Crayons, Crafts and Coloring Oh My!

"Every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up." 
                                       ~ Pablo Picasso


If you subscribe to my bi-monthly newsletter you know that along with the stories, curriculum, etc., I also highlight various craft and activities links. While there is a google search tool on the newsletter site I have categorized and compiled them here as another way for you to access them easily.

So get out the paper, paint, crayons and glue and help your students make something beautiful!


AIRPLANES
Airplane Coloring Page - http://tinyurl.com/2w32bvk
High Flying Airplane Bookmark - http://tinyurl.com/2dschv
10 Paper Airplanes – Ten easy to fold airplanes with video instructions. http://www.10paperairplanes.com/


ANIMALS

Jungle Tiger Activities - http://tinyurl.com/y97eyce
Tiger Mask to Cut and Color - http://tinyurl.com/ya4vvdg
Aesop’s Fables coloring book pages. Bats, birds, fox, hare and more are just waiting to be brought to colorful life! http://tinyurl.com/ng7elr
Dalmation Cookie Bank – http://tinyurl.com/2f5j8bg  
CD Dog - http://familycrafts.about.com/od/cdcrafts/ss/cdanimals_4.htm
Puppy Coloring Page - http://familycrafts.about.com/library/color/blcoldogbowlbug.htm

AUTUMN

Apple Activities & Crafts for Kids - http://tinyurl.com/no6xhl
Autumn Tree Craft - http://tinyurl.com/lwwsxa
Paper Bag Trees - http://tinyurl.com/6pyoz3
Scarecrow Craft - http://tinyurl.com/kp2cgg
Word Jumble - http://tinyurl.com/ycfsfj6
Fall Word Search - http://tinyurl.com/ya3cux8
Autumn Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/6jvvwm
Build A Tree Leaf by Leaf - http://tinyurl.com/68y23p
Paper Bag Trees - http://tinyurl.com/6pyoz3

APRIL FOOLS

Bestkidsbooksite.com - Strut your stuff on April Fool’s Day with this Jolly Jester’s Hat at http://tinyurl.com/cvdew8 and tons of Easter coloring pages to keep you coloring in or out of the lines! http://tinyurl.com/cwqyfo

BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to School bookmarks your students can print out and color - http://tinyurl.com/ls287p
September Bulletin Board Project - Welcome your students back to school in style! http://tinyurl.com/m6z2sp
Teacher’s Survival Kit – School is in session and the teachers in your child’s life will love you for thinking of them. Put together this easy and charming “survival kit” and add a smile to their year! http://tinyurl.com/2frdeng
KinderArt - A Bulletin Board of Spring Flowers - Ages K - 6 http://tinyurl.com/b9w58r
Bug Jars - Children will learn to look at the details of bugs and plants as they learn about symmetry and asymmetry. This is a craft and lesson plan all in one! http://tinyurl.com/dlooot
How to Plan a Scarecrow Storytime - http://tinyurl.com/yckv2ge
KinderArt - A Bulletin Board of Spring Flowers - Ages K - 6 http://tinyurl.com/b9w58r


BASTILLE DAY

O la la…some crafts to help you celebrate. Build an Eiffel Tower http://tinyurl.com/mzspa7  
or Arc de Triomphe - http://tinyurl.com/npueoq

BIRDS AND BUGS

Happy Feather’s Day - http://tinyurl.com/cyuybg
Easy Bird Feeder - http://tinyurl.com/cf43t8
Paper Bag Crow Puppet - http://tinyurl.com/n4kojy
Bug Jars - Children will learn to look at the details of bugs and plants as they learn about symmetry and asymmetry. This is a craft and lesson plan all in one! http://tinyurl.com/dlooot


BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Black History Month Activities - http://tinyurl.com/23ekb2y
Diversity Banner - http://tinyurl.com/djfymu

BOOKMARKS

Arthur Character Bookmark - http://tinyurl.com/llurp9
Bookworm Bookmark – http://tinyurl.com/2f26sl4
Beaded Bookmark for the older students - http://tinyurl.com/nn7qf7
Curious George - http://tinyurl.com/nx7gxn
Scarecrow “If I Only Had A Book” - http://tinyurl.com/lntj54
Back to School bookmarks - http://tinyurl.com/ls287p


