Author: diane pagan

April Art Activities for Grades 3 to 7

Posted on by diane pagan

Upper elementary and middle school teachers, homeschoolers, and parents. Give kids a break from screens and get creative with these print-and-go, imaginative April art activities!

Art helps kids to express their views, and celebrate their uniqueness. It also offers many benefits for their physical and emotional development, from improving fine motor skills to fostering concentration and focus. Choose from a variety of spring-themed April art activities for grades 3-7, including Earth Day 🌎 and Easter 🐣

Earth Day Art – Save the Sea Turtles!

Students love these ‘Save the Sea Turtles’ Earth Day coloring pages and art activities. Learn more about endangered species and ocean pollution. Students can explore and express their views on key global and environmental issues through art and lively discussion. Create an impactful Earth Day art display this April with these imaginative activities.

colorful sea turtle art

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Morgan says,
“My students were obsessed with these last year!! I printed them as poster size (4 pages) and backed with them black construction paper. I can’t wait to do them again this year for Earth Day. By far, my favorite project of all times.“

Design T-shirts for Earth Day

Kids love this Earth Day T-shirt design activity! Using the T-shirt templates and fun examples provided, encourage your students to explore and express their views on key global and environmental issues. Create impactful Earth Day posters and design earth-friendly T-shirts using bold colors, shapes, symbols, and words.

‘Save Our Planet’ Earth Day Posters Activity

Celebrate Earth Day with this ‘Save our Planet’ poster art activity. Create colorful globes, and experiment with shades of green for landmass and shades of blue for the ocean. Doodle over the finished artwork with words and symbols to create unique globes, while discussing the importance of caring for our planet.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Melanie says,
“A great art activity for earth day that looks amazing when displayed. The kids really enjoyed mixing the colors! Thanks!“

Design Earth-Friendly Bags Art Activity

Invite your students to design a range of earth-friendly bags to create an impactful Earth Day display in the classroom. Students can use words and doodles to express their views on key global and environmental issues, including how the use of plastic impacts our world.

April art Activities

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Larissa says,
“LOVE these! The kids loved them! 10/10“

Earth Day Art and Writing Activities Bundle

Use this Earth Day art, writing and coloring activities bundle to explore and increase awareness of key environmental issues facing our planet. Bring your classroom to life with stunning, colorful displays and celebrate Earth Day creatively! Save 25% with this art bundle offer.

april art activities

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sarah says,
“My students loved this bundle for Earth Day and we used it to create a display. Such a simple and easy bundle suitable for all abilities and learning needs. Fabulous!“

Easter and Spring Abstract Coloring Pages

These abstract art Easter coloring pages encourage students to experiment with color, shape, line, and pattern. Create an inspiring collaborative classroom display for your March or April bulletin board with these imaginative spring art activities.

March Art Activities for Upper Elementary

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kristi says,
“My kids loved these and I liked how they incorporate famous artists that my students have studied.”

Easter Bunny Coloring Pages

Celebrate spring with these fun Easter rabbit coloring pages. Students will love taking a creative brain break with this abstract spring art activity. Experiment with watercolor paints and make a fabulous Spring or Easter classroom display. A fun way to learn about warm and cool colors this spring.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Annette says,
“Simple to use and made for a great looking display. Also fitted in with our current work on hot and cold colours.”

Abstract Easter Egg Art Activity

This colorful abstract Easter Egg Art Activity makes a fun and creative brain break for your students. These print-and-go spring coloring pages are perfect for March and April bulletin board displays. Explore color, line, pattern, and shape, and aim for the egg silhouette to stand out from the background when the artwork is complete. Students can experiment with light and dark colors, warm and cool colors.

Fun Spring Coloring Pages – Splash into Spring! 💦

These fun spring coloring pages will help you splash into spring! The finished coloring pages are the perfect way to decorate your spring bulletin board or classroom door this March and April.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Alison says,
“These pages went perfectly with our door decorations for spring. Students loved coloring a pair of rain boots and an umbrella to display as we transition into the spring season.”

Anzac Day Abstract Poppy Art Activities

Commemorate Anzac Day this April, with these abstract poppy templates and posters. Engage students creatively and produce a vibrant Anzac Day display for your classroom this April. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fiona says,
“This is such a great resource for Anzac Day. We discussed tones of red and green, the importance of the poppy and remembering our fallen, as well as the definition for purple, red and white poppies and what they mean. My students loved this activity. The final product was mounted on black card for display.“

Shop my resources securely at The Imagination Box Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Happy coloring!
If you try any of these April art activities, I would love to see your students’ artwork – tag me on Instagram!

