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Play BINGO and when you get BINGO send me a screenshot of your "winning" row!

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CVC word song - read and sing along while spelling cvc words

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CVC word song - read and sing along while spelling cvc words

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FYI-you may want to make sure your "ad-block" is on for all You Tube videos :)

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Listen and Read along with Rock n Learn to practice CVC words!
FYI-you may want to make sure your "ad-block" is on for all You Tube videos :)

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Virtual Field Trips! Put on those sneakers and explore

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Virtual Field Trips! Put on those sneakers and explore

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Write a few sentences about your trip and email it to me! Have fun!

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Virtual field trips allow children to visit places around the world without ever leaving their homes. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe, and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn't get to see otherwise. Virtual field trips are also great for when you can't get out due to illness or can't afford to travel. Here are several free resources your family can use to take virtual field trips.

Free Virtual Field Trips

Anne Frank House - Take a 360-degree tour of Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam.

Buckingham Palace - Tour the famous London palace virtually.

Farm Tours - Learn about agriculture through these virtual tours of farms in Canada.

Great Wall of China - This panoramic virtual tour allows you to walk the Great Wall.

Holy Land Tour - Virtually visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and more.

Houston Zoo - Watch animals in several of their exhibits via live webcam.

The Louvre Museum - Explore exhibits at this famous art museum in Paris, France.

Mars - Explore the surface of Mars in a 360-degree view while learning about the planet and space exploration.

Monterey Bay Aquarium - Watch sea creatures in this California aquarium with the live animal cam.

Mount Everest - Explore the mountain through 360-degree photos and informative articles.

Mount Vernon - Take an interactive and informative tour of George Washington's home in Virginia.

National Aquarium - Take a virtual tour of this aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland.

San Diego Zoo - Watch live videos and learn about animals, play games, and more on this interactive website.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - Virtually explore many current and past museum exhibits.

The Statue of Liberty - Learn about the Statue of Liberty through the videos and photographs in this virtual tour.

The Virtual Rainforest - Learn about the rainforest with this interactive tour that includes informative videos and articles.

AirPano - Visit locations all over the world virtually with 360-degree videos and photographs.

Discovery Education - This website offers a wide variety of virtual field trips.

360 Cities - Provides interactive 360-degree videos and images of locations around the world.

Sites in 3D - Tour locations across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen, and many other countries using 360-degree images.

Google Arts and Culture - View the art collections of over 500 different museums and galleries. Some of the museums also offer full virtual tours.

Google Earth - "Fly" anywhere in the world in seconds, explore hundreds of cities in 3D, take guided tours, and create your own maps and stories.

Google Maps Street View - Type in any address, select street view and explore the area. Not only can you take a virtual trip down the streets, but you can also "step" into many museums, landmarks, and other attractions. Here are some I've found.

The White House - Washington, D.C.

The Colosseum - Rome, Italy

Stonehenge - Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Palace of Versailles - Versailles, France

Wilson Island - Great Barrier Reef, Australia

This is just a small sample of the places you can tour with Google Maps. Search for other locations that interest your family and see if Google will let you take a peak inside.

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Virtual Field Trips | Freedom Homeschooling

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Virtual field trips allow children to visit places around the world without ever leaving their homes. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe, and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn't get to see otherwise.

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6 Pages of growth mindset exercises

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Coloring can ease the stress of feeling cooped up! Color a page and send me a picture! I will print and hang all up in a virtual art show!

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Download and print these Mandalas For Children coloring pages for free. Mandalas For Children coloring pages are a fun way for kids of all ages to develop creativity, focus, motor skills and color recognition.

Leave your comment

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Download and print these Mandalas For Children coloring pages for free. Mandalas For Children coloring pages are a fun way for kids of all ages to develop creativity, focus, motor skills and color recognition.

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(it works for parents too!)

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Here are the websites to many kid-friendly magazines!

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Here are the websites to many kid-friendly magazines!

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I LOVE the National Geographic Kids and Sports Illustrated KIDS!

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Print out this BINGO card and beat the boredom.  There are links to how to create and make the different activities.

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Print out this BINGO card and beat the boredom.  There are links to how to create and make the different activities.

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Keep fun kids activities close by and easy to find with this Indoor Activities Bingo Game. You can easily keep your children from any boredom with these fun and educational activities. Grab the free printable below.

Boredom Busters for Kids

Indoor Activities Bingo

Boredom Busters Bingo can be the perfect way to keep daily activities going in your house. Whether that's a simple card game, making a bird feeder to hang outside, playing with slime, baking cookies, or something else your kids love.

I hope this activities for kids bingo card keeps you and your kids happy.
affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you.
There are many fun and affordable activities you can do without leaving the comfort of your own home.

Boredom Bingo Printable
The fun ideas on this bingo card can be found by clicking these links below. Make your own hand sanitizer Build something out of LEGOs Make bird treats or a DIY Bird Feeder Have a coloring contest
Look at old photos or pictures

Make your own game
Follow a recipe Play a card game
Write a poem
Bake cookies
DIY spa day
Make your own play dough Learn the phases of the moon Make Magic Milk Science
DIY Ninja Warrior course around the house

Play flashlight tag

Try brain teasers

Indoor Activities at Home

Staying at home doesn't have to feel lonely or boring. With a little creativity and imagination, your kids and you will love spending time at home with family.
Download Your BOREDOM BUSTERS BINGO CARDS Here Still, Looking for more ideas? Try these 60+ indoor games and activities for kids.
Studies have shown that if you like this, you will also love the following articles. I have pulled them together for you right here!

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Indoor Activities Bingo - 25 Boredom Busters for Kids - Natural Beach Living

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Keep fun kids activities close by and easy to find with this Indoor Activities Bingo Game. You can easily keep your children from any boredom with these fun and educational activities. Grab the free printable below. Boredom Busters Bingo can be the perfect way to keep daily activities going in your house.

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This link has 60 truly fun activities to try at home from arts and crafts with items you have at home to obstacle courses etc. Take a moment and find some fun!

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These Indoor Games and Activities for Kids are perfect for a rainy day, family game night, or trying to cure cabin fever. You'll even find fun indoor group games for children of all ages. And of course, we've included the best Science activities and Slime Recipes for kids to do too.

Indoor Games for Kids

60+ Indoor Games and Activities for Kids

These awesome indoor games and activities will keep kids off of their electronics and having fun. Games to get out lots of energy, Exciting activities for kids, and board games that are some of our all-time favorites.