CHINESE MOON FESTIVAL

Chinese Moon Festival Coloring Pages – From the Moon Goddess to moon cakes, many choices to choose from. http://tinyurl.com/3yyorka
Follow up with a lesson plan and activity on painting watercolor Chinese Dragons. http://tinyurl.com/8jutqw  


CHRISTMAS

Origami Star - http://www.planetpals.com/ppcraft2.html
Christmas Tree - http://www.tammyyee.com/origamitree.html
Christmas Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/yk5uu4a
Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet – http://tinyurl.com/39yppmg
Paper Plate Poinsettia - http://tinyurl.com/39jmkws
Christmas Crafts and Printables - http://tinyurl.com/yxwong
Gingerbread Man Ornaments - Preschool http://tinyurl.com/5g6pon  
Holiday Origami - Spice up your holiday stories with two easy to do origami folds; a star and a Christmas tree:
http://www.planetpals.com/ppcraft2.html
http://www.tammyyee.com/origamitree.html
World of Christmas – This link will lead you to a wide variety of games to entertain the children through the holiday. http://tinyurl.com/ykcoxud


CINCO DE MAYO

Kaboose.com - Say “Ole!” with these crafts and activities to help you say celebrate Cinco de Mayo. http://holidays.kaboose.com/cinco-de-mayo/
Mexican Bird Craft - http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/mbirdrattle.htm


DIWALI

Diwali Diya Mobile - http://tinyurl.com/ya64rf5
Diwali Door Hanging - Traditional embroidered door hanging to welcome visitors and hopefully the Goddess of Fortune Lakshmi. http://tinyurl.com/ydr5pch
Diwali Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/ykwu7dt%20


EARTH DAY - RECYCLED CRAFTS

Cutlery Wind Chimes - The summer cookout season is over. Here’s a clever craft to recycle all of the leftover plastic utensils. http://tinyurl.com/mt76o7
Brown Paper Kites - For grades K – 6. http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/bagkite.shtml
Milk Carton Pen Pot - For grades 2 an up. http://tinyurl.com/mxn6sg
Puzzle Piece Picture Frame - For grades K– 2 http://tinyurl.com/n96pxw
Earth Day Crafts - Dig around; there are plenty of crafts here to help you celebrate. http://tinyurl.com/ba67fb
Earth Day Litterbug - Using recycled items help your students make their Earth Day litterbug. http://tinyurl.com/d6mpxq
Ladybug Rocks - Of course, my favorite! http://crafts.kaboose.com/earth-ladybug-rocks.html

FATHER’S DAY

DLTK.COM - Lots of things to make that special man smile on Father’s Day: Crafts, poems, printables, recipes and songs! http://tinyurl.com/nrssk

FLOWERS

Giant Tissue Paper Flowers – Decorate with this lovely flowers. No watering required. http://tinyurl.com/3438nvo
Handprint Lilies – Cute and easy craft for ages 5+. http://www.dltk-holidays.com/mom/mlilies.htm
Flower Coloring Pages – A garden of choices. http://flowercoloringpages.org/


FOURTH OF JULY

Enchanted Learning - Crafts and Activities for Flag Day. http://tinyurl.com/ce59vx
For some extra fun, a word search and maze to celebrate our country's anniversary:
Maze: http://tinyurl.com/n7curj 
Word Search: http://tinyurl.com/lss2pe
Kaboose.com - Lots of fun Fourth of July crafts to make your holiday sparkle! http://tinyurl.com/nymrap
USHistory.org - It was said that Betsy Ross could cut a five pointed star in one snip of the scissors. Learn how to make your own star the same way. http://tinyurl.com/ywoo8r

GRANDPARENT’S DAY

Activity Village - A wonderful page full of activities, printables and information on Grandparent’s Day, sure to put a smile on your face no matter what age! http://tinyurl.com/lbu8t2
Coloring pages and crafts for Grandparents Day - http://tinyurl.com/l88g79
Grandma or Grandpa Apron - http://tinyurl.com/njaamh

