Recipes for homemade crayons using recycled broken crayons

With Earth Day, and Earth Month, fast upon us, I'm looking at ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose .Making crafts with recycled materials from the recycle bin is an excellent way to teach Earth Day eco-friendly habits. Here's are activities to use up those leftover broken crayons. Repurpose them as new crayons with these simple science activities. 

Have students gather broken crayons and peel off outer paper. You'll be making new palm held crayons similar to the egg crayons. These are popular in special needs or preschool classrooms use to help children who aren't quite ready for the stick crayons. Palm or egg crayons help toddlers, preschool and special needs kids develop fine motor skills while still enjoying coloring activities. 

Once you have pile of peeled crayon pieces, spray old recycled muffin tins with cooking spray. Use mini muffin tins for preschool and older children and large ones for toddlers as mini shaped crayons might look edible to toddlers. Have students place assorted bits of broken crayons in each tin. Aim for a rainbow of colors in each cup. Help kids place muffin tins in oven and heat to 200. Heat till crayons on melted but still chunky. Swirl with toothpick while warm if you wish. Place crayon melts in refrigerator till hardened then turn out of pan and enjoy coloring.

Be sure to only use recycled muffin tins for crafts, and not cooking, once you've done this activity. This is a great way to repurpose old muffin tins and give them new life. Use these free printable rainbow coloring pages to make beautiful spring crafts. Print coloring pages and printables on scrap paper from recycle bin for green, Earth Day ecofriendly activities. 

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! 

Recycled trash crafts for Earth Day: Book-based endangered animals and habitats

 

April turns our minds to Earth Day, which has expanded into Earth Month. Build awareness of conservation and reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose with these recycle bin trash crafts. Today's trash crafts for kids feature book-based animals and habitats, student-designed from the recycle bin. 

Said it before and I'll say it on autoloop, the recycle bin is a teacher's /homeschooler's best friend. Making book-based animals and habitats from the recycle bin teaches students several important lessons about ecology. First, children explore animals and their habitats. If you swing these lesson plans toward endangered species, kids learn how and why animals become threatened or endangered. These earth science lesson plans have social studies connections too. 

Second, making recycled trash crafts teaches kids to reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose. Making book-based endangered animals and habitat dioramas extends lesson plans to include art, literature, measurement math and inventiveness. Throw in Earth Day poem writing or have students compose a story about the endangered animals and you've got creative writing as well. 

For preschool students, I recommend using any of the Mousekin (Edna Miller), Leo Lionni or Eric Carle books for your book-based animal habitat diorama crafts. Research with children which of the animals is endangered or threatened and why. Both children's authors feature animals in habitats with simple drawings that can easily be created by children with items from the recycle bin. Leo Lionni illustrated his books to look like patterned pieces and scraps. 

Here are some free printable Eric Carle coloring pages and crafts to spur creativity. Here are links for free Leo Lionni resources. Not all work but some are still available. Here are free printable animal habitat activities. 

To make the animals, put out an assortment of paper and cardboard scraps, plastic, metal and glass packages, cardboard tubes, packing materials, mesh produce bags, foil, plastic lids, etc. Add fabric scraps, buttons, yarn, string and other nifty recycled items. Give students free reign to invent as they wish. 

Happy Earth Day and Earth Month! (The cats shown above are not endangered but they were just too cute not to share). 

Free printable Dr. Seuss Lorax science lesson plans for Earth Day

 

Dr. Seuss’s  book "The Lorax" is the perfect book to read for Earth Day as it explores  corporate waste, pollution and lack of environmentally friendly practices. Here are environmental science activities from The Lorax. Use these literature-based Lorax lesson plans for Earth Day lesson plans and crafts. Start with free printable Lorax activities and Dr. Seuss lesson plans.

Text to Life Dr Seuss lesson plans. The Lorax is a parable or allegory. Characters represent ideas or people. As you read the Lorax ask students to decide who these characters represent: The Once-ler (corporations, society, people), The Boy (children, the future generation), The Lorax (God, Mother Nature, a Supreme Being).

Lorax story maps. After reading The Lorax, students should design environmental science diagrams to show food web and pollution impacts charts. Show in sequence how each species relies on the Trufulla trees. These could be drawn in cartoon format or as flowcharts. Now show backwards, how the Once-ler's factory takes out not only too the Trufulla trees away, but pollutes the air and water and harms the animals and plants. Here are endangered species printables to show what that looks like in real life.

Explore environmental science vocabulary from the Lorax--sustainable, ecology, symbiotic relationship, biodegradable, environment, pollution, interdependence, interconnected, food web, food chain, carbon footprint, carbon cycle, Make 3D graphic organizers by folding paper into 6 parts. for sequenced cartoon strip. Make a sequence book by accordion folding a wide strip of paper. On each page or frame, students write a word or sentence explaining what damage the factory created and how it affects each animal group. Or make a circle chart to show how nature is interconnected, by folding paper circles in six parts. Here are free printable habitat dioramas.

Environmental science experiments. Plant seeds. Here's an excellent text to life connection. Do as the Lorax and Once-ler advised and plant trees. Sprout seeds in simple terrariums by placing dried beans and wet paper towel in Ziploc bags. Or put carrot tops in water. Show how seeds need clean air and sun to grow. Place one seedling in a dark, dusty room such as a broom closet and others in the sun. Water some but not others. Compare results.

