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Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Free Printable Declaration of Independence, American History Lesson Plans


September 17 is American Constitution Day, also called Citizenship Day. To promote understanding of core U.S. documents and key American principles, a National Constitutional Literacy Campaign was established, reported the Washington Times on September 10. Its goal is to educate Americans of all ages on the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and other core documents. Here are free printable American history documents for U.S. Constitution Day and citizenship activities. Teachers and homeschool parents can use these for civics, government and social studies lesson plans.
Students Handouts is an educational website. It offers free printable American history documents (in chronological order). Documents include the Magna Carta of 1215, Christopher Columbus' Letter to Luis de Sant Angel announcing his discovery of the New World (1493), First Virginia Charter (1606), Second Virginia Charter (1609), the Mayflower Compact (1620), the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges (1701) and Patrick's Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech of 1775.
You can print the Declaration of Independence of 1776, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union of 1777. the United States Constitution (1787) Benjamin Franklin's Petition from the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery (1790), Bill of Rights and Later Amendments (1791), President George Washington's Farewell Address of 1796, original score for The Star Spangled Banner (a.k.a. "The Defence of Fort McHenry") by Francis Scott Key (1814), the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address (1861), the
Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the Gettysburg Address (1863).

Other documents include the Irish Proclamation of Independence (1916), the American's Creed by William Tyler Page (1917), President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Date Which Will Live in Infamy" speech of December 8, 1941 (after bombing of Pearl Harbor in WWII) and the Pledge of Allegiance which was written in 1954. The National Museum of American History has free printable Civil War documents. These and other free printable U.S. history documents are available at Our Documents.This government archive includes 100 key documents including acts, letters, hymns, charters and more. Teaching American History has 50 free printable U.S. documents. Some are overlapping and some are different.

Free Printable Geography Lessons for National Geography Bee


A hilarious "Wheel of Fortune" geography fail prompted much laughter and some concern over larger fails in education. WSB-TV reported on Feb. 20 that David Dalley thought his prize trip to Venice was taking him to Paris! This situation may be funny, but it also underscores why older folks bemoan that school don't teach geography anymore. To remedy that, here are free printable geography lessons, landforms geographical features maps and topography maps and earth science activities. There are even maps on Venice, France and Italy for poor David Dalley!
What in the world are landforms? A better question is where in the world are landforms. Landforms are geographic features that define the terrain and topography of an area. Terms for geographical landforms include: mountain, mesa, butte, plateau, dune, hill, bluff, cliff, promontory, valley, canyon, strait, peninsula, cape, delta, river, tributary, lake, bay, sea, ocean, key, island, isthmus, archipelago and atoll, Geographical landforms, also called terrain or topography, are formed by weather and climate factors. Landforms affect and are affected by biome or natural habitat of the region--desert, savanna, rainforest, forest, polar or arctic tundra. eastern woodland, swamp, meadow. To some extent, the plant and animal life affect and are affected by geographical landforms.
Discovery Education free social studies lesson plans, including free printable geography worksheets, landforms coloring pages, terrain and topography maps. worksheets, diagrams, labeling pages, coloring pages, puzzles, maps, quizzes and activities. Teacher Planet has free printable geography worksheets with matching activities to teach geography and landforms vocabulary. There are geography worksheets for different regions, states in the United States, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and as well as some Jewish terms are included. Here are more landforms worksheetsand coloring pages from Printable Worksheets. Super Teacher Resources has some free printable geography worksheets.
Eduplace is Houghton-Mifflin's resource center for learning printables, including free printable geography worksheets and outline maps. There are free printable maps from every continent and country around the globe. Eduplace has free printable labeled and blank maps to use for answer key and tests. ABC Teach has lots of free printable geography worksheets, landforms lesson plans, topography maps, political maps and social studies lesson plans. Students can use maps to draw in landforms. Assign special needs and younger students to color code labeled maps to help them learn about geography. You might also laminate the map and assign students to cut out the countries and states in the map to make a map puzzle.

