Free Lesson Plans 4U

Free Printable Valentine's Day Cards, Coloring Pages, Crafts, Games and Puzzles

2012-02-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

Valentine's Day is a great time for making crafts and greeting cards. The Internet is gold mine for free printable crafts for Valentine's Day. You can print greeting cards, coloring pages, craft projects, cut and paste, games and puzzles for all ages. Perfect for homeschoolers, classroom activities, preschool, after school programs, day care facilities, Sunday School and scout troops. Remember our disabled, homebound and senior citizen friends this Valentine's Day. Senior care facility directors will be delighted if you call ahead and schedule a time to bring some craft projects for the seniors to enjoy. Read more at: Free Printable Valentine's Day Cards, Coloring Pages, Crafts, Games and Puzzles

Free Educational Resources and Activities for Black History Month

2012-01-30T16:49:00.001-05:00

Black History Month kicks off Feb. 1. The idea of establishing an annual commemoration of the African-American experience has been around since the turn of the 20th century; the first Black History Month was celebrated in the United States on its bicentennial anniversary in 1976. Black History Month is observed in Canada and the United Kingdom also. Here are suggested free resources for families, homeschool educators, school teachers, scout troop leaders and civic and community groups to help explore Black History Month. Read more at Free Educational Resources and Activities for Black History Month - Yahoo! News

Lessons of Chinese New Year Foods, Recipes, Provincial Cuisine

2012-01-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

Chinese New Year Foods, Recipes, Provincial Cuisine As a 25-year teacher and homeschooler, one of my favorite ways to introduce students to a culture was by sampling foods from that country. Kids love my around the world taste tours, too. If you're exploring Chinese New Year in your classroom or family homeschool, here are recipes and food ideas to try. Gung Hay Fat Choy! (and waving "hi" to all those dragons out there: this is our "Year of the Dragon!") Read more...

Free Printable Math Activities: Lessons, Cut and Paste, Games

2012-01-17T20:45:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Math Activities: Lessons, Cut and Paste, Games Learning math concepts requires daily practice. Students particularly need to review math facts; daily memorization is the key to learning. Math facts include times tables, as well as addition, subtraction and division facts. Students who memorize division, multiplication, addition and subtraction facts will have a much easier experience with any other math they study. Math is like a ladder. Each step builds upon the other. Students practice math facts at school. They should also practice math facts at home. I require that math facts be practiced at least five days per week. Five to ten minutes daily math fact practice will ensure memorization. Parents and day care providers should make time in the evening to practice math facts. Read more...

Childrens' Literature for Chinese New Year and Oriental Culture, Preschool to Grade Two

2012-01-10T00:02:00.001-05:00

Best Kids' Books for Chinese New Year and Oriental Culture: Preschool Through Second Grade Chinese New Year celebrates the culture of the Orient. CNY celebrates the Year of the Dragon in 2012 and falls on Jan. 23. What better way to explore oriental culture in your classroom than with literature? Here is a collection of childrens' books of oriental wisdom for parents, teachers and homeschoolers. Some books are specifically Chinese stories and others are Japanese Buddhist stories. The Chinese New Year encompasses its traditional animals of the zodiac. Since most Buddhist stories involve animals, I thought these books would be appropriate. Read on...

Free Printable Chinese New Year Crafts and Lesson Plans

2012-01-02T21:32:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Chinese New Year Crafts and Lesson Plans The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the Gregorian (western) calendar on January 23, 2012 and is the Year of the Dragon in the 12 year Chinese Zodiac rotation. Here are free printable crafts to celebrate the Chinese New Year. These websites have many free printable Chinese New Year crafts, including paper lanterns, 3D paper cut and paste animal crafts featuring Chinese zodiac animals, party decorations, party hats, toys, greeting cards and Chinese symbols. Read more...

Free Printable Christmas Carols for Holiday Classroom Sing-alongs

2011-12-14T19:36:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Christmas Carols One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the singing. Singing Christmas carols, particularly religious carols really makes Christmas for me. If you're planning on Christmas caroling, at home, in the classroom or in your neighborhood here are some links you'll want to visit. You can find free printable Christmas carol sheet music on the first link. On the following links are free printable Christmas carol lyrics. I've included religious favorites and secular classics. Print a songbook of carols from these links and you can distribute them to all carolers. Read more...