Writer's Workshop Dr. Seuss lesson plans. April is National Poetry Month. Write poems for Earth Day, telling what will happen "unless" people stop polluting and start caring for the earth. Or write an Earth Day song about why it is important to keep our world green. Draw shape poems, writing each line or sentence in the shape of the sun, trees, fish, birds, etc. The Lorax says he "speaks for the trees for the trees have no voice." Have children make posters, poems and songs to advocate for the trees.

Environmental science field trips and experiments. Go on a litter hunt. Take before and after pictures of the playground, woods or roadside. Give each student a recycled plastic bag and latex or plastic gloves. Count, weigh and measure how much trash was collected in 15 minutes. Chart and graph different kinds of litter and show what kinds of trash is most commonly thrown out. Start a recycling club. Take a field trip to visit a wildlife refuge, native tribal council, DNR station, nature center, fish hatchery or nature preserve. Wherever you live in this wide wonderful world, there are places to explore the wildlife in your area and folks committed to sharing their love of nature with students.

Environmental science skits. Students should write skits on reducing pollution and litter. Or retell The Lorax story. Explore the internet for new ways to reuse trash. For example, communities in Michigan create green eco-friendly park benches to made entirely from recycled plastic milk jugs.

Design a bird feeder, watering station and bird house. Use recycled materials like milk jugs. Compost food scraps. Or make bird seed cakes. Explore local songbirds in your area. Here are George Washington Carver printables with recycling ideas from the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle King himself!

Free printable Christmas crafts stencils, holiday patterns, seasonal templates for art lesson plans

Inexpensive Christmas crafts are pretty cool. But guess what's even neater? Free Christmas crafts. For those of you who like free holiday stuff, here's a Santa-sized sleighful of free printable Christmas stencils, seasonal templates and holiday patterns. Print free stencils and make your own greeting cards, wrapping paper and Christmas crafts. To use make reusable holiday patterns and seasonal templates, laminate stencils and then cut them out. You can also transfer printables onto recycled cardboard, such as cereal boxes and cut them out with an X-acto knife. You might also transfer patterns onto recycled sheet plastic or Myler stencil plastic available at Hobby Lobby, Jo-Anne Fabrics, Michael's (but recycled is cheaper!)

Fashion Era has free printable Christmas crafts stencils with seasonal templates for religious and secular holiday patterns. Templates are arranged in a countdown to Christmas Advent calendar, one pattern per day. There are stencils for nativity (birth of Jesus), winter and general holiday patterns. Free printable stencils include reindeer, stockings, manger scene, wreath, holly and ivy, winter scene, snowman, ornaments, Merry Christmas banner,candles, presents, Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus, bells, carolers, teddy bear, Christmas pudding, Christmas trees, angels, wisemen, Santa Claus and more. The art is nostalgic Dickensian England Christmas.

There's another page of free printable holiday patterns and stencils for another Christmas countdown. Seasonal templates include Jewish Chanukah menorah, Christian Madonna and Child, candle, camel, wisemen, star, a holiday choo-choo train, snowflake, dove, stocking with toys, wreath, Christmas tree, rose and for Easter and Christmas, a lamb and cross. About Painting offers links for many more free printable Christmas crafts stencils, holiday patterns and seasonal templates. Print a gingerbread man, patterns for snowflakes, ornaments, Santa Claus, Father Christmas and more. Christmas printables has even more Christmas stencil printables. Altogether Christmas features free stencils of animals dressed in Christmas-y outfits, like a cat in a Santa Claus hat! 

Homemade sand and water table fillers for preschool learning centers

Hello Omschool blog friends! Teacher Omi here with another post in my series on the venerable preschool sand and water table. What's a sand and water table (also called sand table)? It's a low child-sized table with tubs that can be filled with materials for children to explore. The sand table is the backbone of preschool science activities in learning centers. Early childhood special education classrooms use a sand table for hands-on, sensory, tactile stim and interactive lesson plans to build cognitive and perceptual development. 

In my previous post, we looked at sand table alternatives to the expensive models in many preschool learning centers. These homemade sand tables feature repurposed, recycled and reused materials. Select the best sand and water table alternative to fit your classroom or homeschool needs, Then use these sand table fillers in science activities for early childhood lesson plans.

Water: Fill tubs with water to make a water table. Add floating toys and bath tub toys. Here are free printable lesson plans to make homemade water and sand toys from your recycle bin. Provide different sized containers that encourage children to practice pouring and measuring. Place revolving water wheels in the water table. Add some items that sink and some that float. Use water table for hands-on exploration with the scientific concepts of flotation, water displacement, density and specific gravity. Create a "Does it sink or float?" chart. Here's a free printable chart. 

Bubbles: Make a simple bubble solution with water, lemon Joy dish soap and glycerin for sturdy bubbles. Add bubble making toys and every day household gadgets: apple corer, egg beater, whisk, egg slicer, slotted spoon, fork, cone shaped applesauce mill and any other safe gadgets for water science activities in learning centers.