ESL Tower has many free printable geography worksheets, landforms coloring pages, diagrams, puzzles and topography maps.
Edupics has 
free printable social studies coloring pages, world maps, landforms coloring pages, biomes, habitats, nature scenes, political maps, topography maps to use as geography worksheets. Edupics boasts the largest, most comprehensive collection of detailed educational diagrams and coloring pages.

Free Printable American Girl Activities for Memorial Day


To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Pleasant Company American Girl dolls, several will be getting their own live action shows on Amazon Prime. Mattel (owner of Pleasant Company) and Amazon are collaborating on two films featuring the American Girl BeForever historical dolls and others featuring the contemporary American Girl of the Year dolls. American Girl dolls Kit Kittredge and MaryEllen Larkin had their own shows, now others join in the fun. To celebrate the birthday and the new films, here are free printable American Girl activities. Print American Girl dolls coloring pages.craft activities, skits, literature-based lesson plans, writing prompts, games, puzzles and lesson plans.
American Girl doll characters each represent a different part of the country, time period and ethnic background. Each girl has her own series of books. American Girl has created these free printable craft activities activities for the BeForever historical dolls American Girl characters Addy, Caroline, Josefina, Julie, Kaya, Kit, Maryellen, Melody, Rebecca and Samantha. Each of the American Gril dolls has six corresponding books covering seasons, birthdays and holidays. They feature in historical mysteries, too. Here are free printable American Girl readers guides for parents and teachers. There was a play kit, party kit, craft activities book and recipe book for each doll, too. Here are free printable American Girl teachers guides for with craft activities and lesson plans on historical dolls. Here's a collection of all the free printable American Girl activities. Check out the super cute craft activities, games, puzzles, coloring pages and part supplies. Tip Junkie offers free printable American Girl games and free printable paper dolls and doll clothes. Some American Girl dolls are included.
The original five historical dolls from American Girl were Felicity (1774, colonial), Kirsten (1854, Minnesota territory settler), Addy (African-American, Civil War), Samantha (1904, city dweller) and Molly (1944, World War II). Of those, Felicity, Kirsten and Molly have been retired. The Pleasant Company added Josefina (1824, New Mexico), Kaya (1764 Native American Nez Perce), Julie (1970s, San Francisco), Kit (Great Depression), Rebecca (1914, Jewish), Marie-Grace and Cecilie (black and white friends in 1853 New Orleans), MaryEllen (1950s) and Melody (African American, 1964 during Civil Right era). Printables 4 Kids offers free printable craft activities that have been archived. Some are based on American Girl pets Coconut and Licorice and the AG Bitty Babies dolls. Here areAmerican Girl online games and activities. Here are printable activities from Doll Diaries. And here are lesson plans on diversity from Marie-Grace and Cecilie.

I first discovered the American Girl stories in 1992 with the book "Happy Birthday, Molly." Having a 4-year-old "Molly"of my own, I was always looking for books that used her name. We never really got into the dolls, but we loved the craft and theater kits, cookbooks and stories. As a 10-year homeschooling veteran, these American Girls activities were very useful for social studies (including history, geography and culture) lesson plans. We started an American Girl club where we made the crafts, cooked the foods, used the theater kits to put on dramatic presentations. These activities gave our kids (of both genders) hands-on historical exploration. These activities would make excellent classroom curriculum for upper elementary ages, too.

Free Printable World Flags Coloring Page Activities and Social Studies Lesson Plans


United Nations Day is October 24. There is no more enduring symbol of a nation than its 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. Students should not be allowed to "free color" the world flags. They should be taught to color them correctly.
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 Coloring Pages of Children Around the World in Traditional Native Dress