See you soon,

Diane 🙂

March Art Activities for Upper Elementary

Posted on by diane pagan

Encourage your students to explore their creative side this spring with these fun, low-prep March art activities. Calling all upper elementary teachers, homeschoolers, and parents! Are you looking for engaging art projects to keep your kids entertained this March? Look no further 🙂

These high-interest art printables also provide a brain break and an escape from screens. The resources pictured below are carefully designed to ensure that your students can relax, doodle, and enjoy interacting with their classmates.

Art is a fun and creative way for kids to express themselves, but it also offers many benefits for their physical and emotional development, from improving fine motor skills to fostering concentration and focus. Choose from a variety of spring-themed March art activities for upper elementary, including St. Patrick’s Day ☘️ Easter 🐣 and Mother’s Day 🌸

Check out these March coloring pages and art activities today and watch your students’ creativity blossom! (Mother’s Day is celebrated in February, March, May, August and October in countries around the world)

St. Patrick’s Day Yarn-Wrapped Shamrocks

This St. Patrick’s Day Craft is a creative, hands-on fun March Craftivity. The shamrock doodle art activity involves a variety of creative challenges for hands and imaginations: gluing, careful cutting, yarn wrapping, and coloring abstract shapes and patterns.

shamrock template and yarns craft project

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Andrea says,
“I love this resource. It was an easy St. Patrick’s Day activity. Low prep, high output.”

St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun Cell Phone

Spark imaginations with this fun fold-out cell phone St. Patrick’s Day art activity. Construct a fold-out booklet-style ‘cell phone’. Respond to prompts on the front cover with mini doodles and create fun leprechaun selfies and complete a word search inside.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jody says,
“My 6th/7th grade special education students LOVED this! I thought the 7th graders were going to be bored because they all have their own real phones, but they were excited to make them! Thank you!”

St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages, Posters and Banners

These fun St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages, posters, and banners are perfect for your March bulletin board. Use the colored posters and banners for instant classroom decorations or have fun coloring and creating your own – an easy last-minute lesson, ready to print and go!

FREE Easter Egg Template

Click on the file below to download and print this Free Easter Egg template 🥚

Free-easter-egg-template-1
free printable easter egg coloring template

Easter and Spring Abstract Coloring Pages

These abstract art Easter coloring pages encourage students to experiment with color, shape, line, and pattern. Create an inspiring collaborative classroom display for your March or April bulletin board with these imaginative spring art activities.

March Art Activities for Upper Elementary

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kristi says,
“My kids loved these and I liked how they incorporate famous artists that my students have studied.”

Easter Bunny Coloring Pages

Celebrate spring with these fun Easter rabbit coloring pages. Students will love taking a creative brain break with this abstract spring art activity. Experiment with watercolor paints and make a fabulous Spring or Easter classroom display. A fun way to learn about warm and cool colors this spring.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Annette says,
“Simple to use and made for a great looking display. Also fitted in with our current work on hot and cold colours.”

Abstract Easter Egg Art Activity

This colorful abstract Easter Egg Art Activity makes a fun and creative brain break for your students. These print-and-go spring coloring pages are perfect for March and April bulletin board displays. Explore color, line, pattern, and shape, and aim for the egg silhouette to stand out from the background when the artwork is complete. Students can experiment with light and dark colors, warm and cool colors.

Fun Spring Coloring Pages – Splash into Spring! 💦

These fun spring coloring pages will help you splash into spring! The finished coloring pages are the perfect way to decorate your spring bulletin board or classroom door this March and April.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Alison says,
“These pages went perfectly with our door decorations for spring. Students loved coloring a pair of rain boots and an umbrella to display as we transition into the spring season.”

Mother’s Day Keepsake Gift Box Craft Activity

Your students will love this Mother’s Day craft. They get to construct an adorable keepsake gift box and create handmade mini surprises to put inside! This is a low-prep and fun Mother’s Day craft activity where students can relax and be creative and take home a unique gift for their special person to treasure.

Mother’s Day in the UK is celebrated in March, with many other countries including the US, celebrating in May.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jan says,
“My fourth graders loved this craft for Mother’s day occasion. They were super engaged and was able to personalized each of their gift box and we added hershey’s kisses on them for an add in to give for the people they consider mom. I would definitely do this again with my students this upcoming school year.”

All About My Mom Mother’s Day Cell Phone Card

Are you looking for a unique Mother’s Day Art activity? Invite students to create a personal keepsake ‘All About My Mom Cell Phone’ Mother’s Day card for mom or your special person to treasure

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leslie says,
“Love, love, love! My students had to interview their dads to answer some of the questions. They loved doing this. I invited the dads to the school one morning for doughnuts and interviews. It was fun! My students made body scrub for a gift to go along with the card. Thank you.”

Download this FREE March Banner Activity

St. Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to explore culture, history and get creative. Make learning fun with this FREE March bulletin board banner activity. Encourage your students to research facts about St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland to create a collaborative banner long enough to go around your entire classroom!

