Free printable Cinco de Mayo activities, Mexican crafts, games, lesson plans

Cinco de Mayo, or Fifth of May, celebrates the victory of the smaller Mexican army over the mighty French juggernaut, in the Battle of Puebla, 1862. Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day, but many Latino Americans celebrate it. Here are free printable Cinco de Mayo coloring pages and Mexican crafts

Apples 4 the Teacher offers free printable Cinco de Mayo coloring activities, games, crafts, puzzles and lesson plans to explore Mexican geography, culture and history.

Preschool Coloring Book has free printable Cinco de Mayo coloring pages of a sombrero, pinata, serape and fiesta.

Kiddy House provides free Cinco de Mayo coloring printables linked on from the Cinco de Mayo homepage. Color Mexican children in traditional costumes, maps and flag of Mexico, plus fiesta coloring pages.

Surf Net Kids has free printable Cinco de Mayo coloring pages, including some whimsical chili peppers in sombreros as well as a Mexican couple in ceremonial and traditional dress.

DL-TK is your one-stop source for free printable Cinco de Mayo crafts, coloring pages, games, Mexican history and social studies lessons, booklets and more. Create a complete classroom or homeschool unit to explore Cinco de Mayo and Mexican history and traditions. Here's the page onMexico coloring pages, lesson plans and activities. Color some for Cinco de Mayo greeting cards and party decorations.

About Family Crafts lists a gajillion free Cinco de Mayo printables including Mexican games, crafts, puzzles, greeting cards and more.

Free printable archaeology lessons: Fossils, caves, bats, geology, paleontology

Archaeology is one of the most fascinating branches of science and caves are one of nature's most alluring geological landforms to explore. Caves are a separate biome all their own. They've been used as habitats by animals and people. Bats are cave dwellers and dinosaurs dwelt in caves. Mystics have sought divine enlightenment living as hermits in caves. Ancient people left hieroglyphics on walls of caves, like those at Lascaux, France. Caves yield up a treasure trove of fossils and teach valuable lessons in archaeology and paleontology. Teachers and homeschool families, if you're planning a unit on caves (and you really should) here are free printable lesson plans on cave-related subjects of fossils, bats, archaeology, paleontology, habitats, geology, spelunking and earth science.

The National Parks Service has free printable lessons on the U.S. national park at Carlsbad Cavernsin New Mexico. There's curriculum for elementary school in the free printable booklet About Bats, Caves and Deserts. For middle school students, the NPS Carlsbad Caverns website features free printable archaeology lessons on Caves, Canyons, Cactus and Critters. High school students explore geology, spelunking, Global Positioning Systems and orienteering in the Chihuahuan Desert Lab school. Materials are designed to be used with interpretive visits but some may be used as stand-alone lessons in class. Check out the cool activities on fossils, bats, paleontology and other cave phenomena.

Also from the NPS, are free printable materials on Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There are free coloring pages, word games, puzzles and lesson plans in the Junior Ranger section. Kids will love the printable Trog Tour booklet (trog is short for super cool fossils called troglodytes) The Making Connections series from Mammoth Cave National Park features books for grades K-3, 4-5 and 6-8. There are 83 pages of free printable paleontology lesson plans for teachers and homeschool parents. And be sure not to let young archaeology students miss the free printable Fossil Identification Guide with coloring pages of fossils to label.

Lascaux Culture has interactive lesson plans on Lascaux cave drawings. Explore paleontology and archaeology with the prehistoric paintings, There are cave maps, images, videos and timelines. The website has interpretive information detailing the images, their purpose and their significance. You can access the site in several languages including English, but the educational "resources" link is available only in French.

Easy Fun School has free cave diorama lesson plan. The diorama is easy to make and uses cheap, household materials.has free printable animal habitat coloring pages. Students can research which animals live or hibernate in caves. This site has other free printable habitats dioramas. Crayola offers a free craft template to show interior cave rock formations.