The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts designated Feb. 22 World Thinking Day. This day is dedicated to multicultural awareness of children around the world. Little girls growing up in the 1960s may remember a coloring book called "Dolls of Many Lands" with children around the world in traditional costumes and native dress of different countries. Here are free printable coloring pages of children around the world in native dress. Students in social studies can use these coloring pages on World Thinking Day to explore the ceremonial, cultural and traditional costumes of other children around the world. Because as the world gets smaller and more global, it's important that children know and remember native heritage.
Visit Activity Village free printable world lesson plans for social studies. Print pictures landmarks, games, crafts, post cards, maps and flags from around the world. Use these as culture studies worksheets. Get free printable World Thinking Day coloring pages of children around the world in native dress and traditional costumes: explore cultures from Australia, India, China, Japan, Africa, England, Russia, South Africa, Africa, Scotland, New Zealand, Brazil and Wales. There are also free printable coloring pages of pilgrim (or puritan) children, Ancient Egyptian, native American Indian and settler (also called pioneer) children in traditional dress.
Activity Village wishes says these free printable childrens' traditional costumes may be somewhat fanciful and not historically accurate. These world coloring pages imitate the vintage images from old coloring books. Traditional costumes show how children would have dressed for ceremonies or in times past. Here are free printable World Thinking Day coloring pages of children around the worldin traditional costumes. Each child is featured with a country flag in the background. Countries represented are Canada, Australia, Nigeria, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Iceland, Norway, Japan, Italy, Ireland, India, Hawaii, Guatemala, France, Brazil, Spain, China, Costa Rica and the Netherlands (Holland). Raising our Kids has a free printable children around the world coloring pages.

There's a fun little game you must play to use the website. The names of the countries are written in French. Parlez-vous Francais? Bonne. Vous ne parlez pas Francais? Then use the flags on each of the coloring pages to help you figure out which country is represented. Some are easier than others to decode, so use Google Translate. Here are more free printable children pages of childrenaround the world in traditional costumes. DL-TK has tons of free printable children around the world crafts, games and activities. Happy World Thinking Day!

Free Printable Famous Works of Art, Art History Coloring Pages


International Art Appreciation Day is August 9. But why wait to celebrate famous works of art? Teachers and homeschool parents, would you like some free printable art lesson plans for students? Here are free printable works of art coloring pages. If you're teaching art, art history or fine arts, you'll want these interactive lessons. Get to know the works of the masters with these free printable famous artwork and works of art coloring pages.
Sign up for a newsletter with free samples from Dover Publications. Dover is a leader in activity books, challenging adult coloring pages, period literature, vintage reprints and educational coloring books from history. All you need to submit is your email address and you'll get free samples from selected Dover books from different famous artists.
Edupics has free printable coloring pages of works of art. Famous artists include: Klee, Van Gogh, da Vinci, Grimmer, Murillo, Cezanne, Monet, Delacroix, Chardin, Hopper, Fragonard, Caravaggio, Klimt, Brueghel, Kustodiev, Picasso, Gunmann, Renior, Vermeer and more. There are also some aboriginal primitives. Coloring from DL-TK has free printable works of art coloring pages.
About Art History has free printable works of art to color. Coloring pages include artwork by Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa, Henri Rousseau - The Sleeping Gypsy, Vincent van Gogh - Starry Night and Sunflowers,Grant Wood - American Gothic and Andy Warhol - Marilyn Monroe.
Enchanted Learning publishes a free printable famous artists calendar each year. Each month there is a different work of art by various artists. Famous artists calendars have featured works by John Singer Sargent, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Cassatt, Velasquez, Jan Vermeer, Edgar Degas, Jacques-Louis David, Auguste Rodin, Edvard Munsch and Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (portrait painter- painted Benjamin Franklin in the image used on the American $100 bill). Use the artwork from different years as works of art coloring pages.
Visit Enchanted Learning for coloring pages from famous artists for hundreds more free printable artwork coloring pages. Art is organized by artist's name and country of origin. There are various genres of printable art coloring pages: sculpture, oil painting, prints, pen and ink, watercolor, mural and more, primitives and more. If you pay a $20 site fee for personal use (or a school use fee), you'll get unlimited banner-free printables.

