Free Printable Doctor Who Coloring Pages, Crafts, Games, Activities

BBC's sci-fi show "Doctor Who" celebrates its 50th birthday in 2013. My youngest daughter discovered Doctor Who in 2005 when she was seven. The current Time Lord was the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. The current Eleventh Doctor is Matt Smith. If you love galaxy hopping in the TARDIS and battling Cybermen and Daleks here are free printable Doctor Who coloring pages to extend your adventures.

BBC has eight free printable Doctor Who coloring pages of the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor Who characters, as portrayed by David Tennant. There are coloring pages of Martha (one of the doctors' assistants). There areonline Doctor Who games featuring Mickey, Rose, Sarah Jane, Martha and other characters. There are printable coloring pages of Doctor Who monsters and villains--Daleks (they're aliens that resemble salt shakers). Some of these characters are in the Doctor Who spin-off "Torchwood" and "The Sarah Jane Chronicles."

BBC One has free printable Eleventh Doctor Who activities, too. Oh and don't miss the super creepyfree printable Doctor Who masks. Cut and paste masks of the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Doctor Who villains--Ood, Silurian, Smiler, the Master, Silence, the doppelgangers, the Weeping Angels and a Peg Doll who makes Chucky look like Chuck. E. Cheesecake! These would be perfect for Doctor Who Halloween costumes. But beware of the Weeping Angels--don't blink--they're Doctor Who's scariest, wiliest opponents of all.

Free Printable Murder Mystery Games, for Mystery Genre Lesson Plans

Teaching a unit on mystery in ELA? Then I've got a treat for you. Just in time for Halloween, free printable murder mystery games. English language arts teachers and homeschoolers, feast your eyes on this plethora of free murder mystery games and murder mystery play writing prompts.  Print murder mystery party games and use as a companion American or English literature lesson plans. These activities would nicely supplement lesson plans on Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, Cornell Woolrich or other classic crime fiction. There's on that dates back to Elizabethan England to Shakespeare's time. Perfect for Readers Workshop, Writers Workshop or whole-class activities. From a vintage literati-mysterati, happy sleuthing!  "The Raven" (2012-John Cusack) is rated R, but could be a good connection movie in appropriate high school settings. Read on Read on

Free Printable Apple Lesson Plans for Fall Preschool Activities

Apples are a popular theme for preschool fall lesson plans. Looking for apple activities? Have I got a great "sweet" treat for you--a plethora of free printable apple-themed fun. This booklet includes apple math activities, science puzzles, social studies lessons and history extensions. There are printable creative writing prompts, word games and more. Read more

Free Printable Animal Rescue Lesson Plans

We've seen images of suffering: Japan and Haiti earthquake Darfur, Katrina, tsunami, economic oppression, refugees, war, deforestation, demilitarized zones, rainforest destruction, animal cruelty, oil spills. Children learn geography by the wars and disaster that take place there. Speaking as a teacher, I know how upsetting it is for kids to see the suffering and feel helpless. That's why it's great that there are kid-friendly ways to help? Here are free printable lesson plans on animal rescue (Just in time for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of pets and animals. There are lesson plans of global health, world hunger, rainforest preservation and lots more. Read on

Free Printable World Literature Activities--Tolkien, Beatrix Potter, Pippi Longstocking

In honor of Roald Dahl Day (a U.K. observance) on September 13, here are links to free printable lesson plans based his books. Do you love Roald Dahl books? A better question might be which are your favorites? If you said The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) then give three cheers because Disney brings out The BFG movie (with uber talented Mark Rylance) July, 2016! To celebrate, here are free printable BFG coloring pages and also free printable coloring pages from other Roald Dahl books to movies. Many Roald Dahl books have made it big as movies: Danny the Champion of the World, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox and, of course, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, twice over! Did you like Johnny Depp or Gene Wilder better as Willie Wonka?

Activity Village has several free printable activities from the Fantastic Mr. Fox book and movie. First, create the a free printable fox mask template for the sartorial gent. Print two fox masks so that you can design one for Fantastic Mr Fox and the other for his fantastic wife, Mrs. Fox to act out scenes. There's also and origami fox that looks just like the book version of Fantastic Mr Fox when folded. Print two foxes and use as hand puppets. There are Willie Wonka coloring pages too.