Cave stalactites grow downward from the ceiling. The word comes from the Greek "to drip" (stalactites resemble icicles). Stalagmites grow up from the cave floor and look like upside down icicles. In Greek, the word means "trickling." Use these activities to demonstrate how stalactites and stalagmites grow. Crystal Cave in Wisconsin offers tours and family activities to explore this famous cave. Here are free printable geology lesson plans on archaeology, paleontology, bats, and fossils.

Free printable biology science activities: Botany, flowers, plant biology

Biology science activities naturally focus on living things. Teach students about botany and plant biology in spring science activities. As students watch nature awakening all around, they observe plant biology and plant structure--seeds, roots, stems, buds, leaves, flowers and fruit--first hand. Teach kids about botany for Earth Month in April. In May and June, students can explore flowers and more mature plant structure. Here are links and websites with hundreds of free printable spring science activities on botany, plants, trees, plant biology and flowers. Get free printable spring science coloring pages, worksheets, charts and diagrams.

The Teacher's Corner has free printable biology science activities and botany lesson plans. Plants and trees cover enormous area to study that you will want to check out these websites and see which have materials specific to what you need. Activities cover edible plants, medicinal plants, toxic and unsafe plants, plant biology, finding and naming plants native to your area, biomes and much more. Visit Enchanted Learning's science homepage for general biology, spring science activities and free printable lesson plans on trees, plants, botany and plant biology.

Lesson Plans Central has free printable science lesson plans and spring science activities. Instead of linking to the page on plants, visit the general science activities page for more extended spring science lesson plans. Edupics is always a superior internet resource for free printable realistic coloring pages. Edupics has many coloring pages of trees, plants and botany coloring pages for spring science. Primary Games has lots of free printable flowers and plants coloring pages. Biology Junction has gobs more free printable plant biology lessons and general biology activities.

Free printable Math Curse lesson plans, Science Verse learning activities

Here are some free lesson plans based on Science Verse and Math Curse by Jon Scieszka.

Read Write Think has free printable Math Curse lesson plans. Then for Earth Day, that same site has free printable Science Verse learning activities on earth science. Here are more free printable Math Curse lesson plans from The Teacher's Corner. Ethemes has other free printable lesson plansfrom Math Curse. Global Classroom has free Math Curse learning activities too. Check out this site for free printable Science Verse lesson plans. Here's a packet of free printable Science Verse learning activities. Probably the best lesson plans on both books are to have children write their own math and science verses or learning activities. Use Science Verse as poem templates or poetry frames. Use the learning activities in Math Curse to create your own math story problems.

Free printable Pi Day activities, Sir Cumference geometry, math lesson plans

Children's literature author Cindy Neuschwander, with illustrator Wayne Geehan has written a math adventure series that is perfect for Pi Day on March 14. In the books, Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter and their son Radius solve math problems, geometry puzzles and medieval mysteries. The name puns are only the beginning of the fun. Children learn about geometry, measurement, counting, algebra, formulas and math lesson plans in charming medieval fairy tales. The Sir Cumference books include:

--Sir Cumference and the First Round Table (A Math Adventure) (1997) Lady Di of Ameter and her son Radius help Sir Cumference figure out the most user-friendly shape for the table to seat his knights for their meetings. Great exploratory book for understanding shapes, angles and geometry.

--Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) (1999) It's Radius and Lady Di of Ameter off to the rescue again to save Sir Cumference who has been eaten by the Dragon of Pi. By visiting the cooks in the kitchen Radius learns how the Greek term Pi works in geometry and uses it to solve this math riddle. Use this one for Pi Day!

--Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland (A Math Adventure) (2001) Radius goes off on a quest with Sir D'Grees to battle a Pair of Lells (dragons). In clever geometrical exploits, they teach math lesson plans on angles and measurement.

--Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone (A Math Adventure) (2003) Again brave Radius, assisted by his friend Vertex learn about geometric solids and how to pull out the famous sword Edgecaliber from the cone. There are solid math lesson plans in this fun adventure.

--Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter (A Math Adventure) (2006) Radius must help his cousin Per face down dragons and learn about geometry in a game called Inners and Edges, so that Per can rescue her kingdom and become Per of Immeter. Lady Di of Ameter and Sir Cumference lend a hand.

