke a hole on the line and cut along the line. Trim the top part above the upper end of the handle to a v-shaped point. You will have a flat surface with a handle to smooth out surfaces and a corner surface for edging. 

Make a small rake and hoe cutting the trowel with a flat edge (for a hoe). Cut it with a zigzag edge to make a a garden rake. These trash crafts provide excellent scissors skills practice.

Make a shovel by drawing a circle around the part where the lower end of the handle attaches to the jug, about an inch or so from the handle. Snip the top end off from the jug. Cut along the circle you've drawn. Now you have handled shovels to use for sand toys or garden tools.

Use garden tools in earth science lesson plans and experiments. Use beach toys in preschool sand and water table learning center. Make a classroom garden or individual student bucket gardens for nature study! 

My favorite way to make crafts for kids is in an intergenerational setting. Visit nursing homes and senior centers to do activities with seniors. Teach students about volunteering, empathy and awareness, with activities that connect kids and elders! Make it part of an Earth Day party! Invite grandparents! This grandma treasures her time spent making craft projects with her beloved grandkiddies! 

Free printable spring science crafts, Earth Day recycled trash crafts, weather unit activities

Spring is here, "Weather" or not the temperature agrees (LOL, get it?) How about free printable spring science crafts and weather unit activities to spring into the new season? As always, this Montessori teacher mama--now teacher Omi (grandma)-- shares hands-on, cross-curricular learning activities.  To welcome Earth Day, we'll use recycled trash for weather crafts. The age level for this unit is preschool to first grade. 

First, visit DL-TK for a rainbow of printable weather science craft projects. Make windsocks, windchimes, suncatchers, picture frame crafts and more from recycled trash. Use recycled paper to make free printables. 

To welcome spring, Earth Day, Easter, a new baby, how about making a giant greeting card on front walk? Bust out the sidewalk chalk and get busy decorating! No sidewalks? Use the patio or unfurl a roll of paper outside! Here's an easy, super cheap recipe for sidewalk chalk. 

Next, make pet baby tornados! Here's a Montessori activity for practical life learning centers. Have children wash glass jars and lids, to teach life skills of dishwashing. Next, children will fill glass jars almost to top with water and add a drop of dish soap. To create the baby tornado, shake jar with swirling motion. A funnel shape or vortex will appear. Use these science activities to demonstrate a vortex, tornado, funnel and even the sink drain works. You could discuss clouds, precipitation, wind.

To extend these hands-on science activities to language arts and creative writing, have kids think up names and make up stories for their pet tornado. Next, extend into math lesson plans making books from cereal box cardboard. Teach geometry, measurement, scissor skills cutting recycled paper to cover books. Next alternate writing and blank paper. Have children write on the lined paper and illustrate on the blank pages. 

Sing weather songs in circle time. Enjoy spring themed snacks (stay tuned for recipes to follow). For quiet time, read weather and spring science books like "The Year at Maple Tree Farm" "The Little House", "Ox-Cart Man", "The Carrot Seed" "The Lorax" "The Tiny Seed" and "Frog and Toad are Friends."          

Free Crafts and Printables from Martha Stewart

 I maintain several highly-performing niche blog, the most popular ones involving printable crafts for children. Internet searchers are always seeking freebies and crafts. Click this link for loads of free printable holiday themed crafts. Look for free printable crafts for fall holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Diwali, All Saints Day, Halloween, Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Day, Epiphany. Perfect for lesson plans.

You probably know Martha Stewart is the DIY home goddess. What you might not know is that her website offers free printable Martha Stewart craft patterns to make her many amazing crafts. This craft guru literally has crafts, recipes and printables for every holiday, theme and occasion. Whatever holiday is coming next is featured on the homepage. There's a timeline of holidays along the banner menu, so you can scroll through and find printable craft patterns and templates for past or upcoming holidays.