Rocks and seashells: Fill your sand table with water and sand. Add rocks, seashells and old (sanitized) recycled toothbrushes. Children can scrub shells and rocks with toothbrushes. Shells and rocks are best seen in water, which brings out their hidden depths. Children will love exploring the intricate beauty of shells and rocks.

Shaving Cream: Allow children to squirt shaving cream into water table tub. Concentrated gel shaving cream is lots of fun because it foams up as it sprays. Teach safety so kids don't get soap in their eyes. Exercise caution with aerosol cans. It may be advisable to have an adult add the shaving cream. Encourage finger painting and drawing in shaving cream. Make sure children wash their hands after doing science activities in learning centers.

Snow: Fill the sand table with snow and add plastic sand shovels, trowel, ice cream scoop, melon baller, recycled plastic cups and containers for molding and shaping snow. Have children to wear gloves and keep several pairs near the water table.

Recycle bin paper scraps: Place scrap paper in sand table tubs and add scissor with patterned edges and paper punches. Children love to snip, trim, cut and punch paper. Exploring with paper in the sand table keeps scraps in one place. This exercise provides good practice in cutting skills, scissors skills, eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.

Dried beans or rice: Add plastic measuring cups, spoons and cups with pour spouts. Teach children about measurement math. Preschool children can practice counting, sorting while getting good tactile stimulation in learning centers.

Aquarium Fish tank rocks: Buy bags of multicolored aquarium fish tank rocks (the small kind that line the bottom of the tank). Fish tank rocks make excellent media for pouring, scooping and measuring. Aquarium rocks also don't draw insects like beans and rice. Beads work well in the sand table, too, but can be expensive. Explore other materials for your sand table science activities.

Picture is a very special grandson, mucking about with his homemade silly putty! 

 

American History Lesson Plans: Living History Wax Museum event

Hello my Omschooligans! We've been busy around here writing poetry for Poetry Month and making recycled trash crafts for Earth Day! Then yesterday, we planned a one room schoolhouse event. I hope that was fun! I sure enjoyed creating it. And speaking of living history, spring is all about gearing up for summer reenactments like our Grand Haven Feast of the Strawberry Moon. But we don't have to wait.  Let's explore American history by performing a "living history wax museum."  

Why people hate history 

I'm a history nerd but I know a lot of people say they hate history, especially how it was taught to them in school. That's sad because exploring the past can be fascinating! But not if your only contact with history was via boring textbooks, uninspiring paper and pencil lesson plans and endless memorization of facts. Nothing could be more antithetical to the way history should be learned. History is about more than people and times long past. It's about learning from them. It's a medium for synthesizing new ideas and processes. It's a vehicle for change. It's not about dead and gone, it's about life! 

Bloom's Taxonomy vs. rote memorization

Bloom's taxonomy sequences educational tasks in order of basic to advanced. It encourages teachers to move from memorization and comprehension of facts (at the bottom) towards HOTS (higher order thinking skills) which include analyzing, applying to life, evaluating and finally, synthesizing (creating new content). 

 Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Chart

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) move beyond rote memorization. They require students to process information, connect ideas, and apply knowledge to new situations. This chart breaks down the top levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, focusing on the cognitive processes that define complex thinking. Use these definitions and action verbs to design engaging learning activities and assessments that promote deeper understanding and critical thinking.

Bloom's Taxonomy breaks down educational tasks using the HOTS acronym. In education stands of higher order thinking skills.

HOTS Level	Definition (What it involves)	Action Verbs (Examples)
 Creating	Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things. Building a structure or pattern from diverse elements.	design, construct, plan, produce, invent, compose, formulate, hypothesize, generate, compile
易 Evaluating	Justifying a decision or course of action. Making judgments based on criteria and standards. Checking for consistency.	judge, critique, justify, defend, debate, recommend, assess, conclude, test, support
 Analyzing	Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships. Determining how the parts relate to one another.	compare, contrast, breakdown, categorize, differentiate, examine, question, connect, organize, outline

Living history is alive! 

And HOTS is what living history requires! It's putting all the recalled and digested facts into a fresh, new context. Authentic useful history lesson plans should include historical reenactment, cultural immersion and student-directed, hands-on history activities. Students should experience history activities through all five senses. They should engage in interactive history activities. Then they begin to see the big picture. Here are cross-curricular history activities that teach reading, writing, speaking, research, art and drama.

Wax Museum tableaux

Students will create tableaux for historical reenactment in the Living History Wax Museum. Here's how to create a living history wax museum: (I've included cross-curricular references and HOTS skill practiced). 