Shop my resources securely at The Imagination Box Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Happy coloring!
If you try any of these March art activities, I would love to see your students’ artwork – tag me on Instagram!

See you soon,

Diane 🙂

Fun End of Year Activities for Middle School

Posted on by diane pagan

Teachers, students and parents experience beginnings and endings together every year at school. It’s totally ok for everyone to feel mixed emotions after deep connections have been made and another year of learning comes to an end.
Reflecting creatively on the year as it draws to a close is important for students. In doing so, they can begin to feel a sense of closure and some excitement for the new school year head.

Download this FREE End of the Year Resource:

This free end of the year questionnaire will help your students to reflect and set new goals in a fun way using writing and doodles. It’s engaging yet lighthearted and ideal for the last week of school – just print and go! You can use this versatile activity in your classroom, or as a reflective homework activity at the end of the year.

end of the year student questionnaire
end of year student questionnaire
end of year student questionnaire

Quotes about endings

There are some lovely age-appropriate quotes to share with kids. Help them to make sense of how endings and new beginnings actually join up!
Here are some we found:

“Amidst the Worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings”
Laozi (Lao Tzu)

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened”
Dr. Seuss

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”
A.A. Milne

“Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey”
Michael Josephson

“Every ending is a beginning”
Mitch Albom

Why is it important for kids to celebrate the end of the year?

  • Fun activities create a sense of excitement around ending and help to set sights on new beginnings
  • This could be a helpful time to explore how to develop a Growth Mindset for moving up a year. Display these FREE posters and explore the questionnaire included!
Free growth mindset posters for the classroom
  • Students can celebrate their accomplishments as a community
  • This can help to boost self-confidence and feelings of pride
  • Students get to reflect on both the positive and more challenging aspects of the year
  • They can celebrate and acknowledge how much they have achieved, bringing a natural sense of closure to the year
  • It’s important to remember that some kids may not be looking forward to the summer – it’s a big change of routine
  • Get students talking about setting some achievable summer goals outside of school. For example: a book I really want to read, a new skill I would like to learn and arranging to see friends regularly

How can teachers make endings fun and creative?

Bring some creativity into end of year learning. This Mondrian-inspired T-shirt activity combines art and math where students can learn about 2d shapes, line and color in a fun way.

  • Switch from writing to more hands-on and creative tasks during the final week
  • Take lessons outside
  • Have some music playing in the background
  • Have a movie day in pyjamas or a onesie – this was my kids’ fave when they were younger!
  • Play games, go on scavenger hunts
  • Introduce fun awards, where all students can be acknowledged
  • Include physical movement to let off some steam
  • ‘Go to the beach’ – ask students to bring in a beach towel and sunglasses
  • List what you enjoyed from A-Z. You can draw a picture next to each one too – do this in small groups
  • Set up a photo booth and create some fun memories
  • Create a summer bucket list – encourage students to include ‘helping others’ and ‘learning something new’
  • Ask students to leave a welcome note with some handy tips on their desks for the new student who will take their place as they move up
  • Students can help tidy and organize their classroom for the new students to enjoy!
  • Make an end-of-year playlist! Each student can add their favorite song
  • Create memory books
  • Write a letter to their future self encapsulation hopes and dreams and words of encouragement
  • Create a visualization board for next year including their goals, what’s important to them, and what they are grateful for.

Collaborative art activities which allow for all students to take part can be a fun way to end the year inclusively. This Pop Art donut activity is a fun group project and makes a very colorful display. You could even bring in some donuts so the students can have a treat whilst coloring!

Some handy teacher self-care tips

  • Identify burnout triggers
  • Find a colleague to share difficulties with
  • Try some journalling
  • Find opportunities to laugh
  • Exercise, maintain a regular sleep schedule, go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
  • Play music that makes you feel happy
  • Meditate, do yoga, and take slow, deep breaths!
  • Find ways to distract your mind from worrying
  • Drink 6-8 glasses of water each day to help keep you hydrated
  • Try some caffeine-free alternatives, especially in the evenings
  • Eat well – swap out sugary treats to low-sugar fruits like apples or berries
  • Stay away from screens in the evening
  • Find different ways to unwind before bedtime, such as reading a book, writing, or meditating
  • Plan something non-work related for yourself each week

End of the school year around the world – fun facts

  • Schools in Chile begin their summer holidays in December and end in early March!
  • The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March!  it is believed that springtime is the best time to start something new.
  • Children in Holland start school on their 4th birthday, which means for the first year of school, children are constantly joining the class due to varying birth dates.