HALLOWEEN

Halloween Crafts - Bats, and pumpkins and vampires oh my! Lots of fun, spooky crafts to make your Halloween craft time as easy as saying, trick or treat! http://tinyurl.com/lbffm7%20
FamilyFun.com - Lots of spooktacular ideas for Halloween fun; activities, recipes, games, costumes, crafts and more. http://tinyurl.com/583jd
Kinderart.com - Ghosts in the Graveyard – Using recycled egg cartons you can create your own ghostly setting. Suitable for all ages. http://www.familycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/ghosts_in_the_graveyard.shtml
How to Plan a Scarecrow Story Time - http://tinyurl.com/yckv2ge


HANUKKAH

Menorah - http://tinyurl.com/yl82unf
Star of David - http://tinyurl.com/yg9gvvs
Window Sparklers, Star of David and more. http://tinyurl.com/yjqn5ce
Milk Carton Dreidel - http://tinyurl.com/2dknzg9  
Easy Cut and Fold Star of David - http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/jewish/starofdavid.htm

KWANZAA

Kwanzaa Crafts for Children - http://tinyurl.com/yb9fy9m
Kaboose.com Kwanzaa Crafts - http://tinyurl.com/yht48lk
Kwanzaa Coloring Pages- http://tinyurl.com/yffaodm
More Kwanzaa Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/3aceesk
Kwanzaa Placement – http://tinyurl.com/256u4nv  


LA POSADA

Pinata - “One piñata tradition says: You go around life with your eyes covered, trying to find the good things and working hard to get them.” The original, traditional shape of the piñata is the six pointed star although today countless forms are used. http://tinyurl.com/y9uhmlw


MARDI GRAS

Celebrate Fat Tuesday - http://tinyurl.com/yfxxg55
Mardi Gras Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/cusd89  
Mardi Gras Masks - http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mardig


MISCELLANEOUS

Origami Peace Crane - http://www.planetpals.com/IKC/peacecrane.html
Peace Lantern - http://www.planetpals.com/IKC/peacelantern.html
Peace on Earth - http://tinyurl.com/yknakrv 
Sea Serpent Games and Activities - Lots of creativity swimming around these pages! http://tinyurl.com/mkubfj
Mermaid Paper Doll - Children can color her pretty with your own paints and crayons! http://tinyurl.com/mvkgn5
DLTK 'S Holiday Crafts - "Crafts to help you decorate, games to help you celebrate, worksheets to challenge your mind and songs to sing together!" http://www.dltk-holidays.com/ 
KidsStuffCanada.com - Creative, downloadable coloring pages to complement the stories of Grimm and Andersen. Also, interactive pages for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, etc. Enough activities to keep you coloring outside the lines until the New Year! www.kidstuffcanada.com/en 


MOTHER’S DAY

Bath Salts for Mom – http://www.kinderart.com/seasons/mother7.shtml
Flower Doorstop for Mom – Just in time for Mother’s Day! http://tinyurl.com/32mrspl
Kinderart.com - Crafts and gifts to make for Mom including Mother's Day, May, Arts and Crafts Activities, Lessons, Coloring Pages, Ideas, Recipes and Treats. http://tinyurl.com/cagxwy


MULTICULTURAL

Activity Village - Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine! http://tinyurl.com/cxwwv3
Children of the World Necklace - http://tinyurl.com/l6cqsu
Egyptian Crafts– A great selection of Egyptian crafts for all ages. http://tinyurl.com/344bmh8  
Hieroglyphics Bookmarks – Two choices, one with hieroglyphics and another with a maze on the back. Mazes have been in existence since ancient Egypt, when Amenembet III built a funerary temple consisting of 3000 chambers. http://tinyurl.com/38hxvnj  
Japanese Kokeshi Doll - http://tinyurl.com/cscr76
King Tut Mask – Definitely for older children but this would be a wonderful art project to complement an Egyptian unit. http://tinyurl.com/3xenscl
Hawaiian Lei Flower Necklace - http://tinyurl.com/ysydbf
New Zealand Koru Art - “The koru is the Maori name given to the new unfurling fern frond and symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace. It is an integral symbol in Maori carving and tattoos.” http://kinderart.com/multic/koruart.shtml
Origami Doll - http://tinyurl.com/ddo8w2
Peace Dove - http://tinyurl.com/n4wfwh
World Neighbors: Handprint Craft and Poem - http://tinyurl.com/l45smb