• Assign students the task of choosing an historical figure to personify (evaluation, application, synthesis) from whatever social studies content you're studying: exploration, colonial period, a country, inventions, mythology. 
• Another living history variation is a cultural diversity wax museum, where students represent famous people who share their ancestry. 
• Fine arts wax museum: with famous musicians, actors, artists and composers.
• Design a local history wax museum. Grand Haven Michigan hosts the Feast of the Strawberry Moon 1760s reenactment to celebrate its voyageur history. 
• Connect to books with literature-based living history wax museum. Students might choose literary figures or famous characters in favorite books. (apply, compare, synthesize) 
• Students should research their person, her life, work and lifestyle. (analysis, explore). Then prepare a short biographical speech to introduces themselves (details below).
• Students will produce a living history tableau with a costume, props, artifacts and an appropriate backdrop for historical reenactment of their chosen figure. (application, analysis) 
• Individual tableaux will be set up like wax museum exhibits that guests will visit. Arrange living history exhibits in a multipurpose room, series of smaller classrooms, along a hallway or outdoors. This provides math connections. 
• Divide tableaux with portable partitions or use large recycled cardboard refrigerator boxes to create individual niches for each student. You could also hang curtains on free-standing poles to designate each area. Let students use problem-solving strategies to decide how to arrange. This provides more math and science connections. 
• Each student should bring or be provided a table or shelf to display props and a tripod to place signage. 
• Organize work days for students to construct props/backdrops. Provide paper, recycled materials and large cardboard boxes. 
• Students should compose a 1-2 minute first-person script in the character's voice. Encourage them to include interesting biographical details and vignettes. Their historical reenactment should end with a quote from their chosen person. 
• Have students practice their narratives with each other and provide each other with feedback. Students should memorize their monologue and recite it to guests who come to the wax museum.
• Have students write a transcript of their speech. Assemble narratives into a printed booklet for guests to take home. 
• Students should anticipate questions guest may ask and be prepared with answers. 
• Students to locate themselves on printed maps to show where their person originated.
• Have students write invitations to guests. 
• They should make promotional advertising for their living history project and wax museum.
• Students could organize themselves into committees, too.
• Save programs for student portfolios. 
• Extend lesson plans by having students prepare foods from their time period or country to to serve as refreshments.

How the performance works 

• During the performance, guests travel from character to character. It could be done onstage as a pageant, but booths where guests can circulate is more informal and comfortable for families with small children or senior grandparents. 
• Encourage younger guests to collect "autographs" on their programs.
• Place a notebook at each booth so visitors can leave responses. Consider using feedback to determine overall living history project grade. 
• Students should evaluate their performances and grade themselves. Explain how grades should reflect creativity and participation. 

Free printable Harry the Dirty Dog Printables, Recycled Yarn Craft, Snacks

March is National Reading Month. Why not celebrate the joy of children's literature with a kids' storybook craft party? I learned as a special education Montessori teacher/homeschool mom to make lesson plans hands-on. So my craft parties include an interactive story and snack. One of my husband's favorite children's literature characters is Harry the Dog, created by Gene Zion and drawn by Margaret Bloy Graham. Harry the Dirty Dog won the Caldecott Award for children's literature illustrations. Here are free printable lesson plans, book crafts and recipes for a Harry the Dirty Dog party. Most of the activities come from the book No Roses for Harry.

Read Harry the Dirty Dog and No Roses for Harry. Stop at different points in the stories and have children predict what will happen next. Make flip books by cutting plain paper in quarters and staple together. Let children illustrate the books and tell the story using flip books. Use these free printable Harry the Dirty Dog lesson plans. Make a booklet of free printable Harry the Dirty Dog activities.Use these free printable Harry the Dirty Dog coloring pages for kids to color while you read stories. Here are some free printable children's literature coloring pages from No Roses for Harry.

Make a yarn bush book crafts for the birds based on No Roses for Harry. Have kids gather up recycled bits of string and yarn. Place them in trees and bushes for the birds to use in nest building. Look for your yarn in bird's nests. My mother made a yarn tree and said she knows the birds are using it because the yarn is disappearing. You might get a bird guide and ID the birds you see in the yard. Teach kids to braid yarn or strips of scrap fabric. Twist braided yarn into a flat coil and sew together in several places. Make into pot holders or mug rugs for book crafts.

For Harry the Dirty Dog snacks, make scrubbing brush cookies. Use spray decorator frosting to make brush bristles on Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cookies. For No Roses for Harry, make Polish "roses." Spread cream cheese on a scallion. Wrap a slice of ham around it. Make No Roses for Harry rose pinwheel cookies. Roll sugar cookie dough into "snakes" then roll in red sprinkles. Wind into a pinwheel and bake. Or make flower cookies. Roll sugar cookie dough in little balls. Arrange four in a square. Bake and frost. Decorate with candy sprinkles and an M&M in the center. Here are value-added children's literature book crafts plus snacks!

Enjoy Harry the Dirty Dog drinks--chocolate milk and white milk--while making your book crafts. Read the rest of the Harry the Dirty Dog children's literature series including Harry and the Lady Next Door and Harry By the Sea.

Homemade Word Games for Language Arts Homework Practice

Hello my Omschooligans! Teacher Omi is thinking today about ways to keep all the good stuff you learned is school fresh over the long summer vacation. A few days ago, we made a math facts practice kit. And now we're going to make a language arts practice game to boost spelling, reading and writing. This lesson plans does double duty for teachers as a game plus craft project! And as always, in the Omschool, we focus on cheap or free, homemade and recycled. 

Make this DIY word game with emergent readers all the way up to high school age kids. It's based on the word games Boggle and Scrabble in which players make words from random letters. Both Scrabble and Boggle are superb games for spelling and reading practice. My version of this word game combines the scoring of Scrabble with the letter mix-up of Boggle. So students get even more value added with multiplication and math facts practice. I call my version "Scraggle!" 