--Sir Cumference and All the Kings Tens (A Math Adventure) (2009) Sir Cumference and his Lady Di of Ameter discover that when planning a birthday party for the King that using a base 10 counting system (or metric system) is the only way to count this growing crowd of guests.

Here are some free printable math lesson plans based on Cindy Neuschwander books. Teacher Vision has free printable Sir Cumference math lesson plans for Pi Day. Check Education World for a complete unit of free printable Pi Day activities, geometry worksheets and math lesson plans from Sir Cumference geometry books. Then, head over to lesson plans for a bunch of free printable Sir Cumference geometry worksheets. Lesson Planet has many free printable geometry worksheetsthat are specific to Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi for Pi Day.

Free printable Holi Festival of Colors activities, Hindu Indian crafts, lesson plans

Holi is the Hindu Festival of Colors and is celebrated on March 24 in 2016. People in Indian celebrate by tossing colored powder or spraying each other with colored liquid. Holi iscelebrated on the full moon, called Phalgun Purnima or Pooranmash. Holi begins with the Holika Dahan--ceremonial bonfires which purge evil spirits, which are lit one day before Holi. Holi comes in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun. Holi falls in late March to early April in the western calendar. Here are free printable Holi Indian crafts, greeting cards and lessons to help kids understand the Indian Holi Festival of Colors. Teachers, use these free printable Holi activities for social studies lessons. Homeschool parents, why not explore Holi Festival of Colors with kids?

Got Free Cards has free printable Holi greeting cards and Indian crafts. Holi is a happy holiday, so sending cards would be appropriate. It celebrates the triumph of Prahlada (with the help of Lord Vishnu) over Prahlada's jealous father Hiranyakashipu, king of the demons. The Rig Veda--the oldest of the four Hindu Vedic texts--tells how Prahlada loved Lord Vishnu and was made to sit with his demon sister Holika. Holika was consumed and Prahlada was saved. So bonfires are built at Holi to ward of Holika's wrath.

Craftionary has free printable Holi greeting cards in bright colors. They show images of fireworks, colored chalks and powders and other Holi images. These cheerful messages help spread the Holi Festival of Colors joy. Click "black and white" or "black ink cartridge" or "print in grayscale" on your printer preferences menu. Then children can use cards as coloring pages, too. The Color has free printable Hindu Holi coloring pages, featuring bonfires, people spraying each other, as well as Indian Holi foods like balushahi, Printable Colouring Pages has challenging free printable Holi festival of colors Indian crafts andcoloring pages. Several could be used as Holi greeting cards, place mats or party decorations.

The University of Texas has a free printable Holi lessons and Inidan crafts unit with vocabulary, history, Indian crafts, geography, literature and social studies extensions. Mr. Donn has free printable Holi lessons, worksheets, book connections, Indian crafts and kids activities to help children celebrate the Holi Festival of Colors. This website is always a good place to get well-researched, child-friendly age-appropriate content, especially for world holidays. BBC has free printable Holi activities, materials, lessons, worksheets and discussions on Holi. Perfect for history and world religions teachers. Use for units on Hinduism. There are Hindu Diwali materials to explore another popular Indian holiday.

To make your own Holi spray, mix food coloring and water or dissolved gelatin and water. This way it won't stain. To wish someone a good Holi, say "Holi Hai!" But watch out for the colored spritzer!

Free printable coloring pages on The Little Prince, Le Petit Prince lesson plans

Mark Osborne's cartoon feature "The Little Prince" is turning heads in much the same way Le Petit Prince book, by Antione de Saint-Exupery did in 1943. The Little Prince cartoon leads the list at the New York International Children's Film Festival. The modern world may not be as jaded as WWII France. But perhaps the same need exists for the simple truth and beauty in this story.