RAMADAN

Children’s Activities for the Month of Ramadan - http://www.submission.org/YES/child2.html
Make a Ramandan Collage - http://www.theholidayspot.com/ramadan/crafts.htm


SAINT PATRICK’S DAY
Leprechaun Crafts - http://tinyurl.com/yl3rmq9
St. Patrick’s Day Wreaths – http://tinyurl.com/yz4bw29
St. Patrick’s Day Word Jumble - http://tinyurl.com/ykjhtf8
St. Patrick’s Day Word Search - http://tinyurl.com/ylx8537
St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/yz7guar
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts and Printables -http://tinyurl.com/cxfe9a
St. Patrick's Day Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/cy9pwd

SPRING CRAFTS

Frog Pouch Craft – Ages 3 and up http://tinyurl.com/ykjkko5
Frog Paper Bag Puppet – Ages 2 and up http://tinyurl.com/yjc9cbd
Frog Paper Crafts – Ages 2 and up http://tinyurl.com/yjb5tok
Spring Crafts - http://tinyurl.com/adaz63  
Flowered Hat - http://tinyurl.com/b36hnx
KinderArt - A Bulletin Board of Spring Flowers - Ages K - 6 http://tinyurl.com/b9w58r

STORYTELLING

Fables Theme: Preschool Activities and Crafts - “Visit a theme to find activities that include easy instructions and a list of materials needed related to Aesop's and other fables. You will find crafts, printable activities, and related resources.” http://www.first-school.ws/theme/fables.htm 
Story Sack - ‘This is a fun way for parents and children to read stories together. Grandparents, teachers, childcare providers, babysitters and anyone else who spends time with children will also find these useful!” http://tinyurl.com/27pwh8j
Fairy Tale Crafts - From dragons, to princes, knights and wizards, lots of crafts to keep everyone busy. http://tinyurl.com/an3lay

SUMMER

ChildFun.com - Summer brings a bounty of fresh fruit so why not have some fruity fun! http://tinyurl.com/m99dj4
DLTK Crafts – Lots of flavorful ice cream crafts to keep you cool through the summer months. http://www.dltk-holidays.com/summer/national_ice_cream_month.htm
Danielle’s Place - A great site full of very creative, easy and inexpensive paper plate and paper cup crafts for kids. http://tinyurl.com/lyd6cy
Kids Summer Crafts and Summer Printables - http://tinyurl.com/njew6g  
Kinderart - Summer is tine to take the children to the zoo. Download some cute animal printables to keep your students and children roaring with delight long after the field trip! http://tinyurl.com/mfoajz


THANKSGIVING

Blessing Boxes - http://tinyurl.com/5zuk4x
Thanksgiving and Fall Crafts for Children - http://tinyurl.com/ylfuhze
Thanksgiving Coloring Pages - http://tinyurl.com/yauxtpy


VALENTINE’S DAY

Educational Valentine’s Day Crafts - http://tinyurl.com/yawdrqt
Valentine’s Day Word Search - http://tinyurl.com/c6lldr
Kaboose.com - Valentine’s Day word searches, math puzzles, and more. http://tinyurl.com/bfrrnt
Kaboose.com - Lots of easy crafts to make your heart flutter for Valentine’s Day.
http://tinyurl.com/ackzdb


VETERAN’S DAY

Veteran’s Day Activities - Coloring pages, crafts for kids, word searches and more. http://tinyurl.com/kslkv7


WINTER

Family Fun.com - Tons of winter fun; crafts, games, activities, printables and more! http://tinyurl.com/9n2gyt
Kaboose - Winter clip art, games, activities and crafts to help warm your spirit. http://holidays.kaboose.com/winter/
Kinderart - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…Decorate your classroom or library with an array of beautiful paper cut creations. http://tinyurl.com/94n9gj
Penguin Fun! Coloring pages, mazes, worksheets, songs, riddles and more! http://tinyurl.com/5g6pon
Polish Gwiazdy – Beautiful paper cuttings that look like snowflakes but they have eight sides not six. http://tinyurl.com/22jo2gd

Hitting the Business Bullseye!