What you need to make a Scraggle game 

• 12 dice: Recycle die from old games like Kismet or Yahtzee. Dice can be purchased at almost any store for under $2).
• Paint pens or permanent markers
• Blank stickers (round or square white stickers are best)
• Note pad (made of recycled scrap paper)
• pencils
• watch or timer (reuse the little "hour glass" type ones from games. They measure one minute.). 
• small box 
• dictionary to check spelling

To make your Scraggle word game

• Affix a sticker to each of the six sides of the die.
• Label each die side with a different letter. With 12 dice times six sides you will have room for 72 letters. Since some letters are more popular, label dice this way. It makes no difference where on the dice you put which letters, Just be sure to get this many letters in.
• four times each, letters: A, E, I, O, U, R, S, T, L, N
• three times each letters: B, C, D, F, G, H, M, P
• one time each, letters: J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y, Z
• Place letters in the small box. 

To play Scraggle

1. Distribute pencils and pads. 
2. Players take turns shaking box with letter dice, to rearrange. 
3. Player opens box and makes sure all dice are flat and showing letters.
4. Time players for three to five minutes, to see how many words they can make with letters showing.
5. Letters may only be used twice if two dice are showing the letter. 
6. Players should check each others words for accuracy.
7. Scoring rules for older kids to practice math facts.
1. 2x for every use of A, E, T, O
2. 3x for every use of I, H, N, S,
3. 4x for each use of  R, D, L
4. 5x for each use of C, M, U
5. 6x for each use of F,G,W, Y
6. 7x for each use of B,K,P,V
7. 8x for each use of J, X,Q, Z
8. Scoring is as follows for younger children

• 3 letter words = 5 points
• 4 letter words = 10 points
• 5 letter words = 20 points
• 6 letter words = 50 points
• 7 letter words = 100 points
• 8 letter words = 200 points
• 50 bonus points for using any two of these letters in the same word (J, K, X, Y, Z in one word)

This Scraggle word game is easy to make, fun to play, has endless variations and is adaptable. It can be played in the car, at the store, on a place, while waiting in line; anywhere you go it goes. I recommend bringing this and your math facts homework kit on long car rides you take this summer! 

Fun Fact: The most commonly used letters in the English language, ordered from most frequent to least frequent, are:

1. E

2. T

3. A

4. O

5. I

6. N

7. S

8. H

9. R

10. D

11. L

12. C

13. U

14. M

15. W

16. F

17. G

18. Y

19. P

20. B

21. V

22. K

23. J

24. X

25. Q

26. Z

Free Printable Preschool Valentines Day Lesson Plans

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 are 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,

St. Patrick's Day party lesson plans, crafts, activities to celebrate green

Here's a nifty unit of activities for St. Patrick's Day: lesson plans to celebrate all things green! I've tailored these lesson plans for classroom or homeschool, and ages toddler and preschool through grade 3. I've included St. Patrick's Day party activities, green themed food and snacks, games, crafts and printables. There are many earth science extensions for Earth Day too. 

Green themed snacks and food for St. Patrick's Day party: 

Make a green fruit and vegetable tasting tray. For hands-on biology science activities, explore plant parts of green veggies and fruits. Make a chart to show what plant part each comes from. Draw a large tree showing roots below the ground. The use these free printable coloring pages for fruits and vegetables to color, cut and paste pictures on the tree. 

Roots: sprouts, scallions (tops), fennel bulb

Stalk (trunk) celery, green onions, dill weed, asparagus

Leaves: lettuce, brussels sprouts
ts, kale, spring mix, arugula, spinach, cilantro, mint, watercress, 

Seeds: green beans, peas, edamame, 

Flower: Broccoli, broccoflower: flower 

Fruit: cucumber, kiwi, green grapes, green beans, zucchini, chayote squash (also called mirliton in southern states), green apples, pears, acorn squash

Students will enjoy making green lime yogurt pops by freezing yogurt in popsicle makers. Or freeze limeade or pistachio pudding. 

St. Patrick's party games: 

Play Red light/Green Light (basically stop and go). Extend with safety lesson plans. Discuss that green represents "safe" or "go" in online, cyber and traffic safety. Make traffic safety road signs to test children. Use these free printable traffic signals and road sign coloring pages. 

St. Patrick's Day green themed crafts

Discuss earth friendly ways to keep the earth green. Encourage kids to think reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose. Challenge them to make "green machines" that are both eco-friendly and green in color, from the recycle bin. 

Toddlers and preschool students will like to color these free printable spring coloring pages. Here are free printable flower coloring pages too. Be sure to print on scrap paper from the recycle bin. Use low ink settings for the most eco-friendly printing. Assemble into a poster to display. 

Have children make collages from recycled magazines of pictures of things that are green. For really earth friendly green crafts, use materials from the recycle bin. Toddler and preschool children will love finding green items in magazines. 

Plant herb seeds in recycled jar or plastic dish (holes poked in the bottom for drainage) from recycle bin. 

Earth Day green outdoor activities

Go on a nature hunt and look for spring signs of new life: nests, buds on trees, green plant shoots, flowers beginning to sprout, grass growing, baby leaves on trees. Pay special attention to things that are green. Kids should bring a nature journal where they can draw pictures of what they observe. 

