Free Printable Eastern Orthodox Catholic Coloring Activities

The Christian Orthodox church, whose branches include Russian, Ukrainian, Slavic, Slavonic and Greek Orthodox, is linked to the Byzantine Church. The eastern rite churches follow most of the same practices as the Christian Catholic church, such as veneration of saints, icons, holy relics and martyrs. Here are free printable coloring pages, activities and lesson plans to celebrate the rich tradition of the Orthodox church.  Free Printable Eastern Orthodox Catholic Coloring Activities

Free Printable Despicable Me Minions Halloween Costume Guide

Steve Carell's new cartoon Despicable Me with the cute little yellow Twinkie-shaped minions is a huge hit. I predict that we will see lots of little yellow minions this Halloween. Want to make a Despicable Me minion Halloween costume? Here's how.

Examine the picture (left) to see what a Despicable Me minion looks like. Each one looks a little different, but they have the same elements. There are several options to create the yellow capsule shaped body of the Despicable Me minion. Most are cheap or free using recycled materials. Most options are no sew. Read on for free printable minions costume guide

Back-to-school bash, Crafts Lollapalooza

Labor Day is a bittersweet holiday. It's a time of summer endings and fall beginnings. Why not start the school year off on a fun note with a back-to-school party? Here's an easy and cheap kids' party plan for students in preschool to middle elementary.

* Choose a positive theme. This gets kids excited about school. Make it a shoe theme with the slogan "We're putting our best foot forward." Or do a football theme--"Kicking off a great year."  Throw a back-to-school bash for your kids

Green Recycled Halloween Pumpkin Crafts, Fall Harvest Craft Ideas

Planning your annual Halloween party or harvest festival? Or maybe you're planning a fall themed party for school or church? Here are easy recycled fall themed crafts that focus on autumn harvest and non-spooky Halloween fun. Easy, inexpensive crafts using materials from your recycle bin.  Eco Friendly Recycled Halloween and Autumn Harvest Craft Ideas 

Back to School Kickoff Event: Nature Detective Treasure Hunt

Welcome kids back to school with a super science exploration kick off activity. Make easy inexpensive individual nature detective and science investigator kits for homeschool and elementary or middle school students. Here's an easy school kickoff event that's cheap and hands on. Back to School Kickoff Event: DIY Nature Science Activities

Free Printable Preschool Games, Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans

Hands-on preschool games and activities help build developmental skills in early childhood. There's no need to spend money on lessons for preschoolers. You can find free printable games and interactive educational materials online. Many preschool printables are also cut and paste crafts that kids can make themselves. Here are free printable alphabet activities, reading and letter games, math worksheets and shapes lessons. Perfect for bored preschoolers whose siblings have gone back to school. Free Printable Preschool Games, Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans

Free Printable Science Activities, Recipes from PBS ZOOM

ZOOM is a television show from PBS with a long and celebrated tradition in excellence in children's programming. The first ZOOM episodes were shot 1972 and ran until 1978. PBS brought ZOOM back for another six years in starting in 1999. Public Television and the Children's Television Workshop were truly pioneers in creating healthy, safe television shows. PBS and CTW have long been advocates for children. Children featured on the show ZOOM were introduced only by first name and last initial, making ZOOM into a show for kids like you and me.

The purpose of ZOOM as with all of PBS children's programming was to make learning fun. ZOOM featured lots of safe, kid friendly hands on science projects using common household objects.   Free Printable Science Activities and Recipes from PBS ZOOM