End of the school year in ‘the olden days’ – fun facts

  • It was only in the late 1980s that children started to learn how to use a computer. Prior to that, learning was done from books.
  • Prior to Smart Boards, schools used whiteboards (which used ink pens that could be wiped clean
  • Prior to that chalkboards were used, also known as blackboards. Teachers wrote with chalk which created a lot of dust on the floor!
  • Did you know that they used to use grease-proof paper as toilet roll, it was hard, rough and it sometimes doubled up as tracing paper.
  • The classroom used to have a pull-down world map, which was a bit like a roller blind.
  • We used to stain paper with tea to give it a vintage old look.
  • In place of a smart board, the teacher used to wheel in a big TV – which looked like a big box – and a VHS player on a table on wheels to show a film or documentary to the students.  This would be shared between most if not all of the classrooms!

Thanksgiving Art and Writing Activities for the Classroom

Posted on by diane pagan

I love to create imaginative Thanksgiving art and writing activities, to help students celebrate the richness of Fall and Thanksgiving in the classroom or at home. This time of year is perfect for exploring color, shape, abstract patterns, poetry and metaphor!

Here are some of my popular Thanksgiving art and writing activities, perfect for busy upper elementary and middle school teachers who want low-prep art lessons in the classroom.

Read on too, for some fun facts about Thanksgiving that you might find interesting to share with your students, alongside these art activities.

1. Create Beautiful Leafy Doodles, Poetry and Thankful Writing Prompts

Bring all the fun and color of Fall and Thanksgiving into your classroom. Students respond really enthusiastically to these leafy doodle coloring pages and ‘I am thankful for’ writing prompts.
These easy-to-use templates encourage students to explore color and pattern, and to expand their descriptive vocabulary by creating seasonal poetry. The watercolor and marker pen doodle leaves make beautiful frames for written work and bulletin boards.

2. Make a Ball All About Fall!

This soccer ball inspired resource, with a mix of doodle and writing prompts can help to engage students who may be fearful of expressing themselves creatively or those who are reluctant to write.

3. Thanksgiving Turkey Coloring and Thankful Writing Task

These eye-catching, abstract turkey art and writing templates are fun to do and really challenge students to think about color and shape.

Encourage students to experiment and explore their sense of color, using marker pens, oil pastels, colored pencils or watercolor paints.

The objective is to see if the cheeky turkey stands out from the background when the activity is finished.

4. Free Fall Art Activity – Fun Pop Art Acorns!

Transition into fall with this engaging Pop Art inspired acorn fall art activity. The finished abstract acorn coloring pages make a wonderful display in your classroom.

Read on, for some interesting Thanksgiving facts

You can use these Thanksgiving facts as starting points for group discussions around family, food, celebrations, culture and traditions, turkeys and history.

Thanksgiving and Family

  • Thanksgiving is the busiest ‘travel’ day of the year in America. Family and friends move across the country to be with loved ones, to celebrate the day together.  
  • Breaking the turkey’s wishbone and making a wish is used by some families as part of their celebrations.
  • Some families decorate their homes with a fall wreath and fresh or dried flowers.

Thanksgiving and Food

  • Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cornbread, cranberry sauce, and pies filled with pumpkin, pecan, or apple are all traditional foods eaten at a Thanksgiving feast.
  • Turkey is native to North America.
  • Often families will prepare the food for Thanksgiving Day together as part of the preparations.

Thanksgiving and Celebrations

  • In 1896, in Buffalo, New York, the first Turkey Trot race (8km) took place on Thanksgiving Day.
  • Since 1924, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has showcased itself in New York and its’ infamous floats and balloons have been a staple feature since 1927. 
  • Watching an American Football Match on Thanksgiving Day is a popular activity for the family to do together.
  • Some people like to give back on Thanksgiving Day by donating food or funds and/or volunteering at a food bank or local soup kitchen to help those less fortunate.

Thanksgiving, Culture, and Tradition

  • Thanksgiving Day was originally a day to give thanks to The Almighty for the harvest and other blessings received from the last year – it was associated with religion.
  • Thanksgiving Day is still very much a day of expressing our gratitude for such things as close friends and family, good health, opportunities, or even a good harvest. 
  • Since 1989, the president has pardoned a hand-selected Turkey on Thanksgiving Day to live out its life on a farm.
  • The colors associated with Thanksgiving Day are orange, yellow, brown, green, and red – similar to the colors of foods served up at the Day’s feast, yellow like corn and red like cranberries.

Thanksgiving and Turkeys

  • The world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys is 661 (in 2011), at a turkey trot in Dallas, Texas.
  • There are four towns named ‘Turkey’ in the U.S. – In Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina & Texas.
  • Only male turkeys gobble – they do so to attract female turkeys during the breeding season.
  • Canadians celebrate their own Thanksgiving every October.