Free Printable 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' Activities and Lessons

2011-11-28T01:08:00.001-05:00

Free Printable 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' Activities and Lessons December 12 marks the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico and the Americas. Our Lady appeared to Bl Juan Diego in . Here are free printable activities to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe. As a ten year veteran homeschooler, I was always on the lookout for activities and lessons share our Catholic faith with the children. If you are a catechist, homeschooler or parochial school teacher, you'll need these links. The Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe brought over 8 million into the faith. She is the greatest North American missionary (and maybe the most prolific in the world). Use these lessons for exploring Mexico and North American history in social studies, too. Read on...

Free Printable Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar

2011-11-07T20:01:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Countdown to Thanksgiving Calendar It's so difficult for children to wait for a long anticipated holiday to arrive. Around our house at holiday time, we heard "how many days till (fill in holiday)?" every day it seemed. If your students have difficulty waiting for a holiday, how about a countdown calendar? Countdown calendars help children track the days until the big event. They help children learn vital calendar and counting skills. Calendars also teach children how to conceptualize time progression. Here's a free printable Thanksgiving calendar. Read more...

Free Printable Medieval History Heraldry Designs

2011-10-31T15:38:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Coat of Arms and Heraldry Designs Heraldry refers to the crest or emblem associated with royal and noble families. These ancient symbols, also called "coat of arms" were used as ornamentation and communication, on battlements, flags, armor and weapons. Here are free printable coat of arms design and coloring pages. A coat of arms, worn on shields, signified who led the army. Flags adorned battlements to show which noble or royal family was in residence. Different cultures have used family crests. With clans in England, Scotland, France and Germany, heraldry was very popular. Each family's coat of arms was unique and symbolic. Click here...

Free Printable Apple Themed Lesson Plans

2011-10-12T16:59:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Apple Themed Lesson Plans Autumn in Michigan means apples. Apples are a common theme for preschool and elementary school students. Teachers and homeschoolers, are you teaching a unit on apples? Have I got a great sweet treat for you: free printable apple-themed lessons, apple coloring pages, apple games, worksheet and activities. There are math, social studies, science, reading, history, writing connections and more. Click here...

Typhoon Nesat, or Pedring and Northwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones

2011-10-01T12:20:00.001-04:00

Typhoon Nesat, or Pedring and Northwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones Typhoon Nesat, also called Pedring, is a Category 3 northwest Pacific typhoon hit the Philippines near Manilla and killed 43 people, including 17 children. 60,000 families have been displaced. Nesat also hit China at Hainan and is wreaking havoc in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province. For 2011, Nesat is very powerful, and is said to be worse than Ondoy of 2009. Let's look at other powerful northwest Pacific typhoons. Read more...

Free Printable Ships, Boats and Maritime Lessons Plans

2011-09-19T17:58:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Nautical Lessons: Science and History Activities Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Schools and businesses get in on the fun. You can, too. Here are free printable pirate coloring pages, paper crafts, boat and ship models, maritime lessons and nautical themed activities. I've included lessons on ancient navigation tools, pirate coloring pages, Disney ship crafts, marine and navy lessons and more. Plenty of cut and paste and hands-on lessons. That way teachers and home-school parents can indulge their inner pirate and call it educational. Read more...

Free Printable Fire Prevention Week Activities and Lessons

2011-09-06T14:35:00.002-04:00

Free Printable Fire Prevention Week Activities and Lessons Fire Prevention Week runs the first full week in October. Here are free printable fire prevention activities: lessons, games, puzzles, activities, crafts, charts, safety check-lists and many other fire prevention resources. Activities are printed in English and Spanish. Across the country, firefighters, public safety officers, schools, communities and families can learn about fire prevention, fire safety and safety in general. Read more

Free Printable Labor Day Coloring Pages and Lesson Plans

2011-09-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

Free Printable Labor Day Coloring Pages and Lesson Plans Labor Day was developed by labor unions as a day to recognize the achievements and contributions of organized labor as well as the efforts of every working person in the United States. As with most holidays and celebration, Labor Day has come to be known as the last party day before school starts. And every holiday must have it's fun and games, right? Here are several websites which offer free printable coloring pages, games, puzzles and party decorations. For those who want to explore the more educational aspect of Labor Day, I listed some links and websites with free printable lesson plans and activities as well. Read more

Teaching Children About Tropical Storms and Hurricane Irene

2011-08-25T21:32:00.001-04:00

Teaching Children About Tropical Storms and Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene is sweeping up the eastern Atlantic seaboard. Residents of Ocracoke Island in North Carolina's Outer Banks have been evacuated. Irene is causing concern for everyone, especially children who either remember past hurricanes with fear or have no experience with hurricanes. Here is a Q-and-A to help explain hurricanes to children.