Activity Village has free printable works of art from Ancient Greece coloring pages from Greek statues and pottery. Check Karen's Whimsy for loads of free printable world artwork coloring pages, from Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Pacific Islands, Africa, medieval, renaissance, church art, fairies, literature, world religions, fantasy, and more.

Free Printable Lent Lesson Plans, Lenten Calendars


The Catholic church enters the Lenten season of preparation before Easter. For Catholic and Orthodox Christians, Easter is about more than just bunnies and candy. Easter celebrates the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Christians ready themselves for Jesus's coming with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The date of Ash Wednesday changes each year as Easter is a "movable feast." In 2015, Ash Wednesday is Feb. 18.Here are free printable stations of the cross, rosary, saints and Easter bible story coloring pages.
Lenten season runs for 46 days up to Easter. Lent "follows" Jesus's during forty days of fasting in the desert when He was tempted by Satan. in preparation for His sacrifice on the cross. During Lent, we try to imitate Jesus. We follow the "Way of the Cross" or Stations of the Cross and pray the rosary.
St. John the Baptist Religious Education has nearly 100 free printable Catholic Lenten coloring pages. Categories include:
20 free printable rosary coloring pages
--Joyful Mysteries from the Bible story of Jesus's life: the annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Jesus, the Presentation and Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple
--Sorrowful Mysteries from the Bible story of Jesus's life: the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, Carrying the Cross and the Crucifixion
--Glorious Mysteries (heavenly events) in Jesus's life include the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption and the Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven.
--Luminous Mysteries: the Baptism of Jesus, the Wedding at Cana (Jesus's first public miracle), the Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. These are Bible events from the life of Jesus.
There are free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages, one for each of the 15 stations. SJB has nearly 20 free printable Apostles Creed coloring pages. You can print free saints coloring pages of St. Patrick, Mary Mother of God, St. Joan of Arc, St. Philomena, St. Tarcisius, St. Clare, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Valentine and other saints. There are several of Pope Francis.

Use these free printable Catholic Easter coloring pages for Ash Wednesday, Lent devotions, Holy Week, Palm Sunday and the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and finally Easter Sunday. Make a Stations of the Cross coloring book for mass and to keep little ones quiet during devotions and to reflect during your stations prayers. The images are beautifully drawn. Many were created from stained glass windows in various churches. These coloring pages make great lent devotional activities to prepare children for Easter. For more free printable Catholic Christian printables, please visit my blogs Catholic Activities and Lent Activities.

Free Printable Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities, Lessons

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January and February is Black History Month. In early summer, the United States focuses on American history with its observance of Memorial Day, Flag Day and 4th of July. But really, every day should honor such important contributions of American people and every month Americans should celebrate U.S. history.
Here are free printable American history lesson plans on the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr was born on January 15, 1929. MLK and was shot by an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968. Use these free printable lesson plans to explore this legendary hero in the classroom, homeschool, scout troops 4H and social groups.
Nobel Prize has free printable MLK Jr and black history lesson plans, As the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martin Luther King Jr. is featured on this website with a comprehensive bibliography of resources. About has an entire unit of free printable Martin Luther King Jr activities, including a 5-page activity booklet Happy Birthday MLK by Jean Marzollo. It covers the life and work of Dr. King. The lessons guide students through readings, discussions, response activities and higher order thinking skills questions.
Mr.Donn has free printable American history lesson plans, created by a teacher for teachers. There are close to 30 links for free printable lessons, posters, coloring pages, worksheets, fill-in-the-blanks, puzzles, coloring pages, literature study guides and activities based on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Some black history favorites include a Unity Hand Wreath cut and paste craft, a Box of Crayonscoloring craft and Breaking Color Barriers (a science object lesson for children)
ABC Teach has 16 free printable lesson plans focused on world peace and unity. There are crafts, writing prompts, posters, games, coloring pages, word search, worksheets, reading activities, acrostic forms, poetry frames and much more. After all, peace, unity and brotherhood was what Dr. King was all about.
ABC Teach MLK has free printable writing prompts, worksheets, lessons, games and activities about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his speeches, including "I have a Dream". There are Black History Month activities. In conclusion is a quote from that famous speech made by Dr. King, made on August 28, 1963 at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