Collect litter and trash for proper disposal. Be sure kids wear nitryl gloves and masks when collecting litter. Adults should collect any glass. 

Animal costume patterns for craft projects, dress up, learning centers

Dress up is a crucial part of learning play in preschool classrooms and Montessori learning centers. If you homeschool, dress up should be part of your practical life, dramatic play and even science learning centers. The more hands-on and interactive the lesson plans, the better children learn. 

My most recent post gave ideas for a children's literature book party. One book party activity is for children to dress up as characters from books. Here are ideas to make simple, no-sew DIY animal costumes, using your recycle bin and some basic household scraps. These are perfect for preschool science learning centers, kids plays, story party activities and children's theater. Get more Montessori bang by having children create costumes themselves. Click here for free printable animal costume patterns. 

For basic animal costumes, you will need. 

* blanket sleeper (zippered pajamas with covered feet). Use an old one or pick one up second hand. Choose sleeper color based on the type of animals it will be used for:

--green: frog, dinosaur, gecko, snake, lizard, dragon, caterpillar, parrot

--yellow or tan: baby chick, tiger, leopard, lion

--red: ladybug, bird, fox

--pink: pig, shrimp, flamingo

--black, brown, white or gray: cat, dog, donkey, horse, cow, squirrel, raccoon, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, penguin, spider, groundhog, woodchuck, chipmunk

--orange, blue or purple: bird, fish, butterfly

* knit hat in matching color

* five old socks in matching colors

* recycled cardboard from cereal boxes or packaging

* glue dots or self-stick Vel-cro

* sharp scissors

* assorted fabric scraps, pom-poms, feathers, faux gems, ribbon, sequins (optional)

Now

* Draw design details with permanent marker on sleeper: lines, circles, stripes, spots wings etc.

* Use glue dots or Vel-cro to add embellishments to sleeper: sequins or faux gems are great for fish scales or birds. Glue faux feathers on for bird wings. Glue ribbon on for stripes. Pom-poms can be fish scales or hair on curly-haired puppies.

* On two socks (or old old knit gloves) draw black lines on toe ends simulate paws or claws. Draw circles on the palm to look like paw pads (socks make great improvised mittens).

* Stuff one sock with recycled rags for a tail. Sew it to the back of the sleep or hot glue it on. You can also glue a large pom pom on the back for a fuzzy tail.

* Make ears using the remaining two socks and the knit hat. Stuff the socks halfway full of scrap fabric. Cut two small holes in the hat for ears. Push open ends of socks through holes and tie knots in ends so socks won't slip through hole.

Montessori says lesson plans should allow children maximum creativity in open-ended, hands-on, interactive activities. Encourage them to make up their own designs for animal costumes. You could make these in collage or art learning centers also. Once children have made costumes they might write their own scripts for plays about their characters. They might also act out preschool children's literature selections based on animals. 

Here are free printable animal masks to complete costumes. Engage the youngest learners making masks, to keep them productively involved and make them feel part of the activity. 

Free printable calendar lesson plans: reuse old calendars

  Hi friends of the Omschool! Teacher Omi (grama) here with free printable calendar lesson plans and ways to reuse old calendars. If you use paper calendars, you've got a treasure trove of math manipulatives at your disposal. Save your old calendars to make hands-on math activities to teach date and time, skip counting, sorting and organizing and calendar skills.

Reuse old calendars as math worksheets. Give students calendar pages and teach them to count, skip count by 2-8, to help kids understand times tables (fact families). The beauty of  reusing calendars as worksheets is that kids can write on them like workbook pages. Use them to teach days of the week and months of the year. 

Reuse old calendars as flashcards. Let children cut and paste calendar numbers onto recycled cardboard. Then students can arrange flashcards in order or by 2-8 fact families. In this way, you get double duty free lesson plans with math crafts and counting activities. 

Reuse old calendars as games. Have students cut and paste calendar numbers to make Memory games, Bingo or a pathway counting game such as Candyland. Students might also invent their own games. This expands these into cross-curricular free printable lesson plans that include writing, reading, spelling, creative writing, design and STEM activities. 

Reuse calendar pictures as homemade kids books. Calendar pictures are usually centered on a theme (nature scenes, etc.) Instruct students to cut and paste the 12 images onto recycled cardboard. Then they can practice creative writing skills to make these into homemade books. Kids might then read the stories aloud to younger children to practice storytelling skills. 

These free printable lesson plans make excellent resources for classroom and homeschool students. 

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,

Multicultural lesson plans: respectful ways to explore global traditions around the world

Hello my friends of the Omschool. Today, Teacher Omi is going to show you how we are all lifelong learners. And today's life lesson is about cultural sensitivity. We're going to discuss ways to explore the wonderful world we live in, respectfully, without minimizing or generalizing. 

Rethinking multiculturalism

33 years ago, I created a preschool "multicultural unit" for Vacation Bible School. We "visited" saints around the world. So I made cardboard playhouse to simulate some of the dwellings of the people the saints missioned to. In retrospect, I can see where even this can smack of  "White savior complex" in which a dominant group attempts to "convert" what it sees as non-believers to its ideology. 