Teasing vs. Bullying: How to Separate Normal Classroom Interaction from Unhealthy Bullying

2011-08-12T16:11:00.001-04:00

sWould-Be Shooter Christian Helms Plays Bullying Card, Gets 6 Years Christian Helms, the Columbine-style shooter and school terrorist, was given six years on charges of attempted murder and carrying pipe bombs to his school in Socastee, S.C. 15-year-old Helms says bullying made him do it. Helms says kids teased him because of his red hair. Is there a difference between teasing and bullying? Sometimes. This commentary defines the problems inherent in some bullying claims. Read more...

Free Printable Fantasy and Fairy Craft Activities

2011-07-21T23:02:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Fantasy and Fairy Craft Activities Late summer is a great time to start gearing up for back-to-school lessons. Why not kick-off your year with a literature unit on fantasy, mythology and fairy magic. I'm personally very fond of fairies, sprites, nymphs, nyads, dryads, pixies and all manner of wee folk who live in the forest. What a great way unit to usher in Halloween. Steer kids away from the more gruesome aspects of Halloween and indulge their love of enchantment, fairy tales and fantasy. Here are dozens of free printable fairy craft activities. Bring fantasy into the art and social studies curricula, too. Read on...

Free Printable Patriotic Projects and Activities

2011-05-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Patriotic Projects and Activities Here are free printable American patriotic crafts, games, worksheets, coloring pages, puzzles, activities and projects. These free printable activities might easily be used as lesson plans for school or homeschool. A hands-on activity livens up any lesson in school. Use these crafts and activities for American history, Government, Civics, Social Studies, Geography and other similar classes. I've included lessons for many different age groups. Suitable for lessons plans, holidays, Memorial Day and 4th of July and Veteran's Day.

How to Write an Awesome Graduation Speech

2011-05-09T19:49:00.001-04:00

How to Write an Awesome Graduation Speech
Graduation is right around the corner. Do you have to write a speech? Gear up with this handy guide.

Free Printable Cinco De Mayo and Mexico Coloring Pages

2011-04-26T19:38:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Cinco De Mayo and Mexico Coloring Pages 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 Hispanics celebrate it. Here are free printable coloring pages for Cinco de Mayo. Commemorate the Mexican cultural celebration Cinco de Mayo with free printable crafts, coloring pages and lessons. Use these free printable activities in the classroom, homeschool, 4H, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops and church groups.

DIY Preschool Art Learning Center Using Recycled Materials

2011-04-03T16:24:00.003-04:00

DIY Preschool Art Learning Center Using Recycled Materials Preschoolers and indeed all students learn best with interactive, hands-on activities. Learning centers are multi-sensory, provide choice and are user-friendly. This guide will help you set up an arts and crafts learning center. Read more...

Preschool and Elementary Hands-on, Cross-Curriculum Spring Science Unit

2011-03-24T14:27:00.000-04:00

Spring Science Weather Unit with Literature, Math, Writing, Experiments, Art, Music and Crafts

Cross-curriculum, hands-on lessons for spring weather unit including connections to children's book, arts and crafts, interactive experiments, music, math and writing. Lessons appropriate for preschool through third grade. Free printables too.

Atomic Energy Lesson Plans to Expore Nuclear Reactor Meltdown Issues

2011-03-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

Children may not be familiar with terms like "nuclear reactor meltdown," "Three Mile Island accident" and "Chernobyl disaster." When adults hear about the nuclear reactor explosion in Japan we naturally think of these incidents. It's important when educating children about nuclear meltdowns, we provide accurate information and don't communicate panic.Click here for free resources and lessons about nuclear physics, atoms and reactor meltdowns. Read more.

Free Lessons and Activities about the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-03-14T14:17:00.001-04:00

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan is an issue children will have many questions about. I have been a parent and teacher for several decades and through several major events: Desert Storm, the Chernobyl Disaster, the Kobe earthquake, the Iran hostage crisis, Space Shuttle Challenger, 9/11, earthquakes and natural disasters. When disaster or crisis hits, parents and teachers must be prepared to discuss and explore them with students. Use these resources to guide your lesson plans, discussion and activities about the Japanese earthquake. Click here