Scholastic has several free printable Fantastic Mr Fox lesson plans for Roald Dahl Day. Here arefree printable Fantastic Mr Fox worksheets. The get some free printable Fantastic Mr Fox coloring pages, puzzles and games from Twinkl. These are samples for paid printables. The best lesson plans come from the Roald Dahl website. Get free printable Roald Dahl books lesson plans based on The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Willie Wonka, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Esio Trot, Boy, The Twits, The Vicar of Nibbleswick (funniest ever) and more. Print games, worksheets, puzzles, literature homework help, crafts and more.

Here are free printable BFG and Roald Dahl books coloring pages. Fans of the books will be glad to know that most of the Roald Dahl coloring pages are from book illustrator Quentin Blake. Here areMatilida coloring pages. Here's an assorted collection of Quentin Blake illustrations to color including the enigmatic Willie Wonka and other characters.

Roald Dahl has the distinction of giving children some of the best-loved characters, like Willie Wonka, the BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox and others, but also of writing books that grownups frequently ban and challenge! How fun! James and the Giant Peach frequently comes in for a pasting as does The Witches. The Witches is laugh out loud and adults mayn't like so much hilarity, or noise. Or maybe their shoes are on too tight. At any rate, here are activities to keep you busy till the BFG movie and Roald Dahl Day arrive!

He is one of the 15 best-selling kids' book authors in the world. In order (sales wise) top 10 best are: Enid Blyton (Noddy), (tied for second) Dr.Seuss and Gilbert Patten (of dime novel boys' adventure Frank Merriwell fame), JK Rowling (note with only 8 Harry Potter books), R.L.Stine (Goosebumps), Stan and Jan Berenstain and JRR Tolkien (Hobbit). Tied for 7th place are Ann M.Martin (Babysitters Club), Richard Scarry and Beatrix Potter. Next are Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight), Norman Bridewell (Clifford) and in 15th place, Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, BFG, Twits, Matilda). 

Free Printable Days of Awe Lesson Plans

L'shana Tovah Tikatev V'etahetem (May You Be Inscribed and Sealed for a Good Year!) That's a Yiddish Rosh Hashanah greeting. Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashanah, new year, around mid September to early October in the western calendar. On the Hebrew calendar, Rosh HaShanah begins the month of Tishri. It's begins the period called the "Days of Awe" and is the first of two Jewish high holy days. Rosh Hashanah falls on the approximate date when Moses led the Hebrews out of bondage from Egypt. It precedes Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (the holiest day of all for Jews). Yom Kippur will be celebrated on Sept. 26 in 2012. Apples and honey are symbols of Rosh Hashanah. Teachers and homeschool families, why not serve apples and honey to kids as a multicultural immersion activity? For classroom activities, here are 

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, takes place in the month of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar, ten days after Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. Here are free printable Yom Kippur activities for kids. Yom Kippur is part of the Days of Awe. It's the highest of the high holy days.

Torah Tots. Jewish families should definitely bookmark Torah Tots as it is loaded with free printable Jewish activities for kids, games, lessons, crafts, recipes, coloring pages, cut and paste, puzzles and online activities for kids. This link takes you to the free printable Yom Kippur activities for kids pages. And don't let the name Torah "tots" throw you. Older kids will be better able to use the site because many of the activities require reading skills. Please be sure to visit all the holiday and holy day activities for kids on Torah Tots. Explore Jewish holidays, traditions, symbols and general knowledge of the Torah.

You can find a weekly Parsha activities for kids. The Parsha is a scripture text from the Torah, explained for kids. There is a link to the Midrash Maven (Midrash is a commentary on parts of the Torah). Parsha is similar to a Christian sermon or homily. Chabad has a gajillion free printable Hebrew activities for kids, including games, coloring pages, puzzles and lessons plans for holy days like the Day of Atonement. Help kids explore the Jewish Day of Atonement. These activities are geared for children over seven or eight.

A Kids' Heart has fifteen free printable Day of Atonement activities for kids, geared for younger children. There are free printable Yom Kippur coloring pages, word search, fill-in-the-blank and some cut and paste diorama activities. This site is useful for Jewish and non-Jewish people who wish to learn more about the Hebrew faith.