Have you suddenly found yourself in need of school at home ideas or gathering ideas for things to do with your kids at home?

This is something you are likely going to encounter at some point during the year.

or

Maybe you are a teacher and want to send kids home with ideas for activities...
Here you will find the best ideas for: Enjoy these indoor activities for kids.

Fun Indoor Activities
affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you. These indoor activities are some of the best you'll find. From fun Gross Motor games & creative ideas for high energy kids. You'll be thanking me for these games and activities on those long days spent inside.
25+ more Indoor Games and Activities for Kids

Tin Can Indoor Golf - The Craft Train

Tunnel Time Activity - Toddler Approved

Animal Walks Activity - Lemon Lime Adventures

DIY Hallway Laser Maze - It's Always Autumn

Painters Tape Apple Tree Picking Gross Motor Activity - Hands On As We Grow

Clothespin Drop Counting Game - Nurture Store Blog

Laundry Basket Skee Ball - Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Indoor Reuseable Art Mat - Inner Child Fun

Pretend Cookie Shop - Inner Child Fun

Q-tip Blow Dart Game - Family Maven

8+ Minute to Win it Games from The Chaos and The Clutter

Indoor Games for Kids

Floor Tic Tac Toe - Learn With Play at Home

DIY Ring Toss - From ABCs to ACTs

Stained Glass Craft - Pink Stripey Socks

'Get the Kids Moving' Game - I Heart Naptime

ABC Magnets Matching - Moms Collab

Slide Painting - I Can Teach My Child

Animal Mix Up Legos - I Can Teach My Child

Freeze Dancing - Little Girls' Pearls

Play Kids version of 'Would You Rather' - The Melrose Family

Shape Hopscotch - Housing a Forest

Indoor Games

Studies have shown that if you like this, you will also love the following articles. I have pulled them together for you right here!

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60+ Indoor Games and Activities for Kids - Natural Beach Living

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60+ Indoor Games and Activities for Kids, Here you'll find Indoor Activities that include Science, STEM, hands on learning, sensory play, Group Games for Kids, and more. Perfect for Rainy Day Activities, a Family Game Night, dealing with quarantine and fun indoor games for children of all ages.

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Some read alouds from real authors (at any time)

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Some read alouds from real authors (at any time)

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Check these out!

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Hello, friends! I'm Kate Messner, a former classroom teacher, forever-educator, and the author of more than three dozen books for kids. These include picture books like Over and Under the Snow, The Brilliant Deep, and The Next President; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; the Ranger in Time historical chapter book adventures; nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and Solve This: Forensics; and novels like All the Answers, Breakout, and . I'm happy that you found your way here!

This is a library of resources for kids, families, teachers, and librarians to make sure that reading & learning can happen anywhere this spring. Some of you may be out of school as communities try to prevent the spread of a virus known as COVID-19. Here's a great page from NPR that explains what that's all about, in a kid-friendly comic. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds shares "How to Fight the New Bad Guy in Town," a PSA for kids, on the StorySeeds podcast here. And this excellent & important post from author Laurie Halse Anderson does a great job explaining why we're seeing closings (and why that's important) for older readers.

Below, you'll find a growing collection of resources that include everything from first-chapter and picture book read-alouds (all shared with permission!) to drawing and writing mini-lessons. Be sure to check back often, as new resources will be added every day. If you'd prefer to browse learning-at-home resources by age group, my daughter Ella has put together the pages below, with even more resources, organized by grade level. (Thanks, Ella!)

Resources for grades PreK-2 (ages 3-7)
Resources for grades 3-5 (ages 8-10)
Resources for grades 6-8 (ages 11-13)
Resources for grades 9-12 (ages 14+)

Many teachers & librarians have also reached out to ask about permission to read books aloud to your students via closed platforms like Google Classroom, Zoom, and unlisted YouTube links. Individual publishers have been sharing their own guidelines for online read-alouds, and you'll find a round-up of those here.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of THE NEXT PRESIDENT: THE UNEXPECTED BEGINNINGS AND UNWRITTEN FUTURE OF AMERICA'S PRESIDENTS, illustrated by Adam Rex. Writing challenge: After the read-aloud, write your own presidential platform. What changes would you make to your country if you were in charge?

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of OVER AND UNDER THE POND, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (shared with permission from Chronicle Books). After the read-aloud, look out your window - or step outside if you can - and see what hidden nature you notice!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of THE BRILLIANT DEEP: REBUILDING THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS illustrated by Matt Forsythe. After the read-aloud, check out the Coral Restoration Foundation website. Learn more about the threats coral reefs are facing from NASA's Climate Kids page, and check out this page about how kids can help our oceans. Challenge: Make a poster or drawing to teach people about how we can all help coral and other sea creatures!

OVER AND UNDER THE RAINFOREST, Kate's book with illustrator Christopher Silas Neal doesn't come out until August, but we got special permission to share an early read-aloud! After the story, check out this page with more information on the wildlife of Costa Rica, where Kate did most of the research for this book. Writing challenge: Write a short article to teach people about your favorite rainforest animal!

Tracey Baptiste, the author of The Jumbies series, shares a mini-lesson on comparative mythology. She talks through how creatures from different mythologies have traits in common and encourages kids to find those similarities in the mythologies they come across. She's also sharing some reading resources such as D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, The Element Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures, and her own Jumbies Field Guide available at her website.

Author Debbi Michiko Florence shares a read-aloud excerpt of her chapter book JASMINE TOGUCHI FLAMINGO KEEPER, along with a writing prompt (and a peek at a real daruma doll)!

Author Leah Henderson shares a first chapter read-aloud of her middle grade novel THE MAGIC IN CHANGING YOUR STARS. Writing Challenge: Find out who Ailey Benjamin Lane is named after. (Hint: His first name comes from an African-American dancer & choreographer with the initials A.A. His middle name comes from an African-American farmer & naturalist who searches out the stars and who created an almanac in 1792. This person's initials are B.B.) Who could they be?

Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner shares tips and techniques to help you draw ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor winning book The Night Diary, The Whole Story of Half a Girl, and The Phoebe G. Green series offers a diary writing prompt to help you get to know your characters and create an inspired story!