The Archer's Arrowadapted by Karen Chace  © 2010

Long, long ago, in a certain realm, in a certain land there lived a king who spent many seasons practicing the skill of archery.  But no matter how many hours or days he practiced he always fell short of the mark; he was unable to hit the bull's-eye on the target.

One brisk autumn day he gathered his retinue, mounted his favorite steed, and set out on a hunt. After many hours riding through the colorful countryside they found a clearing and stopped to rest. The king dismounted and the servants began to lay the afternoon meal out on a  woven cloth of white.

While the king waited for the food to be arranged he walked through the meadow and noticed a weathered gray farmhouse and barn standing in the distance. As the king moved closer he saw that the entire side of the barn was covered from the roof to the ground with red and white circles. In the middle of each circle an arrow was firmly lodged in the center. He was astonished by the sight that lay before him for he knew the skill required to accomplish such a task. Turning to his servant he commanded, "Find the marksman responsible and bring him to me!"

The servant didn’t have to travel far for the marksman was none other than Diana, the young daughter of the farmer on whose land they stood. She was brought to the king, and curtsying low she softly asked, “Sire, how may I serve you?”

For a moment the king was startled and surprised! A young woman, how could this be? The king asked, “Tell me your secret. How has one so gentle become so skilled in the art of archery? Each one of your targets boasts a bull's-eye, no small feat for my greatest archer and surely not for one so young and fair!”Diana smiled and answered, "Sire, truly it takes no skill at all. I simply shoot the arrow and then I draw the bull's-eye around it!”

Wouldn't it be grand if we could hit a bull's-eye every time in business with very little effort? Storytellers sometimes shy away from the marketing aspects of our work because in this era of burgeoning social media it can seem overwhelming. But if we are to move our ancient art into the modern age we must learn to embrace the diverse tools we have at our disposal.

Yesterday I posted the final Catch the Storybug newsletter for 2010. To make it easier for you to access all of the business articles highlighted during the year I have assembled them below. Each one offers bits of wisdom to help you hit your target royally each and every time!

5 Free Tools That Make You Look More Professional by Brad Egeland - “…Limited budget, smaller customer base, an operating budget that gets tugged in 100 different directions. Anything that you can do for free… and not affect your bottom line is a good thing.” http://tinyurl.com/yaspdtr

5 Top Tips for Using Social Media to Help Launch Your New Business by Rick Mathieson  “Social media can be one of your best tools for building a new business - if you use it correctly.” http://tinyurl.com/33696ul  

5 Ways to Work Smarter and Be More Productive by Stacy Karacostas -“…it’s not how hard they work. It’s how smart they work.”  http://tinyurl.com/2u6ej6o  

7 Tips for Money-Making Postcards by Ivan Levison - “There are times when it makes sense to spend a lot of money on a direct mail package….However, there are times when going with a humble postcard makes a lot of sense.” http://tinyurl.com/yhoxq9w

10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics by Steve Mullen - http://tinyurl.com/cg23j6    

10 Newborn PR Tactics by Steve Mullen-  http://tinyurl.com/cjsbsk  

Blogging, Tweeting and Fan Pages Oh My! Does Social Media Really Benefit SMBs? by Shannon Suetos “…"The hype right now exceeds the reality." But recent statistics are showing despite the hype, business owners are in fact implementing some sort of social media efforts.” http://tinyurl.com/375ssux  

Building Lessons Learned in 2009: What Highly-Successful Small Business Owners Are Doing that You Can Do Too by Stacy Karacostas “…what are successful entrepreneurs doing differently?” http://tinyurl.com/yjj4obv

Calm Customers in Six Quick Steps – “You’ll work nine times harder attracting new business than you will retaining your current client list. That means you can’t afford to anger even one customer.” http://tinyurl.com/36txmy8