It's a book about children, but it's for adults who would be as wise as children. There are many lesson plans for grownups in the story. It's good to see this charming tale translated from French and brought to the screen. Time was when every literate kid had a copy of Le Petit Prince or The Little Prince on her bookshelf (both if she was lucky). But the story was all but forgotten in children's literature lesson plans.

Here are free printable cartoon coloring pages from The Little Prince book and movie. Characters are not named but are referred to as a child would, by their characteristics--The Mother, Mr. Prince, the Aviator, the Snake, the Conceited Man, the Drunkard, the King, the Rose and of course, The Little Prince and his friend the Fox. Each of the grownups peoples his own asteroid. Some represent different adult foibles or character flaws. Others Le Petit Prince respects, like the Lamplighter who is simple. It's an allegorical parable and should be required reading in high school literature lesson plans

Hello Kids has some more free printable coloring pages from Le Petie Prince illustrations. This website has a few more free printable coloring pages from The Little Prince. Coloriages, a French site has free printable Le Petit Prince coloring pages from the book. The movie is a 3D stop-motion animated film does some nice things with animation. To show the passage of time, it uses modern cartoon styles for the present and de Saint-Exupery illustrations from Le Petit Prince in flashbacks. This technique could be emphasized in films in literature lesson plans. Here are lesson plans from Spark Notes on The Little Prince.

Free printable connect the dots educational games, dot to dot puzzles

DL-TK Coloring has free printable connect the dots games. Get connect the dots picture puzzles for every letter of the alphabet. There are free printable dot to dot puzzles that count by ones and skip count by twos, fives, tens, as well as connect the dot educational games using letters. Children learn words that begin with certain letters and practice number and letter order as well.

All Kids Network offers free printable connect the dot educational games of varying levels of difficulty. Free printable dot to dot picture puzzles feature vehicle, animal, nature and cartoon characters including Pooh Bear, My Little Pony and several other favorites. After children finish connect the dots puzzles, they can color the picture.

Print Activities has 70 different free printable dot to dot puzzles. There are different levels of number connect the dot educational games with up to ninety numbered dots to connect. There are around twenty free printable connect the dot letter puzzles. There are free printable dot to dot worksheets with animals, seasons, holiday, sports, medieval, princess, pirate, outer space and general picture puzzles. Papa Jan, has 44 free printable connect the dots coloring pages. Scroll through as only four are shown on each page. 

Free printable Greek mythology coloring pages: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome unit

Greek mythology is an important subject to teach in school. But ancient Greek mythology and its partner Roman mythology, in fact mythology in general are often misunderstood, especially by fundamentalist Christians. Understanding ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt civilizations is essential as these cultures form the basis of the modern western world. Here are free printable mythology lesson plans and coloring pages from classical ancient Greece and Roman mythology.

The children's literature book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters made teachers give Greek and Roman mythology another look. The films Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans and the Legend of Hercules brought Greek mythology into vogue as well. Percy Jackson (Perseus) brought the pantheon of Ancient Greece into the 21st century. Percy Jackson has many adventure with the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon. Explore Greek mythology, gods goddesses of Mt. Olympus and mythological creatures and monsters symbols with these free printable Greek mythology activities.

FantasyJr. has twelve free printable Greco-Roman coloring pages of the Olympians. Mystic Mills has 25 free printable coloring pages of the Greek gods and goddesses. Karen's Whimsey has dozens of free printable mythology and Ancient Greece coloring pages. Color the Olympians, gods and goddesses, heroes, mythological monsters, beasts and creatures. Color free printable famous works of art featuring the Greek pantheon, Satyrs, Circe, the Sirens, Odysseus and many more characters from Greek mythology. Print coloring pages from ancient Rome, as well gods in Roman mythology.

Coloring.ws has a complete free printable Greek mythology coloring pages on the Olympians of Ancient Greece. This site also contains free printable maps of Greece. The link provided takes you to the twelve Olympians, the Immortals, each with biographical data and coloring pages both of the god or goddess and his or her symbol. The Olympians are arranged as a family tree. The Twelve Olympians include: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Aphrodite, Athena, Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. It is important to note that the Olympian deities have the same personality in Roman mythology, however they go by different names. Here are the Greek Immortals with their Roman names, which the planets are named for. Constellations and star signs also take their names from mythology.