Author Jason Reynolds shares a read-aloud from his MG novel, GHOST. In this chapter, the main character talks about world records, so after the read-aloud, check out this page from the Guiness Book of World Records, with some records you can try to break at home!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from TRACKING PYTHONS: THE QUEST TO CATCH AN INVASIVE PREDATOR AND SAVE AN ECOSYSTEM. After the read-aloud, you can learn more about invasive species from National Geographic and the National Wildlife Foundation. Also check out this article from New York State Conservationist Kids!

Kate also shared this article about the python scientists, with photos and infographics.

Author & illustrator Grace Lin teaches viewers how to draw a Chinese Dragon and shares some tidbits about Chinese culture! You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Author Carole Lindstrom shares a read-aloud of WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS.

Author Jo Knowles reads from the first chapter of her MG novel WHERE THE HEART IS and offers students a fun writing exercise! For more about Jo and her books, or for teachers/book group guides that go along with her books, visit her website.

Kelley McMorris, who illustrates the RANGER IN TIME chapter book series, shares a video about how she illustrates a book cover. After you watch, try using Kelley's process to design a new cover for one of your favorite books!

Author and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares a read-aloud of her picture book WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, gives a drawing demo and challenges young readers to create their own imaginative squirrels, and shares a crowd-sourced "Where Are My Books?" music video. You can find lots of free, print-ready activities and other fun bonus info at https://www.debbieohi.com/wamb

Author Erin Entrada Kelly gives a peek into the notebooks for several of her novels, including HELLO, UNIVERSE. Writing challenge: What's in your notebook? Take a little time to write in it today, inspired by Erin's ideas!

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a read-aloud of the first chapters of STRANDED. Writing challenge: Choose a wilderness setting of your own - the Arctic, the desert, the rainforest - and imagine you're stranded there. How will you survive? Write an imaginary journal documenting your adventure. Check out these wilderness survival skills from Outdoor Life for ideas!

Author Nikki Grimes shares poetry selections from WORDS WITH WINGS. Writing challenge: Try writing your own poem today, in the style of one of Nikki's read-alouds! For more of Nikki's read-aloud videos and lessons, check out her YouTube Channel here.

Author Ann Braden shares a read-aloud excerpt from THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN OCTOPUS. Note: the octopus is a pretty amazing creature, so after the read-aloud, read up on them at this page from National Geographic Kids!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. After the read-aloud, read more about helpful insects here and check out these garden activities from KidsGarden!

Author Sarah Albee shares a STEM mystery, "Did the Doctor Do It?" as part of her series exploring the science and intrigue of poison throughout history. Check out more of Sarah's Poison videos here.

Middle grade and Young adult author, Paula Chase offers a mini-writing exercise to help students build stories around their unique traits.

Author Nancy Castaldo reads some of BACK FROM THE BRINK with tips how we can all use our voices through our writing to make a difference. Here's the link to the reader's guide for more activities.

Author Debbi Michiko Florence shares an early read-aloud excerpt of her upcoming MG novel KEEP IT TOGETHER KEIKO CARTER, along with a writing prompt!

Author & illustrator Grace Lin shares the first story from her early reader, "Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from RANGER IN TIME: RESCUE ON THE OREGON TRAIL. Writing challenge: Choose your favorite event in history and imagine how a search and rescue dog might be able to help out. Then so some research about your historical event, and write your own story about Ranger's adventures there!

Christina Soontornvat shares how she came up with the idea for her new middle grade fantasy novel, A WISH IN THE DARK. Writing challenge: Use Christina's model to brainstorm your own list of ideas for stories that might be inspired by a classic tale! And check out more videos from Christina here!

Author KA Holt reads an excerpt from her forthcoming middle grade novel-in-verse, BEN BEE AND THE TEACHER GRIEFER.

Author Mae Respicio reads a few pages from her upcoming middle grade novel, Any Day With You, and shares a quick, fun writing prompt. Writing challenge: Imagine you've been planning a beach day with your best friends. You're so excited to go but when you get there... everything goes wrong and not the way you expected it to! Describe what happens.

Author Elly Swartz shares tips on how to use the emotion in your life to create authentic characters! Writing challenge: Take a few minutes to journal about a day when you felt an especially strong emotion - joy or fear or excitement! How might you use those emotions in a fictional story?

Author Lisa Yee drinks water, reads the first chapter of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, and fumbles when she comes across a couple of lines in Latin. Writing challenge: Try rewriting a scene from this chapter from the point of view of another character!

Award-Winning author Michelle Cusolito shares a writing mini-lesson to help writers add more sensory details to their writing. You can find more resources related to Michelle's book FLYING DEEP: CLIMB INSIDE DEEP-SEA SUBMERSIBLE ALVIN here.

Author-illustrator Lita Judge shares a video about how a sketching trip inspired one of her picture books! After you watch, take your own mini-sketching trip. Go to your kitchen or your bedroom, your porch or your backyard, and sketch what you see. Observe closely!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from CHIRP, a mystery for kids that's set on a cricket farm! After the read aloud, you can learn more about entomophagy (eating insects as food!) from CBS Kids, and check out a real cricket farm's website!

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a video mini-lesson on how to create a good beginning for a story!

And another video writing workshop from Chris, called Four Elements of Character. (This is an 8-minute video where you pause & write sometimes, so the full activity will take about half an hour. Recommended for writers ages 10 and up.)

Author Aisha Saeed shares a read-aloud of her picture book, BILAL COOKS DAAL, along with a related activity!

Author Emily Jenkins shares a read-aloud of A GREYHOUND, A GROUNDHOG.

Author Lisa Schroeder shares a read-aloud excerpt from her MG novel MY SECRET GUIDE TO PARIS, along with a writing exercise!

Author Janet Fox shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of her MG novel THE ARTIFACT HUNTERS. Writing challenge: Try writing a short scene of your own in which something unexpected happens!

Author & illustrator Jess Keating shares some thoughts on where ideas for stories come from! (This is part of a series Jess shares on writing & you can find more on her YouTube channel.)

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a read-aloud of the first chapters of MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE, co-written with James Paterson.

Poet Charles Waters shares poetry from DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD (by Charles Waters and Irene Latham)

Author Abby Cooper reads the first chapter of her middle grade novel, FRIEND OR FICTION.

Author Lynn Plourde shares some tips on starting an observation notebook!

Author-illustrator James Burks shares a video lesson on how to draw Squirrel from his graphic novel series, Bird and Squirrel!

Author Kristen Larson shares an engineering design activity based on her book WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane.