"It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Free Printable Black History Month, MLK Jr Day Lesson Plans and Activities

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15 which is celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr Day the third Monday in January--Jan. 19, 2015. Teachers and homeschool parents, here are free printable lesson plans on MLK Jr., to teach children about this brave civil rights champion.
First, help students relate him on a personal level with Time magazine's Jan. 15 article on what Martin Luther King Jr. was like as child. Next head to Activity Village for a printable collection of MLK Jr. activities. There are American history lessons on civil rights, bus boycotts, Selma and Montgomery marches and more. Students make text-to-self connections writing about what freedom and justice mean to them. Use these to explore Black History Month in February.
Visit ABC Teach for pages for free printable Martin Luther King Jr. lesson plans in all subjects. There are assignments at different age levels on reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, history and language arts. Print these into a homework booklet to use on in holiday lesson plans.
The blog Mama Knows it All has a free printable Martin Luther King Jr. activity booklet for elementary school age children. Church House Collection has MLK Jr Day worksheets, coloring pages and crafts to print. This site has educational clipart for use in creating lesson plans, too.
Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, Mich., has a compelling exhibit "With Liberty and Justice for All" which includes artifacts of the fight for freedom by oppressed Americans. The collection includes a "whites only" drinking fountain, Ku Klux Klan robe, the armchair President Lincoln was shot in and the actual bus Rosa Parks sat in and refused to give up her seat.

Explore the exhibit online and download and print free educator resources and student activity guides on slavery, civil rights and the African American experience. There are film clips, images, artifacts, games, puzzles, worksheets and interactive activities.

Free Printable Chinese New Year Coloring Pages, Crafts and Activities


February 8 celebrates Chinese New Year of the Monkey 2016. Each year in the 12-year Chinese zodiac, a different spirit animal is honored as are people born under that animal sign (in 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956 and on back through the multiples of 12). Greet each other on February 8 with the traditional Chinese New Year blessing "Gung Hay Fat Choy!" Chinese New Year is part of the Spring Festival and ends with the Lantern Festival. Looking for free printable Chinese New Year of the Monkey activities? Here are CNY crafts, coloring pages, greeting cards, Spring Festival lesson plans, Lantern Festival crafts and more. Print Chinese zodiac crafts, animal crafts, party decorations, CNY games and puzzles and lots more.
The best place to start is Enchanted Learning for free printable Chinese New Year of the Monkey activities, crafts and more. Enchanted Learning is super-educational with free printable maps, social studies lesson plans, worksheets, mini-booklets to color cut and paste, coloring pages, history activities, animals of the Chinese zodiac crafts, to name a few.
How about a free printable coloring book of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac along with their Chinese symbol. Animals that represent Chinese New Year are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Ox, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig (in that order). 2017 will by Year of the Rooster, 2018 will be Year of the Dog (and so on). To find out which animal you were born under, count backwards or forwards from the current year or add or subtract multiples of 12. For example, if you were born in 1964, the closest Year of the Monkey is 1968, so count backwards four years to 1964, Year of the Dragon.
DL-TK has free printable Chinese New Year of the Monkey activities, monkey crafts, games and CNY lesson plans. Then scamper like a monkey over to Activity Village for a banana tree full of printable Chinese New Year crafts, games, puzzles, Chinese lunar calendars, CNY greeting cards, jigsaw, stories and more. Click to find animal specific activity pages. Here's the Year of the Monkey page with monkey-themed prinatables. And here's the page with free printable Spring Festival and Lantern Festival crafts. Plus, help kids get organized with free printable 2016 animal calendars. Many of the animals of the Chinese zodiac are featured--mouse (rat), dog, sheep, chick (rooster), rabbit and a mischievious monkey, perfect for Year of the Monkey.
And no Chinese New Year is complete with free printable animals masks to monkey around with! The ones from Animal Jr. are totally adorbs!
Here are some nifty 
masks from ancient China to print for CNY. Printables 4 Kids has more cuteChinese New Year coloring pages, zodiac activities, animal masks, monkey crafts and masks and other goodies. For educational Chinese New Year printables, visit Apples 4 the Teacher. There are free printable Chinese New Year coloring pages, including animals of the Chinese zodiac, maps of China and a Chinese flag to color.
Learn all about the culture and history of China, the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival and other Chinese traditions with free printable games, puzzles, worksheets and word searches.