Thanksgiving History

  • In 1621, a three-day feast between 50 Mayflower Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony, Mass., and 90 Wampanoag Native Americans is considered as the first Thanksgiving Day.
  • In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation for November 26 to be a national day of thanksgiving.
  • In 1863 Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the nation should recognize the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.
  • In 1870, Congress passed legislation making Thanksgiving a national holiday, allowing the president to choose the actual day. 
  • Between 1939 and 1941 Thanksgiving Day was moved to the penultimate Thursday in November, for commercial reasons, by Franklin Roosevelt – this change was not well received.
  • From 1942 onwards Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated on the Fourth Thursday in November. 

20 Thanksgiving Words for the Classroom

THANKSGIVING, APPRECIATION, CELEBRATION, TURKEY TROT, GATHERING, GRATITUDE, WAMPANOAG, PLYMOUTH, NOVEMBER, PILGRIMS, LINCOLN, BANQUET, FOOTBALL, PUMPKIN, FAMILY, MAYFLOWER, HARVEST, TURKEY, TRAVEL, PARADE

Browse at The Imagination Box

Winter and Christmas Art and Writing Fun

Chinese New Year Art and Writing

New Year Goal Setting Fun

Valentine’s Day Art and Writing

Want to hear more from The Imagination Box?

Sign up to my newsletter, for freebies, offers and creative ideas for kids straight to your inbox and you will get to download this cool 22-page printable ‘Watch About Me’ activity for FREE!

make a wearable watch all about me printable art activity for kids

Chinese New Year Free Printables 2023

Posted on by diane pagan

Celebrate the Year of The Rabbit 2023 with these engaging Chinese New Year free printables.
Create an exciting Chinese New Year art display to kick off 2023 in your classroom!
Students enjoy completing these free coloring pages and I love to design them 🙂

Read on too, for some fun facts about The Year of the Rabbit, that you might find interesting to share with your students, alongside these art activities.

Year of the Rabbit Free Printable Art Activity for kids

This no-prep, print-and-go Chinese New Year art activity is ideal for busy upper elementary and middle school teachers. Encourage your students to use their imagination and expand their understanding and use of color.
The challenge is to see if the rabbit silhouette stands out from the background when the coloring page is finished. Click on the images below to download this fun freebie.

Year of the Rabbit Free Printable Art Activity for kids
Year of the Rabbit Free Printable Art Activity for kids
Year of the Rabbit Free Printable Art Activity for kids

What’s included in the Year of the Rabbit freebie?

  • Digitally colored posters to display – two colorways for inspiration
  • Build color stories to complete the challenge – template and example worksheets are included
  • Templates to color – you can choose from 3 options. More confident students can draw their own diagonal lines or rabbit shape if they would like more of a challenge

What materials do I need for this Chinese New Year art activity?

  • Print onto heavyweight paper or card stock for best results
  • Use marker pens, watercolor paints, oil pastels, crayons or pencils
  • You can also experiment with collage and magazine cuttings if you have more time!

How can this resource help me in the classroom?

  • Open up a discussion about Chinese New Year
  • An experimental art lesson
  • A handy sub plan
  • A fun Friday afternoon activity
  • A brain break from tech
  • A lesson about color, shape and line
  • Add to a New Year unit
  • Build creative confidence
  • Create a wonderful classroom display for 2023!

Here are some examples!

You can experiment with solid color, pattern and text to fill the shapes, and see if the rabbit stands out from the background.

Year of the Rabbit abstract coloring pages
Using marker pens, play with text, solid color and pattern
Year of the Rabbit abstract coloring pages
Experiment with oil pastels, using warm and cool colors

More Fun Facts about the Year of the Rabbit!

  • Chinese New year 2023, falls on January 22nd, culminating with the Lantern Festival on February 5th
  • The celebration period can last up to 16 days, but only 7 days are a public holiday
  • The Rabbit is the fourth of the 12 zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Goat/Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig
  • For 2023, the element is Water
  • There are 5 elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal/Gold and Water
  • So, every 12 years when it is the Year of the Rabbit, a different element is allocated
    In 2023 it will be the Water Rabbit
  • It is believed that the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals influence people’s personalities, compatibility, marriage, fortune and career
  • Recommended careers for those born in the year of the Rabbit include artist, teacher, writer, judge, priest, police, accountant and musician
  • Lucky Numbers: 3, 4 & 6 (or combinations of these numbers)
  • Lucky Colors: blue, purple, pink and red
  • Unlucky numbers: 1,7 & 8
  • Unlucky Colors: white, dark yellow & dark brown
  • Yin or Yang? it is Yin
  • Characteristics include: Gentle, approachable, noble and elegant, quiet, skillful, patient, kind, and alert

What Zodiac Animal are You?