Author Liz Garton Scanlon shares a video lesson on writing am ETHEREE - a ten line poem in which each line is one syllable longer than the last.

Author-illustrator Karen Romano Young shares a video doodling tutorial. You can also check out Karen's #AntarcticLog comics, a weekly series of comics about Antarctica - as well as the Arctic and anyplace where climate change is being studied.

Author KA Holt reads an excerpt from her novel-in-verse, HOUSE ARREST. Mini-lesson: listen for as many poetic devices as you can find (metaphor, simile, assonance, hyperbole, etc.)

Author Jennifer Roy shares a video read-aloud from her historical novel YELLOW STAR, along with a writing prompt about looking for symbols of hope in tough times, recommended for ages 10 and up.

Author Laurel Snyder shares some thoughts on fiction and making up stories, along with a read-aloud of CHARLIE AND MOUSE OUTDOORS.

Author Caroline Starr Rose reads her picture book, A RACE AROUND THE WORLD: THE TRUE STORY OF NELLIE BLY AND ELIZABETH BISLAND. When you've finished listening, visit the article, How to Pack Like Pioneering Journalist Nellie Bly, Who Circumnavigated the Globe in 1889 with Just a Small Duffle Bag, to see what Nellie brought on her journey. Challenge: Plan your own trip around the world. What would you like to see? Where would you like to visit? Mark these places on a map.

Author Corinne Demas shares a read-aloud of THE DISAPPEARING ISLAND.

Author Lauren Tarshis shares a read-aloud of the first two chapters of I SURVIVED THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC. After the read-aloud, check out this link to read about Robert Ballard, the oceanographer whose team discovered the wreck of the Titanic more than seventy years after it sank.

Author & poet Nikki Grimes shares poems about one of her favorite cakes, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, along with five steps to creating your very own poem about your favorite food! For more of Nikki's read-aloud videos and lessons, check out her YouTube Channel here.

Author Sarah Aronson shares a read-aloud of JUST LIKE RUBE GOLDBERG. And here's a FlipGrip page where kids can share their projects and ask questions.

Author Chelsea Clinton shares an excerpt from her book START NOW: YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Author Bruce Hale shares a read aloud of BIG BAD BABY.

Writing Challenge: Write about the same experience in multiple ways (letters, poems, illustrations, and screenplay).

Bonus challenge: Write positive affirmations for your family members.

Author Sayantani DasGupta shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of THE SERPENT'S SECRET.

Author Deborah Underwood reads INTERSTELLAR CINDERELLA (illustrated by Meg Hunt) and gives kids a mini-lesson on how to write their own fractured fairy tales.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT and answers questions from kids in a "Family Book Club" video recorded earlier this year (thanks to Read-Aloud Revival for making this recording publicly available for learning at home this spring!)

Author-illustrator Brian Biggs shares a read-aloud of his EVERYTHING GOES board books.

Author Jessica Young shares a read-aloud of HAGGIS AND TANK (illustrated by James Burks) with a mini-lesson on sound words.

Author-illustrator Brandon Reese shares a read-aloud of his picture book CAVE DADA. And here's a link to download a coloring page, too!

Here's a fun challenge from author Laurel Snyder ... She's written a brand new book, but doesn't have any pictures for it. Will you help? She'll read you the story of The Beastly Collective, and you'll draw your favorite animals, while she teaches you some brand new words!

Author Christine Evans shares a read-aloud of Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist, illustrated by Yasmin Imamura.

Author and illustrator Grace Lin shares a chapter from her book, The Year of the Dog. You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Grace Lin teaches families how to draw a dog from the number 5 (just like in The Year of the Dog!)

Amy Guglielmo, co-author of POCKET FULL OF COLORS shares a read-aloud of her picture book biography of Disney artist Mary Blair. Art challenge: Collect a rainbow of colorful objects inside or outside as a fun follow up activity. Take part in the "Rainbow Hunt," and draw a picture of a rainbow to post in your window for neighbors to see on their daily walks.

Author Kerry O'Malley Cerra demonstrates an easy tool students can use to summarize. This tip can also be used for writers as chapter checks!

Japanese American author, Kathleen Burkinshaw reads a chapter from her MG historical fiction, The Last Cherry Blossom based on events in her mom's life as a 12 yr old in Hiroshima during WWII. Also learn a little about her mom's favorite Japanese folk tale. You can find a Discussion Guide on her website www.kathleenburkinshaw.co

Newbery Award winning author Meg Medina shares a writing lesson on Creating Tension.

Kerry Madden shares a read-aloud of ERNESTINE'S MILKY WAY.

Author Buffy Silverman shares On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring and a little science show-and-tell.

Author Diane Zahler shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of The Marvelwood Magicians and a writing prompt.

Abigail Rayner shares a read-aloud of The Backup Bunny.

Michelle Cusolito reads aloud her book Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN (illustrated by Nicole Wong) while Jeff Angeley of Southcoast Lessons provides live musical accompaniment. You can find more resources related to Flying Deep here.

Author Meg Fleming shares a read-aloud of her picture book, Sometimes Rain.

S.K. Ali, co-author of THE PROUDEST BLUE, shares directions for making a paper boat.

The niece and nephew of Cedella Marley read her book, Get Up, Stand Up, a picture book adaptation of one of Bob Marley's beloved songs that has a timely message for children: To counter injustice, lift others up with kindness and courage.

Author Lisa Yee talks about Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and reads passages from the book. Writing prompt for today: Do you think boys and girls can be friends?

Would you rather be an #astronaut or #aquanaut? Perhaps you need more info to decide. Check out Jen Swanson's video below. Then make your choice and draw a picture of your suit!

Author Jo Watson Hackl Shows How to Take Your Reading to the Next Level by Exploring the Natural World of Your Characters.

Author Heather L. Montgomery reads-aloud chapters from SOMETHING ROTTEN: A FRESH LOOK AT ROADKILL.

Author Heather Shumaker offers a weekly author chat called Fiction Friday. She shares tips and ideas for writing fiction, reads a short excerpt from her middle grade novel The Griffins of Castle Cary, adds in a mini writing lesson, a few corny jokes, and encouragement to young writers and readers.

Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about finding writing inspiration from your own family history (video is in English and then in Spanish).

Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of HOW TO READ A STORY, illustrated by Mark Siegel & shared with permission from Chronicle Books.

Author Kimberly Derting shares a read-aloud of CECE LOVES SCIENCE with permission from HarperCollins.