The saints we visited were more helpers in specific struggles, such as St. Peter Claver working against the slave trade. And St. Mother Theresa reaching out to assist then "untouchable" caste in India.  I also was gearing it to specific time periods in which the "play house" dwellings were more reflective. But there were still some problems, that I now see. 

Stereotyping, caricaturing and cultural appropriation

When creating a multicultural or world-focused learning unit in an early childhood setting, thoughtful implementation is key to ensuring that activities remain educational and respectful. While the activities I created were designed to spark curiosity and appreciation for different traditions, there are a few elements that are frequently discussed by educators regarding cultural representation, also called "cultural appropriation." 

Here are a few considerations and suggestions to ensure the lesson remains culturally respectful and avoids common pitfalls:

• Avoid Stereotyping and Generalizations: Grouping diverse cultures or entire continents into a single representation can lead to oversimplification (for example, using one style of "grass hut" to represent an entire diverse African continent, or using general symbols for all Native American tribes).

  • Alternative: Focus on the specific homes of individual tribes, nations, or regions, and discuss the geography or climate that makes those homes unique.

  • Instead of attempting to recreate homes, especially in a modern setting with modern materials, gather books showing real people creating and interacting within their real life societies. 

• Consult Authentic Voices: When teaching about Indigenous or specific cultural groups, it helps to use books or resources created by authors and artists from those communities. This ensures that the children are learning authentic perspectives rather than interpretations.

  • Alternative: Feature traditional stories, photographs of real homes (like a Mongolian yurt or an Arctic igloo), and celebrate specific cultural achievements with the children.

  • Here's a video showing an Inuit family building an igloo. Here is a video showing the building of a traditional grass hut in Uganda. The technology is simple but ingenious. And talk about using found materials. This is the ultimate "repurposing" hack. 

• Focus on Function, Not Costume: While children love dress-up, using sacred cultural regalia (such as headdresses) as a "costume" can be deeply insensitive. In my original piece, I cringe to recall how I suggested that kids "play dress up." 

  • Alternative: Focus on everyday objects, beautiful textiles, or items used for preparation and daily life, such as cooking tools, weaving, or musical instruments.

  • Explore authentic examples of dress styles in countries you want to visit. Here are 15 traditional African dress styles. Here is a kimono tutorial. Here's a "fashion show" from around the world. 

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💡 Pro-Tip

Keep It Respectful: Use your reading corner to share multicultural stories that highlight real individuals and historical figures, encouraging children to appreciate diverse traditions with empathy and accuracy!

Crafting respectful lesson plans on multicultural diversity

 When building a multicultural unit for early learners, the goal is to move beyond surface-level representations and foster a genuine, respectful connection to different ways of life. Here are several ideas for culturally sensitive, engaging activities that focus on authentic cultural exchange and appreciation:

1. Authentic Storytelling and Literature

Instead of using generic themes, introduce children to specific stories written by authors from the cultures being highlighted.

• Activity: Set up a dedicated space in the reading corner featuring translated picture books and folklore from around the world.

• Discussion Prompts: Ask children what the characters' homes look like, what foods they eat, or how the weather/geography is different from our own.

2. Exploring World Geography Through Homes

Rather than generalizing types of housing across whole continents, focus on the ingenuity of specific dwellings and local climates.

• Activity: Compare the geography of different regions using photos and books. For instance, you can examine how a traditional Mongolian yurt is adapted to the open steppe or how an Arctic igloo works with snow and ice.

• Craft Integration: Build small, specific models using natural materials like clay, twigs, or clean recycled items, discussing the science and geography behind the design.

3. Cultural Cooking and Daily Life

Food and daily routines are a wonderful way to connect children to real cultural practices without resorting to costumes.

• Activity: Prepare a simple, authentic snack or drink from a specific culture. Examples include making fresh salsa from a Mexican recipe, or preparing a traditional tea ceremony using real, child-sized teaware.

• Learning Focus: Discuss the ingredients, the origin of the food, and the tools used to prepare it in that culture.

  Hummus for Little Hands

  Introduce children to the joy of making healthy "world food" snacks with this simple, safe, and nutritious dip. It's the perfect no-cook sensory recipe for kids to practice measuring and mixing!

  Prep time: 10 mins | Yield: 4 servings | Category: Snack

  Ingredients

  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 clove garlic (optional, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (plus a little extra for drizzling)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 to 3 tbsp warm water

  Instructions

  1. Pour and Rinse: Help the children place the rinsed chickpeas into a medium-sized mixing bowl or blender.
  2. Add the Ingredients: Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and salt directly into the bowl.
  3. Mash it Up: Using a sturdy potato masher or a child-safe fork, let the children mash the chickpeas and mix the ingredients together until fairly smooth.
  4. Drizzle and Serve: Add warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is creamy. Serve with crunchy vegetable sticks!
  💡 Pro-Tip: Encourage children to create their own unique "food art" on top of the hummus with paprika or chopped fresh herbs before dipping!

4. World Music and Movement

Children naturally connect with rhythm and song.

• Activity: Listen to music from various regions or cultures. Focus on the instruments used (such as the African djembe, the Japanese koto, or Latin American maracas).

• Hands-On Craft: Make simple shakers or drums using recycled materials like dried beans, paper tubes, or cardboard, and discuss how different materials create different sounds. 