Teachers, parents, homeschoolers, religious educators, Sunday school teachers bookmark First-School and visit frequently. For Chinese New Year, First-School has free printable Lantern Festival crafts, Spring Festival activities, Chinese zodiac coloring pages, math games from China, Chinese history and literature lessons and so much more. Activities are geared from preschool to third grade.

Free Printable Coat of Arms Crafts, Heraldry Designs

Cut and paste activities make ideal educational tools. 3D models and dioramas are excellent book activities for reading response lessons. How about some free printable paper castles and 3D castle models for kids? This article includes free printable coat of arms patterns and designs for heraldry crafts to decorate moHistory teachers and homeschool parents will love these hands-on history crafts.
Scribd a great resource for free printable crafts. Gamemaker has created a 13 page free printable castles models, perfect for dioramas, medieval world history, social studies and rainy day fun. When this author homeschooled her kids, the eldest daughter made 3D models of buildings in a medieval abbey from waffle boxes and these free printable castle models would have been a perfect addition to social studies lessons. The castle model is labeled accurately with keep, towers, bailey, gate house, merlons and flags. Castle is neatly drawn to scale, includes user-friendly instructions that are perfect for all ages. Not too wordy but complete. I think even I, art challenged as I am, could master this cool castle! Thank you gamemaker.
Gamemaker has also made free printable cut and paste paper crafts of castle models of Neuschwanstein Castle in the Clouds. This German Cinderella castle is the poster child for fairytale castles. Neuschwanstein is one of the late Medieval castles in baroque renaissance style. Gamemaker has made it easy for those who find cut and paste paper crafts challenging. This author's husband had a hand steady enough to paint the pinprick yellow dot in the center of the US Army Air Corps insignia on WWII model planes. While his wife got nervous with anything "hands-on" and longed for worksheets! For more cool medieval castles and knights stuff, you can visit the Gamemaker at his website Storm the Castle.
Use these free printable castle models for dioramas, history lessons, engineering and design history lessons. Make these free printable castles part of a social studies unit on medieval times. It's always good in any unit to incorporate as many different subject areas. Cutting and assembling paper crafts adds science and math components to units. Students may want to design and color medieval castles before construction. Visit About History for heraldry designs for medieval castles, coat of arms patterns and castle graphics. Add battlements, merlons, flags, mullioned windows and other details to your castles.
Now how about some free printable medieval castles, paper crafts and coloring pages? Visit--if only virtually--Skipton Castle in Yorkshire, England. Built in the 12th century Skipton Castle is beautifully preserved. The website includes free printable castle models paper crafts, knights, activities on kitchens of medieval castles, Elizabethan lord and lady and more free printable heraldry activities. DL-TK has a bunch more free printable medieval fantasy crafts.
What's heraldry, you ask? Heraldry refers to the crest or emblem associated with royal and noble families. Here are free printable coat of arms coloring pages. And here are free make your own coat of arms activities. These ancient symbols, also called family crests or coat of arms were used as ornamentation and communication, on 