Author & science teacher Anne Ruppert shares a try-it-at-home fingerprinting activity from SOLVE THIS: FORENSICS (by Kate Messner & Anne Ruppert, published by National Geographic)

Author Jacqueline West shares a read-aloud from The Shadows, volume one of her bestselling MG fantasy/mystery series The Books of Elsewhere, along with a writing activity for you (and possibly your pet!) that will help you think about character and dialogue. For more info and other videos, visit her website! www.jacquelinewest.com.

Author Carter Higgins shares a read-aloud of BIKES FOR SALE with permission from Chronicle Books.

Author Deborah Underwood reads FINDING KINDNESS, illustrated by Irene Chan (Godwin Books/Macmillan, 2019).

Author Melanie Crowder reads a chapter from her middle grade novel, Three Pennies, and shares a quick and easy craft to go with it. Writing Challenge: Think of one of your favorite books-does an animal make an appearance in the story? In Three Pennies, the author writes several chapters from the point of view of an owl (named Owl). Try to add a chapter to that favorite book you've got in mind, writing from the point of view of an animal in that story.

Author Cynthia Levinson reads The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Kids for permission.

Loree Griffin Burns, author of books like Citizen Scientists and the upcoming picture book You're Invited to a Moth Ball, shares her favorite book of all time: The Flora and Fauna of Hosmer Street. It's not a book she wrote, but rather one she made with her three kids. For one year, Loree, Sam, Ben, and Cat committed themselves to getting to know their animal neighbors; what they found surprised them. In this video, Loree show listeners a few of their best finds (garter snake! walking stick! a skeleton!), what they learned (the more you look, the more you see!) and, of course, how to start creating The Flora and Fauna of Your Place.

Many people have heard of the secret network that helped many enslaved blacks escape to freedom in the North called the Underground Railroad. But how many of you have heard about the Overground Railroad? Author Lesa Cline-Ransome reads from her book, The Overground Railroad, illustrated by her husband, James Ransome.

Author Kathleen Blasi reads HOSEA PLAYS ON, which depicts a day in the life of street musician Hosea Taylor, who made his community better, with his open-hearted giving. After the read-aloud, you can take a look at the newspaper article that inspired Kathleen to learn more about Hosea Taylor and served as the research springboard for HOSEA PLAYS ON.

Author Laya Steinberg reads her picture book THE BEST SUKKOT PUMPKIN EVER and shares a seed planting activity.

Author Jewell Parker Rhodes shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of GHOST BOYS.

Roy Freeman shares a read-aloud of CORDUROY, written and illustrated by his father, Don Freeman.

Author Nancy Tupper Ling shares a read-aloud, along with a lesson on how to make a list poem about your favorite place in the world.

Author Sarah Scheerger reads her picture book, Mitzvah Pizza, and shares a story about the real-life pay-it-forward pizza place that inspired the story. Classroom activities for the story are found here.

Writing Lessons! Many families are using this time at home to work on writing projects that range from stories and poems to special interest research reports and even novels. Here are some craft lessons from authors to help with ideas & strategies!
Author Meg Medina shares a video lesson on creating tension. Author Jennifer Torres shares a mini-workshop on setting with a video and pages to download. Here's a lesson from author Paula Chase on writing dual points of view. Author Josephine Cameron shares creative writing tips about how choosing the perfect setting can help you shape the character, plot, and relationships in your story.
Additional Resources:

Want to see even more author & illustrator videos? Check out the Authors Everywhere YouTube channel, created by Susan Tan!

Check out STEM Tuesday from The Mixed of Files of MG Authors blog for weekly book lists, interviews, and activities.

Want to try writing some poetry today? Joyce Sidman shares an amazing collection of ideas to get you started.

Here's another poetry lesson from Kathryn Apel - writing a didactic cinquain!

If you're stuck at home, it's a great time to start a writer's notebook! Author & Poet Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has a whole collection of posts from different writers, called "Sharing Our Notebooks." Check it out -so many ideas here!

Author Madelyn Rosenberg shares a collection of writing prompts here.

Here's a collection of video mini-lessons from nonfiction author Melissa Stewart - great for teaching informational writing, including research, text features, text structure, rich language, voice, and revision.

Author & poet Laura Shovan shares a collection of poetry mini-lessons on her website!

The folks at Middle Grade at Heart share a list of MG novels with discussions questions & related activities here.

Author Victoria Coe has a playlist of writing lessons for kids with 25 lessons.

Author Sarah Darer Littman offers short readings and writing prompts on her website.

On the Kids Ask Authors podcast, you can hear author/illustrator Grace Lin and a guest author answer a kid question! Kids can submit their own book reviews, poems or jokes! https://www.kidsaskauthors.com Subscribe to the podcast here: http://ow.ly/8OPg30qr7WD

Erica S. Perl (@ericaperl) is doing a weekly Instagram live author event called "Winging It with Erica S. Perl" featuring read-alouds, writing prompts, and occasional shakings of a tail feather. Tune in every Tuesday at 2 pm EST and wish her good cluck!

The KidLit TV team, a group of diverse children's book authors and illustrators, has created a virtual library of FREE read aloud, drawing & writing tutorials, podcasts, art activities + reading resources for kids. https://kidlit.tv

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author & illustrator, shares daily drawing lessons on his YouTube channel.

Author Kathryn Hulick invites you to investigate a ghost story as a scientist, based on her book STRANGE BUT TRUE.

New Books to Check Out!

In case you're missing your weekly trip to the library or bookstore, we also want to let you know about some new books out this spring!

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Read, Wonder, and Learn! Favorite Authors & Illustrators Share Resources for Learning Anywhere - Spring 2020

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Hello, friends! I'm Kate Messner, a former classroom teacher, forever-educator, and the author of more than three dozen books for kids. These include picture books like Over and Under the Snow, The Brilliant Deep, and The Next President ; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; the Ranger in Time historical chapter book adventures; nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and Solve This: Forensics ; and novels like All the Answers, Breakout , and .

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Watch Mo Willems Lunch Doodle. It's on every day at 1PM

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Watch Mo Willems Lunch Doodle. It's on every day at 1PM

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Mo Willems is the author of Elephant and Piggie and the Pigeon series.