Zeus= Jupiter

Poseidon=Neptune

Hades=Pluto

Hera=Juno

Hestia=Vesta

Aphrodite=Venus

Athena=Minerva

Ares=Mars

Hephaestus=Vulcan

Apollo=same

Artemis=Diana

Hermes=Mercury

Cronos=Saturn

If you continue scrolling and pressing next you will find coloring pages for lesser god, goddesses, heroes and creatures of the Greek world. This list includes; Herakles (Hercules), King Midas, Pan, Demeter (Ceres), Eos, Eros (Cupid), Hebe, Iris, Persephone, Nike and more. Free printable Greek mythology monsters and creatures include: centaur, Charon (River Styx ferry boat captain), Cerberus, Cyclops, giants (sons of Titan Uranus), griffin, harpy, Medusa, Minotaur, (battled Perseus), Phoenix (bird that rose from the ashes of fire), Sirens (lured Odysseus to his doom), Trojan Horse (employed by Greeks for entering Troy), Pegasus and unicorn 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.

Over the Big Moon is a mom-blog with 31 pages of free printable preschool Valentine's Day worksheets. They've added an extension pack with even more free printable preschool Valentine lesson plans for children. These kits is perfect for little ones ages 30 months to six. The activities are mostly for pre-readers and emergent readers. All the activities have a valentine theme.

To practice literacy and writing skills, there are letter tracing sheets focusing on the letter "V", vocabulary cards, phonics activities, word and sound matching and shadow letter tracing activities.

For early math skills reinforcement, there are valentine-themed counting worksheets, sorting activities, pattern extensions and sequencing games. There are several activities to develop visual acuity and eye hand coordination, including spot-the-difference games, coloring pages and four-piece puzzles. There are also several pages of cutting lines in different patterns to help children practice scissor skills.

The packets are free to print from the Over the Big Moon website. Or here's an alternate website with the same valentine printables. Directions are available. Valentine graphics could be reused as DIY valentines. Have children cut out pictures and glue on construction paper hearts.

For preschool classroom use, print activities in the craft center. Or put printed activities in a folder. Use as homework or vacation activities. Give as Valentine's Day gifts. Roll in recycled paper towel tube. Add a cute valentine pencil, a few crayons, scissors and glue stick. Wrap in recycled paper that children have decorated and tie the ends. Use for Valentine party favors. Senior citizens may enjoy these activities too,

Free printable Super Bowl coloring pages, football lesson plans, games, crafts

Super Bowl XLIX Sunday rolls around Feb 1, 2015. Is Super Bowl a national holiday at your house? If you can't make it to Arizona, here are Super Bowl party activities to celebrate at home. Check out free printable Super Bowl coloring pages, games, word puzzles and crafts. There are team logo crafts, football helmet insignia, football trivia and more. Use to entertain the kiddies so you can enjoy the game. Or use them for decorations, table decor or half-time party games. There are even some educational activities to learn more about football.

TSL Books has free printable football lesson plans and Super Bowl math worksheets. Activities are based on football plays, player averages and statistics. How cool is that? Connect football and the Super Bowl with the classroom. Kids are learning while they enjoy the game. There are even some football and Super Bowl history lessons.

Edupics has an awesome collection of printable football coloring pages.There are coloring pages of other sports too. You could use these for any sports-themed birthday party. Or they would work for tailgate parties, too. Are you a New England Patriots fan or are you Team Seattle Seahawks? Look for coloring pages of your team.

DL-TK is a learning website for kids. There are scads of Super Bowl Sunday crafts, games, educational activities, coloring pages to print. Check out the awesome football themed printables, too. Look for Super Bowl games, word puzzles, word search, crossword and fill-in-the-blank. Use for half-time activities with adults.

Teach lessons using football as a theme. The Teacher's Corner has free printable Super Bowl lesson plans and football worksheets. Football can be used to teach physics, statistics, math, graphing, reading charts and diagrams, and more. Sports make excellent mathematics applications.