Students can have great fun with their classmates, finding out which animals they are, and reading about their characteristics. Encourage older children to do further research on the internet.

Here’s a handy list of recent years – parents and teachers, you can look up your birth year on google 🙂

  • 2005 – Rooster
  • 2006 – Dog
  • 2007 – Pig
  • 2008 – Rat
  • 2009 – Ox
  • 2010 -Tiger
  • 2011 – Rabbit
  • 2012 – Dragon
  • 2013 – Snake
  • 2014 – Horse
  • 2015 – Goat
  • 2016 – Monkey
  • 2017 – Rooster
  • 2018 – Dog
  • 2019 – Pig
  • 2020 – Rat
  • 2021 – Ox
  • 2022 – Tiger
  • 2023 – Rabbit

Famous People Born In The Year Of The Rabbit

  • Albert Einstein – Scientist
  • Andy Murray – Former Wimbledon champion
  • Bob Hope – Actor/entertainer
  • Angeline Jolie – Actress, activist
  • Ingrid Bergman – Actress
  • Tracy Emin – Artist
  • Frank Sinatra – Singer/actor
  • Mark Hamill – Actor
  • Mike Myers – Actor, comedian, screenwriter
  • Gordon Brown – Former British Prime Minister
  • Garry Kasparov – Champion chess player
  • Johnny Depp – Actor and director
  • Drew Barrymore – Actress
  • David Beckham – British football player

Famous Rabbits – can you think of any more?

  • Peter Rabbit
  • Bugs Bunny
  • Thumper
  • Rabbit (from Winnie The Pooh)
  • Easter Bunny
  • Miffy
  • Jessica Rabbit

Some more interesting facts about rabbits

  • In the Vietnamese zodiac and the Gurung Zodiac, the rabbit is replaced by the cat
  • In the Malay zodiac, it is replaced by the mousedeer
  • A binky is a high bunny hop that rabbits do when they are happy!
  • The Guinness World record for the longest rabbit was Darius, a Flemish giant rabbit, measuring a whopping 129cm. UK, April 2010
  • A young rabbit is sometimes called a bunny or a kitten
  • A male rabbit is called a buck
  • A female rabbit is called a doe

Did you know pet rabbits are really affectionate?

They love human company and make great pets as they are really affectionate. Each has its own unique personality.

If some of your students have a pet rabbit, it could be fun to invite them to describe their pet to their classmates?

The breeds have wonderful names! Here are a few listed below:

  • Harlequin Rabbit
  • Rex Rabbit
  • Jersey Wooly Rabbit
  • Mini Lop Rabbit
  • Chinchilla Rabbit
  • Lionhead Rabbit
  • Californian Rabbit
  • Himalayan Rabbit
  • Havana Rabbit
  • Florida White Rabbit

I hope you find these facts and the Chinese New Year free printable art activity helpful in your classroom or homeschool room. Tag me on Instagram @theimaginationbox with your artwork, I’d love to see all the amazing rabbits! 🐇

Looking for more Chinese New Year Art Activities?

Chinese New Year free printable fun facts for kids
Chinese New Year fireworks art activity for kids

Want to hear more from The Imagination Box?

Sign up to my newsletter, for freebies, offers and creative ideas for kids straight to your inbox and you will get to download this cool 22 page printable ‘Watch About Me’ activity for FREE!

make a wearable watch all about me printable art activity for kids

Browse at The Imagination Box

Chinese New Year Art and Writing

New Year Goal Setting Fun

Valentine’s Day Art and Writing

First Week Back To School Ideas and Activities

Posted on by diane pagan

First week back to school ideas and activities are great for soothing anxious students and teachers. Icebreakers do just that – they break the ice!

How do we build a strong classroom community for the year ahead?

  • Engage kids in fun group discussions
  • Set goals for the year, talk about hopes and fears
  • Get creative and decorate classroom walls, doors, and bulletin boards for an inspiring learning environment

We’ve gathered some fun facts, exploring what back to school looks like, in different countries around the world.

This could be an interesting back to school idea – open up a global conversation with your new class. Get students chatting and researching in small groups about back to school customs and traditions in different countries.

Back to School Around the World – First Week Back Customs

Children all around the world are experiencing their first week back to school too at different times throughout the year.