  

  
  
  

5. Traditional crafts

Here is a simple, child-friendly batik tutorial designed for a fun learning environment!

💡 Pro-Tip

Design Authentically:

 Avoid trying to "recreate" native patterns. Design your own that reflects you!

Simple Cardboard "Batik" Tutorial

Real batik uses hot wax and fabric dyes, but you can create a beautiful, textured "faux batik" effect using basic classroom materials like washable glue and watercolors.

Materials Needed

• Stiff drawing paper or watercolor paper

• White school glue or water-based glue

• Watercolor paints and brushes

• Cotton swabs or small sponges

• A small pencil for light tracing

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Step-by-Step Instructions

• Step 1: Sketch the Design Encourage children to draw their own unique, symmetrical, or abstract patterns directly onto the paper using a pencil. Remind them to keep the lines simple and bold.

• Step 2: Apply the Glue Line Carefully trace the pencil lines with the glue to create a "resist" barrier. Let it dry completely overnight.

• Step 3: Paint the Sections Once the glue is completely dry and clear, use watercolors to fill in the sections between the glue lines. The glue barrier prevents the paints from bleeding into one another.

• Step 4: Add Texture Use a cotton swab or a damp sponge to dab away excess moisture from the colors, creating a subtle, varied texture that mimics traditional wax-resist fabric.

Easy Faux Batik Fabric Tutorial

Real batik uses hot wax and professional fabric dyes. This kid-friendly version uses flour paste or washable school glue and fabric paints (or acrylics mixed with fabric medium) to create a beautiful, textured result.

Materials Needed

• A square of light-colored cotton fabric (such as muslin or an old cotton pillowcase)

• A piece of cardboard or newspaper (to place under the fabric to protect your table)

• Flour and water paste (or washable white school glue)

• Foam brushes or small paintbrushes

• Fabric paints or acrylic paints mixed with a textile medium

• An iron (for adult use only to heat-set the finished paint)

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Step-by-Step Instructions

• Step 1: Prepare the Design Place your cotton fabric flat on top of the cardboard. Use a pencil to sketch a simple, bold design directly onto the fabric.

• Step 2: Apply the Resist Trace your pencil lines using the flour paste or washable glue. Squeeze a thick, even line to ensure it acts as a barrier. Let the design dry completely overnight.

• Step 3: Paint the Fabric Once the barrier is fully dry, paint the sections of the fabric with your fabric paints. The paste or glue lines will resist the paint, keeping colors separate.

• Step 4: Wash and Set Once the paint is fully dry, soak the fabric in warm water to wash away the flour paste or glue. Squeeze out the excess water and let it dry, then have an adult iron the back of the fabric for 3–5 minutes to heat-set the paint.

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💡 Pro-Tip

Keep It Grounded: Ensure that all materials come directly from authentic cultural sources (such as traditional textiles, real cooking utensils, or authentic artwork) to give children an accurate, respectful view of the world!

Hands-On Homemade Reading Crafts, Book Activities, Literature Games

March is National Reading Month, starting with the NEA's "Read Across America." Looking for ideas to inspire a life-long love of books? Here are reading response activities, interactive ELA (English language arts) lessons, book-based crafts and literature response lessons. Book activities are hands-on, multi-sensory, cross-curricular Montessori-style. Use for interactive Readers Workshop, special education students, reluctant readers, divergent learners and summer reading enrichment.

Reading response journal. Have kids create personalized reading logs, respond to literature and complete book-based activities. Check my blog Free Lesson Plans 4U and Free Printable Lesson Plans for tips to make literature response journals and activity suggestions. Here are free printable reading activities and calendar tracker from PBS.

Homemade books. Cut book covers from cereal box. Cover with scrap wrapping paper or wallpaper. Cover with magazine picture collage. Decoupage by painting pictures with watered-down school glue, front and back. Cut lined paper pages (for text) and blank paper (for illustrations). Or use scrap paper and draw in text lines.

Book-based promotional materials. Have kids play marketer for their favorite book or author. Make posters, book covers advertising literature. Create 3-D sculptures, models or dioramas based on books. Make book-based merchandise: toys, snacks, food, games. In homeschooling, my 6th grade son designed a "Hobbit Holes" cereal box designed on his favorite J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

Book diorama. Create scenes from books using recycled products. Arrange scene in shoe box. Use small dolls (Lego, Fisher-Price, Little Tikes, Polly Pockets) as characters.

Story-reading audio/video presentations. Make audio recordings of kids reading books. Covert to mp3 files for iPod. Videotape students reading and story-telling. Upload videos to Youtube.

Story-telling. Students read aloud to younger students. Students act out children's books and present to younger or special needs classes. In high school, our oldest daughter acted out a Shel Silverstein's poem "Noise Day" for special education kids. They loved when she skateboarded across the stage!

Book-music connections. Create music playlists based on books. Select metaphorical songs. Kids will love choosing modern songs to represent story themes. Our family saw a production of "Macbeth." The play was set to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," "The Decemberists "This is Why We Fight" and "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant. It really resonated with students and helped them understand and relate to Shakespeare.For more reading response activities, visit my blog Kidz Literature.