To keep kids productively occupied as you prepare for your Super Bowl festivities, put them to work coloring and making crafts to decorate for your party. Coloring pages can be used as placemats and drink coasters. Make banners in your team's colors. Enjoy your Super Bowl XLIX Sunday!

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.

A-Z Teacher Stuff has a collection of free printable Groundhog Day worksheets and activities. Use groundhog themed lesson plans to teach calendar skills, math, sorting, graphing, writing and counting. Preschool kids love it when teachers incorporate holiday themes into lesson plans. Use free printable groundhogs worksheets for a booklet of activities. Perhaps it could be used as homework?

Groundhog Day is the homepage of the Punxatawney Phil groundhogs club. There are many cute free printable Groundhog Day worksheets and interactive activities for teachers for Feb. 2. Print cut-outs of groundhogs. Learn the science of shadows with lesson plans. Make thumbprint groundhogs. Let kids enjoy coloring pages of groundhogs. For fun hands-on lesson plans, do tracings of groundhogs, which are kind of like shadows. You could throw a Groundhog Day party for preschool, special needs and younger elementary age kids. Serve "groundhog food"(aka trail mix). Give kids bags with dried cereal, raisins, M&Ms and pretzels. Or set out a veggie tray hungry little groundhogs. Use free printable Groundhog Day stories and songs for a snack time sing-a-long. Follow up with some fun practice worksheets to reinforce learning.

Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day lesson plans, Holocaust Remembrance Day activities

Remember, remember the 17th day of Shevat. This day, which is January 27 on western calendar is one of days of yom hashoah "days of remembrance." It isn't a holiday, but it is a holy day and commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, said International Business Times on Jan. 27. Jews observe Yom Hashoah, Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day, on the 27th of Nissan (April to May in the Western calendar). January 27 is the day the world remembers (or should) when it stood by while millions died--Pole, Slav, Catholic, Russian, red, disabled, dissident, gypsy, gay, and many, many Jewish--in the World War II Nazi genocide. The theme for International Holocaust Memorial Day 2016 is "Don't Stand By" and it comes from a confession of Pastor Martin Niemoller.

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."

"Don't Stand By" if you see injustice, persecution, bullying or marginalization. Speak out, whether you identify with those you are speaking out for or not. Don't stand by because an injury to one is an injury to all, says the union slogan. On Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day and all year long, fight against acts of anti-semitism, anti-life, anti-humanity. Don't stand by and let a great injury be repeated. Talk about it and educate yourself. Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has a free activity pack for educators and individuals, to remember.

Don't stand by--share the love. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offers ways to share stories online and in person. Oral tradition is a time-honored way of preserving memories. Don't stand by and let the flame die. On Yom Hashoah, let the the voices of the dead speak. Most everything that remained of those horrible days are gone. Many holocaust survivors have passed on. But memory is enduring voice, if it's not shushed. Let Holocaust Remembrance Day be a song that keeps on playing your head, long after the music has died. Look at the Holocaust Remembrance Day poster from 2012. It shows, in shadow, the loved ones lost. It's evocative and eerie. It makes you wonder who these shadows were. Don't stand by and let them be forgotten.

Don't stand by--watch movies and read books for Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day. "Sarah's Key" is a translation of "Elle S'appellait Sarah" by Tatiana de Rosenay. It tells of a little girl taken in the Jewish Vel' D'hiv roundup in France and the journalist who uncovers her story. Read or watch "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"--that will put a face on Holocaust for you. Or how about "The Book Thief?" Children can watch this one and empathize. Don't stand by--teach your children that untold numbers of other children perished in the Nazi holocaust and stories like this are their voice. For a non-fiction Yom Hashoah read, try "Night" by Elie Weisel. But be prepared to be haunted for the rest of your life. Read Viktor Frankel's "Man's Search for Meaning"for a Holocaust Remembrance Day you'll never forget.