  • In Japan, parents give their children a randoseru (a specific type of backpack made from leather) on the first day of elementary/primary school to prepare them for their new school year.
  • In India, a back to school tradition is the giving of a small gift. This is often an umbrella, as the school year starts in May/June which is the monsoon season in India.
  • In Russia, the first day back to school is always September 1st. Even if it falls on a Saturday the children will still attend school! This first day is known as ‘Knowledge Day’. Teachers receive a bouquet of flowers from the students as thanks and the student each receive a balloon in return.
  • In Saudi Arabia, back to school celebrations can take several days. New students are invited to socialize through activities and the sharing of food.
  • In Germany, first-grade children are given a giant cone made of paper, cardboard, or plastic and filled with treats such as candy and useful items such as crayons and pens. The cones are called ‘schultüten’ which translates to ‘school bag’.
  • In Vietnam, a countrywide festival ends with a guest beating a drum three times to signal the start of the academic year.
  • In Kazakhstan, education starts at age 7 and first day of school is known as Tyl Ashar which translates to ‘initiation into education’. Children honour their ancestors around family and friends at a ceremony where each child delivers the Zhety ata, reciting the names of their seven generations of grandfathers.
  • In Brazil, the school year starts in February.
  • The USA has the biggest number of home-schooled children at 2.5 million.

What are School Uniforms Like Around the World?

  • Japanese uniforms, known as ‘seifuku’ look like a sailor suit with a bow and a flat panel across the back. 
  • In France, school uniforms aren’t compulsory but some schools have a casual hoodie with the school logo. Children can choose their own trousers.
  • In China, school uniforms are often tracksuits for comfort.  
  • In the UK, trousers or a skirt, shirt, tie and blazer are worn – sometimes a straw hat.
  • In Australia, dresses or shorts are worn with a large hat to protect children from the sun.
  • In Italy, children traditionally wear a smock or apron called a ‘grembiule’ on the first day back to school. This can be personalised with a unique pattern or name. A specific colour ribbon is worn on the Grembiule to show what grade you are in.

Ideas for your class:

Research and design your own Italian grembiule or Japanese seifuku

Discovering Unusual Schools Around the World

  • In Ziyun County,China, the Dongzhong Cave, housed a primary school from 1984 until 2011!
  • Bangladesh has many floating schools due to regular flooding. For this reason, schools are boats which also transport the children home, at the end of the school day.
  • Denmark started forest schools where children are educated outdoors using nature and natural materials

A question for your class:

How would you welcome another student from a different country to your school?

Back to School Ideas – My Resources

Browse back to school art activities on The Imagination Box Website

Here are some popular back to school printable resource ideas, ideal community builders for the first week back. They are carefully designed to help kids express their uniqueness, reflect and set goals in a safe and creative way – ready to print and go! Kids love sharing their finished t-shirts, hoodies and backpacks with their friends!

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Contact me with any questions or suggestions
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Diane 🙂

St. Patrick’s Day Activities FREE Printable

Posted on by diane pagan

Help kids celebrate this festival on March 17th, wherever you live in the world, with these St. Patrick’s Day Activities, FREE Printable coloring pages.

St. Patrick’s Day is such a great opportunity to explore Ireland’s rich history and culture.

Finding a creative pathway into a lesson or activity will always help to engage kids and spark their imaginations – I love to create resources to help make learning fun, both at home and in the classroom.

Free Facts Garland

I’ve designed a free St. Patrick’s Day garland activity to help kids learn and discover interesting facts about Ireland.

There are 10 flags to print, each with an interesting fact about St. Patricks day or about Ireland.

Encourage students to do their own research online, to create a collaborative garland long enough to go round your entire classroom!

I’ve included blank flags for students to add their own facts and doodles.

Ideas for Further Learning and Creativity

Develop ideas from the flag facts – for example…

  • Write about St.Patrick
  • Research and draw the Irish flag
  • Find out more about those cheeky leprechauns
  • Discover 5 fascinating facts about the history of Dublin, the capital city
  • Find out how and where St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated across the globe

Download this 9 page printable activity here

green printable garland with facts about ireland for st patricks day

Further Art, Craft and Writing Activities

If you are looking for more creative activities, take a look at these fun resources below!

shamrock paper and yarn craft
St. Patrick's Day themed backpack art
St. Patricks Day cell phone art
St Patricks day arts and craft printables for kids

See other fun resources for this time of year

Spring Coloring Pages

Mother’s Day Activities, Card and Gift Making

Earth Day Creative Learning

Celebrate Easter with Art

Chinese New Year, Year of the Tiger Free Coloring Pages

Posted on by diane pagan

Download my fun free printable ‘Year of the Tiger’ coloring pages, along with ’15 fun facts about Chinese New Year’ to get kids engaged and have fun learning in a creative way. 

Chinese New Year 2022 welcomes the Year of The Tiger and people will be celebrating this wonderful festival all over the world. ​What a great opportunity to explore culture, and history and get creative with kids at home or in the classroom! 

Chinese New Year 2022 begins on Tuesday, February 1st, and the Lantern Festival ends on February 15th. 

Kids love these abstract templates and coloring pages. Encourage them to explore warm and cool colors. The trick is to see if the tiger stands out from the background.