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Author and Illustrator Mo Willems has been awarded the American Library Association’s Caldecott Honor three times for his picture book illustration. Additionally, he is the recipient of two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for his Elephant & Piggie early readers. Mo began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. His work has been exhibited around the world, including solo retrospectives at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society. Over the last decade, Mo has written three musical theater works based on his books, two of which were commissioned and toured by the Kennedy Center.

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This takes patience and following a list of steps is great reading practice!

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This is something I really loved to do as a kid, me and my neighbor would do dozens of origami frogs and play with them.

I think we did two different activities with them (plus pretend play).

Distance jump and high jump but I've gotten a bit more imaginative since then so in this post you'll see how to make an origami frog and get 5 ideas on how to play with them!

*this post contains affiliate links*

How to Make an Origami Frog

There are quite a few tutorials on how to make one that actually jumps but most are a bit to difficult for the kids to master, some are easier but if you ask me so I'll stick with this one as it's one I know best.

All that you need is a sheet of paper.

The regular one works best as it's easy to fold and it's light which does make an impact on how the frog jumps.

You can have the kids experiment different kinds of paper (and different sizes) - I think it would make a fun activity where kids will be able to see what an impact the weight of the paper has on the end product.

I've got a regular sheet of green paper. Fold it as shown on the first image and cut out the excess paper in order to get a square.

Fold it diagonally and in horizontally (you should get folds as shown on the picture 4).

Fold in the horizontal fold (as seen in the picture 1) so that it is aligned with the centre.

Fold the corners (as seen in picture 2 and 3) and fold them again as seen in picture 4 & 5.

*this post contains affiliate links*

Flip the soon to be an origami frog over and start folding the legs.

When you are done with the legs flip the frog again. It should be looking pretty cool by now.

Now to make it jump you will have to fold it back and forth - the black lines show where you should be folding the frog - the line on the right being a fold back and the one on the left fold forward.

The last folds - the distance between them make a huge impact on how the frog jumps (or doesn't) so be sure to make more than one and give them a test run!

For some extra bling you can decorate the frogs with glitter glue, googly eyes, sequin...

Games to Play With Origami Frogs

Obstacle Jump - kids can make obstacles out of drinking straws (or twigs, cardboard...) and race origami frogs - they advance to the next one only if they jump over the obstacle.

*We Have Many Many More*

2. Frog race - draw a track with chalk and have kids take turn jumping with their frogs.

3. Distance Jump - who will jump the furthest?

4. Hit the Target - draw a circle target. Place the frogs outside the circle and jump.

The closer to the center they jump the more points!

5. Pond Jump - draw circles (different sizes). Kids start in the first circle and have to jump in the next one.

If they hit it they progress to that circle if they miss it they stay in the first one hoping for better luck in the next turn.

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This is something I really loved to do as a kid, me and my neighbor would do dozens of origami frogs and play with them. I think we did two different activities with them (plus pretend play).

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Read these phrases the way a great reader would!

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Read these phrases the way a great reader would!

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1. Read in phrases
2. Use emotion in your voice
3. Pay attention to punctuation

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Then read about bugs on one of the digital sources in the left column.

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This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no cost to you.
Make nature art bugs from leaves and twigs. This creative leaf art really pops on bright painted backgrounds made from recycled cardboard and makes a fun wall art idea.
You might also like our paper towel earth sun catchers
Insects - of all kinds - are fascinating creatures to explore and learn about. I have always found looking at them up close to be really interesting and have encouraged my kids to indulge their curiosity when it comes to bugs rather than their fear.

I've done this by buying them non-fiction books packed with interesting facts and photographs of real bugs, and giving them things like bug catchers and critter keepers as gifts. I don't encourage my girls to keep bugs for long, just to catch them and take a good look up close so they can learn to appreciate them before releasing them back into the garden.

We have made lots of bug crafts in the past, some inspired by the real thing like our cardboard tube grasshoppers, and others more by fantasy like our Valentine love bugs. These nature art bugs are somewhere in between. They are inspired by the shape and look of real bugs, but are not based on any insect in particular.

You can make this eco-friendly bug craft using recycled cardboard as the base and nature items collected from your garden as the key material.

I've painted over these bugs with mod-podge. This helps to give them a glossy, shiny protective coat that will stop the leaves from crumbling and drying out although they may still fade, curl and brown a little over time. You can use store-bought mod podge as I have or make your own DIY version by mixing PVA glue with water at a 50:50 ratio.

The natural materials I've collected to make these were all picked fresh from our garden, kids will have fun collecting assorted leaves and twigs to work with.

You will need:

Recycled heavy cardboard cut into squares (ours are random sizes, and not perfectly square)

Acrylic paint

Tacky craft glue - ordinary craft glue probably won't hold well enough

Mod podge

Hole punch

Paint brush

Leaves, sticks and twigs from the garden in assorted shapes and sizes

How to:

1. Paint your cardboard square with acrylic paint and allow to dry

2. Arrange some nature items on the painted square to look like an insect to get your basic design

3. Remove the items and then place them back on with tacky craft glue to hold them down

4. Paint over with mod podge

5. To make an eye, punch a hold from a leaf and use the circle you have removed as an eye (or find a naturally occurring round shape from nature)

Voila! All done

These nature bugs looks bright and cheerful hanging on the wall and can be held up with a little bit of blu tack.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to get outdoors and start collecting some leaves!

More ways to create with nature

Pin it:

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This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no cost to you. Make nature art bugs from leaves and twigs. This creative leaf art really pops on bright painted backgrounds made from recycled cardboard and makes a fun wall art idea.

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-ed is a tricky suffix. It can have 3 sounds. Try these practice pages.

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-ed is a tricky suffix. It can have 3 sounds. Try these practice pages.

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You have the Sora app on your iPad. Your username is:
first name.last name
Password is: initials+9 digit student ID

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Make Story Stones from rocks you find outside

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Make Story Stones from rocks you find outside

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Video yourself telling a story about your story stone and upload it here or email to me!

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Our Story Stones are one of our most used & most loved resources. See (most recently) here where we incorporated colour Flash Cards to practice colour recognition, or our favourite Space Stones we used with Felt Board pieces & Galaxy Playdough (+ lots more back in my super early Insta days)!
So what are Story Stones?
Story Stones are essentially a prompt used to create stories. Each stone has a picture prompt - characters (animals, people, etc), scenes (weather, nature, space, etc), objects (household items, food, etc), etc.