Free Printable Veterans Day Activities

Veterans Day is also Armistice Day, which commemorates the end of World War One, November 11, 1918. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI in Europe says First World War Centenary. It lists Veterans Day 2014 events beginning November 10, to honor that centennial. Armistice Day is also called Remembrance Day. Here are free printable WWI lesson plans to help kids remember this epic epoch in history. There are lessons on America in conflict in World War II, Vietnam, Korea and Persian Gulf, too.
PBS did a documentary called "The Great War" and created free World War Ones lesson plansbased on that show. Here are printable lesson plans based on Ken Burns' "The War" and still more from PBS Perilous Fight (both WWII documentaries).
Vicki Blackwell has compiled a huge assortment of free printable Veterans Day activities on her website of that name. Use for Memorial Day, 4th of July, American and world history. You'll find worksheets, quizzes, coloring pages, mazes, scavenger hunts, crossword puzzles, web activities, word games and links.
US History Site is a comprehensive website covering American history. You'll find free printable World War I lesson plans, maps, charts, diagrams and activities to explore Veterans and Armistice Day.
DL-TK has a massive collection of free printable Veterans Day lesson plans for preschool and early elementary. Print patriotic crafts, coloring pages, poppies (WWI memorial), In Flanders Field poem booklet, puzzles, worksheets and more. The Lesson Plans Page provides free printable WWI worksheets and lesson plans. Use for all ages, but especially preschool and younger elementary children.
History has free WWI lesson plans, videos and activities. Explore the places, faces, battles and weapons, history and outcomes of this "war to end all wars." Education World has free printable Armistice Day lesson plans, primarily for elementary and middle school age kids.
Mr. Donn has more free printable World War I worksheets and lessons. Apples for the Teacher hasfree printable WWI history themed writing prompts and social studies lesson plans.

Whatever you do this Veteran's Day, be sure to thank a veteran. Send a card, visit a senior home or VA hospital, call a relative. Let them know you remember and appreciate them. And wear your poppies.

Free Printable Day of the Dead Crafts, Lessons and Activities

El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, commemorates the lives of beloved dead. Day of the Dead is the Latino version of Catholic All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and 2. Dia de los Muertos traditions include creating family altars to honor the dead, visiting loved ones' graves and having picnics at the cemetery to be near the departed. Human skulls and skeletons are integral Dia de los Muertos symbols. Items are designed to look like skulls: candles, food and sugar skulls. People paint their faces to represent a skull (called a calavera). Some Halloween traditions developed from Day of the Dead but unlike Halloween, Day of the Dead isn't about scaring people. It's a religious holiday, culminating the Catholic holy days with pre-Columbian Aztec, Mixtec, Olmec and Toltec rituals of Mexico. If you need free printable Day of the Dead lesson plans to teach students about this popular cultural holiday, read on. Use the for homeschooled, public and parochial schooled kids.
Tiki Chris at Flickr has designed awesome free printable skull patterns from one basic skull template. Print these in black and white for students to color. Or print the basic skull template and have a calavera skull decorating contest! This would make an excellent art or social studies project. Using one basic pattern, students can exhibit their creativity in design. Kids will love making connections with this beautiful heritage art from Mexico.
QuestConnect.org has free printable Dia de los Muertos lesson plans and activities to thoroughly explore the Day of the Dead. Make papel picado banners, sugar skulls and skeleton crafts. Kids can learn the geography and culture of Mexico with an Oaxaca puzzle. Arty Ness has free printable Day of the Dead coloring pages, art projects, crafts with skeletons and skulls and more. Mr. Donn has a plethora of free printable Dia de Los Muertos lesson plans and activities. Use these for history, culture, geography and social studies lesson plans for middle school age kids.
Enchanted Learning has free Day of the Dead lesson plans to print. A-Z Central has a whole website devoted to Dia de los Muertos activities. Print and make crafts. Listen to music. Learn about the culture of Mexico. Play games. Learn to make recipes and foods from Mexico. National Geographic has vocabulary lessons on Day of the Dead. There's an awesome picture gallery.

Many parents, particularly Christian parents, don't celebrate Halloween. But don't mistake Day of the Dead skull for Halloween and ignore this rich, cultural festival. And don't let the skulls and skeletons freak you out. They show honor to the dead, not ghoulish fascination with death. These are as reverently handled as the nativity scenes at Christmas. And educators, if you teach ESL, please consider hosting a Day of the Dead party for students. It's good to learn about each other's cultures plus it makes Hispanic students feel more at home.