Print the template onto good-quality paper. 

Use this handy free printable to start some conversations about Chinese New Year around the world. 

Encourage students to do more research of their own!

Have fun!

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

These Easy Doodles For Kids Are Such Fun!

Posted on by diane pagan

These easy doodle ideas keep kids of all ages engaged. You can experiment with these simple ideas in the classroom or at home.

Doodling helps us to relax our minds, engages our imagination, and takes us away from screens for a while. Kids love to experiment, and play with colors and patterns. The outcome isn’t as important as the process with doodling.

Mindful coloring books have been popular for several years, and we all know the relaxing benefits of switching off for a while.

However, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. We don’t always need expensive art materials and coloring books to keep kids creatively occupied.

I grabbed a roll of tape and a ballpoint pen and started playing…….

I’ve really enjoyed this experimental process, looking around the house for inspiration! Scroll down this blog post, and you’ll see lots of examples, where i have created abstract patterns and doodle pages by drawing around rolls of tape, lids and tiles. Any simple-shaped household objects work well.

You’ll only need basic art materials – a ballpoint pen, lead pencil, oil pastels and watercolor paints.
I’ve experimented with music paper, old stamp album paper, and maps. These can all be found affordably in local charity shops / thrift stores – the older and more yellowing the better!

Draw small circles on music paper and color them in with marker pens
Use a small square tile as a template or make one out of cardboard
A roll of tape as a circular template on squared paper – I found an old stamp album at a charity shop and loved the old feel of the paper
We all have old maps! I drew a circle on a page from an old London A-Z. These bold colors with black make it look quite Mondrian inspired.
A roll of masking tape and lined paper
Playing with overlapping circles, color and diagonal lines
Oil pastel circles on brown paper – use old packaging or envelopes
I drew round a roll of tape and added extra lines to color in
I drew round a plastic lid for this idea – I used yellows and greens as the shape reminded me of lemons and limes!
I used a roll of tape to draw round and make a kind of fish scale pattern, and used a mix of oil pastels and water color paints.
This bold pattern has been created with a ruler and butter lid!

My kids love it when I stop – stop tidying, stop ‘doing stuff’.

Putting some music on and getting the marker pens or oil pastels out is a great family activity – a rare moment when you can all be round the table, tv off, chatting, doodling – and all doing the same thing together. 

If you like these ideas, you might like to view my all year round activities for kids, check out my freebies or visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store for lots of downloadable art projects to use in the classroom or at home,


Hope to see you again, stay creative,

Diane

Ps – I’d love you to share some photos with me if you give these fun doodles for kids a go!

Back To School Art Projects That Kids Can Relate To!

Posted on by diane pagan

Back to school art projects can be a really useful way to spark interesting conversations and get kids engaged in a fun way during their first week in a new class.

This is especially important after kids have been at home or receiving a hybrid education for some time.

In my experience, kids are more likely to engage with cool, modern and relevant activities that reflect their interests in and out of school.

Kids love modern themes

Here are some themes that I have experimented with when creating back to school art projects for kids.

  • Modern Technology – phones, tablets, watches, gadgets, computers, social media, instagram, facebook. Tech Geek is the new cool! 
  • Sport inspired – always a great cross over with art, and can help engage reluctant artists, energetic boys and girls. Kids love expressing themselves through the clothes they wear and the sports they participate in and watch – prints, logos, t shirts, hoodies – all part of their developing identity.
  • Graffiti, Street Art – Banksy, ‘tags’, spray can art, reflections of the world today
  • Pop Art – bright colors, bold imagery and graphics, simple eye-catching patterns

Through designing and road testing art resources for the classroom, grades 3 to 8, I’ve learnt that kids – both girls and boys – really do love to engage creatively with current, relevant themes that reflect their ‘tech savvy’ lives and ‘appy’ pursuits!

Many pre teen kids now own cell phones or ‘mobiles’ as we call them here in the UK.

Most parents, including me, are keen to limit screen time and remind our kids about pastimes from ‘the olden days’  including engaging with ‘books’, ‘paper’, ‘pens’ and ‘pencils’!

So my mission is to keep art going in the classroom and combine the two  – Good Old Art with a Modern Tech Twist! – 

Through art, kids can express themselves in an abstract way, explore their feelings, how they fit in the world, their hopes, fears, goals, likes and dislikes – often in a deeper and more meaningful way than using only words.

Art activities can be especially useful at the beginning of a new year when anxiety may be running high – for both teachers and students!

My classroom and homeschooler/parent art activities are designed to engage kids of all abilities, are low prep, include finished examples for inspiration, require limited workspace and basic art materials

You can browse back to school projects here by or by clicking on these best sellers below:

Graffiti All About Me
A Hoodie All About Me
A Sneaker All About Me
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