You can create sets of Story Stones to follow a scene - e.g. Space (planets, stars, rocket, aliens, moon, etc), a nursery rhyme - e.g. Jack & the Beanstalk (Jack, giant, beanstalk, beans, etc), a book - e.g. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (caterpillar, butterfly, hole-y food, numbers etc).

Which leads me to, How do you play with them?

There are endless possibilities for creative play & stories to be made with Story Stones. Playing with Story Stones allows the opportunity for imaginary play & language development.

You can use Story Stones as prompts to narrate a story or props in creative play! We use our Story Stones along side books & felt board pieces, in rice, pasta or play dough, in the doll house & play kitchen!

To create stories, lay your stones out (either facing up or facing down) & take turns to pick/flip a stone & create a sentence incorporating the picture prompt on the stone.

In the above pic, we added our Story Stones to extend on book reading. A fun way to engage creative (& wandering) minds & keeping those little hands busy whilst reading. Here Mr4 is reading to Miss19m, asking her to find the fruit the Caterpillar ate through on each day of the week.

Here, Mr4 hid some of the stones in a pile of dry rice. He was teaching Miss19m her colours & helping to extend her vocabulary, naming each stone & encouraging her to mimic when she found a hidden stone.

We also brought out our Alphabet Pocket 'Jewellery Holder' to practice phonics & letter recognition!

There are SO many ways to create your own Story Stones. You can paint or draw directly onto stones. Cut, stick & glue pictures from magazines/stickers etc onto smooth stones, either bought or collected from nature.
Here's a quick tutorial on how your Kids can make their own Story Stones. You Need
I often get asked how I made our Story Stones. I used smooth, white glass stones from the garden section of a hardware store. I then painted the images on with acrylic paint & finished with a clear sealer.

Paper

Scissors

Felt-tip Pen

Coloured Pencils

Mod Podge
To Make
Paintbrush

Step 1. Cut paper into small circles to fit stones, ensuring the paper is flat & doesnt over hang the stone.

Step 2. Draw your design/object/character etc.

Step 3. Colour in.

Step 4. Paint the top of the stone with Mod Podge, then stick your image on before adding another layer over the top with Mod Podge to seal.

You don't have to use stones either, what else can you use?

The ever-creative Shannon from Oh Creative Day made these 'Story Lids' using recycled bottle lids! (Perfect use for the collected lids in your 'one day' project box!) Shannon used Mod Podge to glue Aussie landscapes from travel magazines & stickers to her 'Story Lids'! LOVE these, so simple & inexpensive.

I had all the heart-eyes over these gorgeous 'Story Stumps' by Mariah of Modern Homestead! Mariah made these as personalised birthday gifts from a tree they had cut down! Such a unique gift right?!

Have you made your own Story Stones? Share a link with us below, we'd LOVE to see yours!

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Story Stones: How to Make & Play - A Crafty LIVing

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Our Story Stones are one of our most used & most loved resources. See (most recently) here where we incorporated colour Flash Cards to practice colour recognition, or our favourite Space Stones we used with Felt Board pieces & Galaxy Playdough (+ lots more back in my super early Insta days)!

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Take a walk outside and list all the things you see. Try to sound out each syllable and make the best choice for the vowel sounds. Take a picture of your work and add to the "add your work " column or email Mrs.Seward.

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Take a walk outside and list all the things you see. Try to sound out each syllable and make the best choice for the vowel sounds. Take a picture of your work and add to the "add your work " column or email Mrs.Seward.

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Read a book from your home library for at least 30 minutes. 

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Read a book from your home library for at least 30 minutes. 

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Try to do one of the following:

-Make sticky notes where a character has a big feeling

-Make a sticky note where a character has changed

-Make a sticky note about where a character has learned a lesson

-Make a sticky note about where a character has realized something about life

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Make a collage! Use any arts and crafts items to make a beautiful poster for your work space. 

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Make a collage! Use any arts and crafts items to make a beautiful poster for your work space. 

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Snap a pic and share to Dr. B. Try to add some meaningful words to your collage!

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Fun Art Project For Kids: Mixed Media Collage

By Meri Cherry

I want to introduce you to a very special creative now, blogging friend Meri Cherry, who I have long admired for her bright, fun and kid-tastic projects - my favourites just have to be her fabric resist art pillows (wow), duct tape hobby horse, cardboard sensory boxes for toddlers and toddler painting wall. Her house looks like an awesome fun house to be growing up in - can I magic myself smaller and come stay for a while Meri :)

I am so excited to be working alongside Meri and 18 other inspiring craft bloggers on the publication of the first MollyMoo ebook, due to be published after the summer (more on that later of course :)

Meri is a mom of two cuties and works as an arts and crafts teacher in Hollywood, California. On her blog of the same name MeriCherry she shares such simple and fun art project ideas, crafts and family fun. Meri's ArtPlay Group is just amazing and oh how I wish we lived closer when Molly was younger so she could have experienced the joy of play, engagement and exploration of the senses that are part and parcel of Meri's group.

If you have children under the age of 5 you defiantly need to be following Meri - subscribe for her post updates on her site and you'll find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Today Meri is sharing a gorgeous art project for kids with us, a Mixed Media Collage Project - an absolutely gorgeous, simple and accessible craft project for any home and classroom. There are so many possibilities and it's great for kids of all ages (adults too, ahem!) All you need to gather together (after a trip to a thrift store) are
- large sheet of water colour paper
- watercolour paints
- comic books, magazines, old picture books, anything your child will find interesting
- craft glue
- scissors

Over to you Meri......

Hello! I'm so excited to be getting crafty on mollymoo today! I have been a long time fan so this is a big thrill! I blog about arts, crafts and family over at Meri Cherry. Yes, that is my real name. It was a bit of adjustment at first, but now I thank my husband for it all the time. I have two young children, Gigi and Diana, and we do a lot of art. Since my children are so young, I've thrown myself head over heels into process art. We do our best to focus on the process, not the product, though it's super great when the two collide. Here is a little taste of the things that go on around here. Enjoy!

A lot of people consider Pablo Picasso the founder of collage, the art of attaching different materials to a flat surface. This particular collage is a two part process.

First get an oversized piece of watercolor paper. It doesn't have to be oversized, but in this case big is really fun, plus it gives you plenty of space to work and create with.

Get out your favorite watercolor set and enjoy some time painting all over the paper. Our favorite way to make watercolor art is with a partner. Ask a family member, babysitter or friend to sit down with you and help you paint. Pick your favorite colors or go for all the colors. Have fun collaborating together. Take turns or paint side by side. Let your watercolor dry completely. If you have a sunny spot nearby, this usually takes no more than ten minutes or so.