Color Yourself Successful by Ken Peters – “Color communicates. When language fails color can offer valuable associations with people, places and things…Because color's impact is so profound, its role in branding your business is critical. When applied effectively, color can achieve extraordinary results”. http://tinyurl.com/252m8px

Download Free Pictures.com - Looking to spice up your storytelling, classroom or library information? Little Red Riding Hood, our old friend Jack, and other famous fairytale folks can be found here ready to play! To the right you will also find links to other free clip art photos in a number of categories, including holiday, animal and nature photos. http://tinyurl.com/35o8qj

Eight Steps to Attracting Clients by Bernadette Doyle – “There’s a logical sequence to building a business, whether it’s online or offline. There are certain things that must be done in order to see your business grow. By committing to follow these eight steps, you can attract more clients and have the kind of income you want.”  http://tinyurl.com/2bn2ha4

Email Newsletter Design Guide by Hostway – This article will walk you through the process of designing your own newsletter. http://tinyurl.com/ygv7589  

More Ways to Monetize Your Web Site by Hostway – “Once you have a solid ecommerce process like Paypal or a shopping cart, there are some other ways to make your Web site work for you and start making some money.”  http://tinyurl.com/34wn6s5

Pack the 3R’s While on Holiday Travel - Although the busy holiday season has passed, these tips will serve us well throughout 2009. From the U.S. Environmental Agency, information on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle when you are away from home. http://tinyurl.com/75a2ox

Rid Yourself of These 10 Damaging Word-Habits by Stephanie Bickel – “Here are some quick-tips that will elevate your elocution immensely. http://tinyurl.com/yzu6oux

Seven Tax Tips for Businesses and the Self Employed – “Here are Seven Tax Tips that can possibly save you a lot of money on your 2008 taxes.”  *While this article is from 2008 the tips are still valid for small business owners. http://tinyurl.com/b8pvd4

Six Advantages to Virtual Trade Shows by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP – ‘… industry experts expect that by 2015, more than 25% of trade shows will be conducted in virtual environments. That's a market you can't afford to ignore." http://tinyurl.com/c9m2mb

Ten Tips to Ignore When Starting a Business by Cathy Goodwin – “Everyone has advice for you when you're starting a business, but it's not all good advice! Here are ten tips you'd be better off ignoring.”  http://tinyurl.com/3xx2mqp

Three Ways to Take Control and Grow Your Small Business in Any Economy by Stacy Karacostas “Has your business slowed because of the economy? If so, you’ve got two options. Keep doing what you’ve always done and hope it turns around on its own…Or, do something different. “ http://tinyurl.com/32ou24d

Top 7 Common Mistakes Made by Small Business Owners – “Though it is easy to start your own business, it takes a lot more to succeed in business. There are seven common mistakes made by small business owners.” http://tinyurl.com/l4ggh2

Weaving Storytelling and Business with an Authentic Voice - I recently put together a handout for a college class on storytelling and business. I have placed it on my blog for your use. http://tinyurl.com/yhnnpaa

WhoFish.org -  Do you have an event to market? Then this site is just what you are looking for. Publish your events for free and let the cyber world know how to find you! http://www.whofish.org/

Why Do People Write This Way? (And How You Can Avoid Doing the Same) by Ernest Nicastro – “Leverages a proprietary coaching framework...purposeful investments in human capital...aligning people and systems in pursuit of”...why do people write this way? http://tinyurl.com/28z4xgg  

Words. Words. Words. by Nan S. Russell  - “Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. They influence how we think. Since thoughts determine actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.” www.careerknowhow.com/improvement/words.htm   

Virtual Press Release Faux Pas by Janet Attard – “Using email to send press releases to editors can save you considerable time and money. One click and your release can be on its way to dozens of editor but one click of the mouse is all it takes for each editor or writer on your mailing list to delete the release, often without opening your email at all.” http://tinyurl.com/2etev8u

Storybug.net – You will find more business resources on my two previous blogs posts:
Grow Your Business in 2010 at http://tinyurl.com/2ep3j42
The Business of Storytelling at http://tinyurl.com/37bvamh