Free printable Catholic Christian activities, Lenten lesson plans, Bible crafts

The Catholic liturgical year heads into Lent on Feb. 10, 2016. In this most solemn and meaningful season, Catholic school teachers, religious education instructors, homeschool parents will enjoy these free printable Catholic crafts, Christian games, religious puzzles and activities. Use these for lesson plans, party games, holy day activities and family fun.

St. Anne's Helper has links for hundreds of free printable Catholic saints coloring pages. Some are vintage prints and others are styled like stained glass windows. Subjects include: advent, Bible, Christmas, devotions, Easter, holidays, first communion, sacraments, confirmation, saints, rosary, lent, Palm Sunday, prayers, novenas, Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Mary and many more. The Bingo Maker has free printable Bible bingo games and cards for Catholic crafts, Christian games, religious puzzles and saints coloring pages on women of faith, Christian symbols, holy places in the world, Noah's ark and more. DL-TK has a customizable bingo card creator. You can add more or fewer options to Bible bingo games cards and choose from images or text. Some appropriate themes for Catholic include free printable Veggie Tales, Christmas and Bible bingo games.

For more free printable Catholic crafts and Chrisitan games, visit Bingo Card Creator to get free samples of premade and customizable Bible bingo cards. Create your own list or use those in the data bank. Bingo Card Creator has free printable Catholic crafts, Christian games, saints games, prayers, devotions. seasons, holy days and other liturgical bingo cards. Catholic Mom has a free printable Catholic activities index related to Sunday mass and gospel readings. There are Catholic saints coloring pages, Christian games, religious puzzles, mazes, word searches, jigsaw puzzles and Bible bingo. Themes include holidays, saints, Bible and prayers.

Waltzing Matilda has hand-drawn free printable Catholic saints coloring pages arranged according to the church liturgical calendar. There are saints for each month of the year. These are free to print but must not be sold. You could make them into religious puzzles or games for your family, homeschool or CCD. Just don't use them for profit. Become What You Are contains links to dozens offree printable Catholic crafts, Christian games and saints coloring pages. There are holiday and holy day images, plus mysteries of the rosary, Eucharist and general Bible themes. These images are quite intricate and would make good coloring activities for older children who like more challenging crafts. JC Kids has more Catholic printables that could be used for crafts or games.

Print these images to help children respond to religious teachings. When little ones can are actively engaged, in such as by coloring, they find it easier to focus. If you give children's artwork to a senior friend to enjoy, then the child can feel like his coloring is helping someone else, too.

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

Chinese New Year begins late January to late February in the western calendar. It's also called Spring Festival. CNY ends with a lantern festival. Each year, a different animal of the 12-year Chinese zodiac is featured. In 2015, it's Year of the Sheep (also referred to as Year of the Goat). CNY 2015 began Feb. 19. Lantern Festival is March 5. Here are free printable lantern festival craft activities to celebrate.

Visit First-Palette for an easy lantern craft download. The site gives instructions on how to make it. Next, hop on the Craft Train blog for free printable lantern templates. These are super easy to make with preschoolers. Even toddlers can get some early scissors cutting practice in.

Dream Home Decorating has elegant lantern craft printables. DL-TK has loads of free printable lantern patterns and crafts. But don't stop at that page. Visit DL-TK's China page for printable lesson plans, worksheetsts, maps, games, recipes, crafts, coloring pages and party activities on China and Chinese New Year. There are Chinese zodiacs, animals of the zodiac crafts and themed CNY printables.

Print CNY jigsaw puzzles with whimsical animals of the zodiac. There's a whole page on dragons as that magical beast is one of the Chinese zodiac creatures. There are fireworks and lantern activities (light is a theme of Chinese New Year). For more Lantern Festival printables and crafts, hustle on over to this website devoted to Chinese New Year. Here are printable Chinese New Year greeting cards.

You could teach an entire unit on China in elementary school or preschool using these printables. The Lantern Festival is called Yuan-Xiao Festival in China and is celebrated the 15th day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar. To wish someone Happy New Year, say Kung Hei Fat Choy! or Gong Xi Fa Cai!