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The next part is the collaging

I am a thrift store junky. I love finding old art and design books that would cost waaay more in a retail shop. You can usually find really interesting and beautiful art books for less than a few dollars at your local thrift store. The images in the pics here were found in a book about color theory I found for 95 cents. The images were amazing. If you have a young child, 2-4, you can precut images for them. Make a bunch so they have a nice amount to choose from. If your child is older, invite them to sort through a book and cut out their favorite images. You can use comic books, magazines, picture books, anything your child might find interesting. Set out the images next to the watercolor paper with the craft glue and invite your child to glue the images onto the watercolor. My almost three year old chose these images from a pile of precut designs. She placed them throughout the paper and glued them on herself.

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Collage can tell a story, reflect a mood, and open up your imagination. It is a great project to do independently or with a friend. There is no right or wrong to collage. It's a free form craft, which is high on my list of awesome things to do with kids. Oh, and of course framing your child's masterpiece is always a special treat. Have fun!

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Fun Art Project For Kids: Mixed Media Collage

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By Meri Cherry I want to introduce you to a very special creative now, blogging friend Meri Cherry, who I have long admired for her bright, fun and kid-tastic projects - my favourites just have to be her fabric resist art pillows (wow), duct tape hobby horse, cardboard sensory boxes for toddlers and toddler painting wall.

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Explore one of the Wonders on Wonderopolis

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Explore one of the Wonders on Wonderopolis

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What is a multiple?

How do multiples get used in everyday life?

How can you determine a number's multiples?

Find it out

Who was Mary Anning?

What did Mary Anning discover?

What is Jurassic Coast?

Find it out

Have you ever tasted an Arab taco?

When was the Arab taco invented?

What is shawarma?

Find it out

How are currency exchange rates determined?

What was the gold standard?

Which type of currency exchange rate system does the U.S. use?

Find it out
Which of the following is usually NOT a factor in determining currency exchange rates?

Test your knowledge

How can I use Wonderopolis?

What are the parts of a Wonder?

How do writers make a Wonder?

Find it out

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease

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Write a story to share your monster's name and a description of what he likes to eat, do, and if he has special powers. Snap a pic of your work and share to Dr. B.

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These cute tissue box monsters are a great way to recycle an old tissue paper box! Kids will love designing their own monster. And we love that every tissue box monster can be unique!

RELATED: Halloween Crafts for Kids

This craft is from our new book -Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials. If you're looking for a fun Halloween craft, monster craft or just an easy recycling craft for kids - you have to try to make these tissue box monsters! Kids can paint them and easily glue on the googly eyes, teeth and pom poms.

Here are the Supplies You'll Need to Make These Tissue Box Monsters

- Tissue Box - preferably one with a round opening so that it looks more like a mouth but a square opening could work too!

- Colored acrylic paint - we used two different colors, one for the outside of the box and one for the inside

- White acrylic paint

- Googly eyes - extra large ones can be found at Michaels, different sizes work best and small ones are needed for the purple box.

- White cardstock

- Large pom poms

- Black sharpie or marker

- 1 popsicle sticks (optional for the purple monster)

- Craft knife (optional - adults only)

- Glue - hot glue is always going to work best when working with large googly eyes and pom poms, but you can also use an extra-strong glue like this one. Just make sure to let it thoroughly dry and press and hold for the glue to take.

And don't forget to check out our NEW book which has this craft in it! Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials is bursting with easy cardboard crafts for kids like this one. But not only that, it is all recycled crafts for kids too - paper rolls, egg cartons, cardboard, popsicle sticks, jars and more!
SEE our NEW book here. Watch the full tutorial video here!
Directions to Make Tissue Box Monsters

1. Pull out any plastic inner lining inside the tissue box before you start.

2. Paint the outside of the tissue box with white to prime the box. Adding white will make sure the design of the tissue box doesn't show through the paint.

3. Once dry, paint the outside of the tissue box a color of your choice, and paint the inside a different color.

4. Outline around the "mouth" of the monster (the opening of the tissue box) with a black marker. This will make the mouth pop more.

5. For the purple box, cut 1 popsicle stick in half. Paint the pieces purple and let them dry. Glue 2 small googly eyes to the sticks. Make a small slit mark at the top of the box with the craft knife (adults should help with this part) to push the sticks in.

6. Glue large googly eyes to the top of the tissue box. You can add one, two, three or more eyes!

7. Cut out large teeth from paper or white cardstock. Glue the teeth to the inside of the tissue box mouth.

8. Give your monsters a little more character by gluing some large pom-poms to the top of the tissue boxes.

Aren't these monsters just so cute? We love how easy they are AND the fact that you can recycle a tissue box to make them! You could even use granola box and to make similar ones.

This is one of the 60 crafts in our book - Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials - see more of the projects in our book here.

Monster Crafts

Monster handprint cards - cute to give for Father's Day/Mother's Day or to make as a Halloween invitation card!

Monster Rocks - these rocks glow in the dark! They would be a lot of fun to place around as décor for a spooky Halloween party.

These toilet paper roll monsters are another really fun way to use recycled materials!
See more of our favorite monster crafts!

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These cute tissue box monsters are a great way to recycle an old tissue paper box! Kids will love designing their own monster. And we love that every tissue box monster can be unique! RELATED: Halloween Crafts for Kids This craft is from our new book -Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials.

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Choose an article that seems interesting to you. Remember to do the work for the longer words!

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Raise a reader by getting the best book recommendations, reading tips, and discounts delivered straight to your inbox.

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Listen to one of these stories. Then write a quick summary and add a pic in the "Add your work column of this page

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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Find a magazine or newspaper that you can cut up. Ask your parents first. Find words that have something in common, like all words that have the long o sound. Try again with another pattern. 

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Find a magazine or newspaper that you can cut up. Ask your parents first. Find words that have something in common, like all words that have the long o sound. Try again with another pattern. 

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Examples:
-All words that have long a sound
-All words that have long e sound
-All words that have long i sound
-All words that have long u sound
-Words that have prefixes
-Words that have suffixes.

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Watch one 7 minute video. Draw a picture to show what you learned.

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The Kid Should See This: Educational videos for curious kids of all ages, a free resource for parents & teachers. Science, art, nature, animals, & more.