Free Printable Columbus Day Activities, medieval maritime, navigation lesson plans

Columbus Day is celebrated on October 12. In school, kids study the voyages and exploration of Christopher Columbus. But you can study American history on any U.S. holiday--Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July or Labor day. Re-discover American history--or discover it anew if you've never paid attention before. 

The best place to start is at the beginning, which usually assumed to be with the discovery of the "New World" by Christopher Columbus. The land now called "America" didn't start when the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus stumbled upon it. Christopher Columbus wasn't even the first European to find it and he certainly wasn't the first world traveler to. 

St. Brendan and the Vikings beat him to it. Christopher Columbus is credited with discovery of the New World because he brought attention to it as no one had before. Here are free printable Christopher Columbus lessons on world explorers, colonial expansion, early mapmaking and navigation.

Garden of Praise says that Christopher Columbus was from Genoa in Italy. He was part of the massive push by world explorers to discover unknown regions. Columbus's real skills lay in mapmaking and marine navigation. Check out these awesome free printable medieval navigation tools like the ones Columbus would have used. 

Experiment with the sextant, astrolabe, kamal, cross-staff and quadrant. Bear in mind, these tools were the keys to unlocking the secrets of the unknown world. Many world explorers were looking for a new trade route to the West Indies. And the only way to get the spices, silk, opium and trade goods was to sail east. This was a long, hard trip and 99 percent died trying. So Columbus decided to do something new and (most agreed) crazy.

As navigation and mapmaking expert, Columbus studied geography inside and out. He would try going west to get to the east. He would avoid the whole Straits of Magellan mess and try getting to the West Indies through the back door. But people believed that the world was flat. No one knew what was in the west sea. People thought Columbus had gone berserk. "You'll fall off from the earth!" they said. (Students, if you like to be different, like Columbus, check out those earlier links for free printable navigation and mapmaking his way.)

Ocean voyages also cost a lot of money, so Columbus needed a royal patron to sponsor the trip. But no one wanted to invest in his nutty scheme and he had a hard time convincing anyone to lend him the money. Finally, Columbus asked Queen Isabella I of Spain. That good lady wanted more land for her empire so even though everyone thought Columbus was wrong to sail west, the queen agreed to help. Columbus assembled three ships with crew and supplies. He named them Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria after the Blessed Virgin and Child Jesus. He hoped they would bless his journey.

The three ships set sail from Palos, Spain on August 3, 1492. On October 11, Columbus got a major surprise when he bumped smack dab into a chunk of land he hadn't expected to be there. Where his navigation predicted the West Indies, was a previously unknown land which today is called the Bahamas. Still thinking he was somewhere in India, he decided this must be the East Indies. He called the native people "indios" or Indians. The myth persisted and the name stuck. That's why native American peoples are referred to and still refer to themselves sometimes as American Indians.

But not finding the West Indies and finding this New World instead wasn't all bad for Columbus Part of the agreement with Queen Isabella was that Columbus would get 10% of everything he discovered. Imagine owning 10% of North, South and Central America?! Of course as the magnitude of his find reached European ears, his piece of the pie was drastically reduced. But Columbus was made governor of Hispaniola, the name for the New World. That was a better deal that most world explorers got!

However some complained that Christopher Columbus was cruel to the local people whom he ruled. Columbus returned in chains to Spain and was put on trial. He was acquitted and allowed to return, but was not allowed to govern Hispaniola again. Christopher Columbus made four voyages in all. He died on May 20, 1506, believing he had found and should own "East India." The U.S. celebrates Columbus's voyages on October 12. For free printable Christopher Columbus lessons and world explorers, mapmaking and navigation activities, click the links in this article.


For more free printable social studies lesson plans, including a whole unit on American history activities, scroll around this blog Free Printable Lesson Plans or Free Lesson Plans 4U.