Teacher Vision is a subscriber site. You can access some free printable activities for kids without a subscription. This link will take you to a lesson page about Yom Kippur. This activity is geared toward non-Jews, to help them understand the Hebrew faith. Jewish Homeschool Resources has tons offree printable Hebrew holy day activities for kids, including Yom Kippur. First School Resources has more free printable Yom Kippur and Day of Atonement activities for kids.

For more information on Judaism, Jewish holidays, the Jewish calendar and all things Hebrew, visit Jew FAQ otherwise known as Judaism 101. For more world holiday activities visit Free Printable Holiday and Free Printable Lesson Plans. Gmar Hatima Tova.

Free Printable Pirate Activities, Maritime Lessons, Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19

If your children ask to wear a peg leg and carry a bottle of rum to school, don't be alarmed. It's just International Talk Like a Pirate Day. But wait that's not till September 19! Why would kids be celebrating now? Well, it could be they're getting ready for the Michigan Pirate Festival in August. Or it could just be that with school ending, they're looking for fun, pirate style. So why wait till August or September for some pirate fun? Here are free printable pirate crafts, pirate ship models, paper boats and pirate activities to kick off summer.

So if you were wondering there really is a Talk Like a Pirate Day. It was started in 1995 by Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers and John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur. Personally, this author thinks it was just an excuse for two grown men to play dress up and entice women to sport corsets.
At any rate, schools and many businesses get in on the fun. You can, too with free printable pirate crafts, games and toys. And side-stepping the less savory aspects of pirate lore, this article includes lesson plans on navigation, maritime and marine and nautical lesson plans, too. That way teachers and home-school parents can indulge their inner pirate and call it educational.

* Start with free printable Disney "Pirates of the Caribbean" coloring pages from Coloring Book Info. No Talk Like a Pirate Day is complete without a nod to POTC pirate crafts Not since "Treasure Island" have pirates been so in vogue. Johnny Depp gave a memorable and oft-imitated Capt. Jack Sparrow, but the best of all pirates is Geoff Rush as Barbossa. Check out these free printable Jake and the Never Land Pirates coloring pages too. And hey, girls can be pirates too. Here are free printable Pirate Fairy coloring pages.

* Boat-Links is subtitled "The Mother of All Maritime Links," and it's rightly named. The site is a comprehensive collection of hundreds of free printable nautical resources about nautical science, navigation, sailing, maritime history, merchant marine, the U.S. Navy, naval history in other countries, naval warfare, maritime museums around the world, nautical music and paper boats.

* Celestial Navigation. Before modern navigation, pirates and sailors relied on the sky to guide voyages. Ancient instruments such as the sextant, astrolabe, cross-staff, quadrant, kamal (latitude hook) and nocturnal were indispensable. This site shows how to make ancient and medieval navigational tools.

* Boats, Ships and Subs has dozens of links for free printable paper boats and ship models. There are sailing vessels from all periods in history, including clipper ships, Chinese junks, Roman warships, Coast Guard boats, viking long boats, pirate ship models and models of the Titanic and Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki.

* Disney Experience has free printable nautical toys and pirate crafts from maritime-themed movies. There's a Spanish galleon, Capt. Nemo's Nautilus, Jack Sparrow's compass, dead man's chest, Cortez's treasure chest, a Mark Twain riverboat and several other models. Raven's Blight has an awesome array of creepy free printable pirate ship models, ghost pirate ship models, paper boats and more. Perfect for Talk Like a Pirate Day.

* The Toymaker has a free printable puppet theater in which children can act out the adventures of Florimel the Magnificent. Florimel is a rabbit sailor who has adventures on the high seas in his "Golden Hind" inspired sailing ship. The youngest children can enjoy this for Talk Like a Pirate Day.

* Lee Hansen has free printable pirate crafts, party activities and pirate crafts. DL-TK has free printable pirate crafts and party activities too. Coloring Pages for Boys has dozens of realistic free printable coloring pages of paper boats, ships and submarines for many periods in history. There are also coloring pages of pirate ship models and dreadnought class paper boats.