Cinco de Mayo Fiesta With Latino-Inspired Games, Crafts, Activities

Cinco de Mayo--"fifth of May" in Spanish--celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Pueblo. It's not the Mexican independence day though it sounds like 4th of July in the US. Ironically, my Latino friends tell me Cinco de Mayo isn't a big thing in Mexico (except in the Puebla province) like it is stateside. Regardless, we Americans love our ethnic kitsch. And how to we observe holidays? We party! Or in this case, fiesta. Here's are kid-friendly Cinco de Mayo games, crafts, lesson plans, cultural activities and food! Now if ONLY I could find one of the tortilla chip hats like El Macho has in Despicable Me--that would really make the fiesta! Kid-Friendly Cinco de Mayo Fiesta With Latino-Inspired Games, Crafts, Food

Free Printable Origami, Kirigami, Pop-up Scissors Craft Patterns

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding and kirigami is the art of cutting paper to create stand up, pop up or three dimensional figures. Here are free printable origami and kirigami patterns and template for you to cut, fold and create. Let's celebrate Japan with these crafts. Free Printable Origami, Kirigami and Pop-up Scissors Craft Patterns, Stencils and Templates

Costumes, Not Booze Are the Best Part of Mardi Gras

 What's the best part about Mardi Gras in New Orleans? According to the Huffington Post, most people prefer the booze cruises. I disagree. For me, Mardi Gras is all about the parades, music and best of all the wonderful costumes. Would Mardi Gras be as fun without the alcohol? Absolutely; teetotalers get to enjoy all the color and flavor without the hangover or the unpleasant after-taste. I actually have more fun because I didn't miss everything in a drunken fugue. Costumes, Not Booze or Food, Are the Best Part of Mardi Gras

Free Printable Lent Activities for Catholics, Protestant Christians, Orthodox, Copts

The Catholic observances of lent begins each year with the Imposition of the Ashes on Ash Wednesday, which in the western calendar for 2013 will begin on February 13. Other Christians observe Lent including Orthodox, Copts and some protestants. Lent begins a 40 day journey of fasting, acts of mercy and spiritual pilgrimage. We try to live, in our poor humble human way, in solidarity with Our Lord as he fasted in the desert for 40 days and made his final pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A Roman cross, torture and crucifixion awaited Him. But so did the glory of Easter, the Resurrection. Lent is a season for intense and deep personal and spiritual reflection. Looking for free printable activities to teach kids about lent and Christian Easter? Read more Lent Printables and Catholic Activities

"Jerusalem: A Cookbook" Celebrates Diversity, Shares Passions

I love to cook, and it particular to experiment with different ethnic foods. I like to recreate the dishes we sample from different cuisines. I try to tie in not just the ingredients and cooking styles themselves, but the entire milieu in which they developed. As a Catholic homeschool parent, I made every experience a learning one. There's no better place than the kitchen to teach life lessons about faith and family, and no better place than the dining room table to build healthy relationships and   "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" Celebrates Diversity, Shares Passions 

Free Printable Samhain Crafts, Wiccan, Fairies, Witches Coloring Craft Activities

Along with Halloween, the Wiccan (pagan) holiday of Samhain is celebrated on Oct. 31, too. Samhain activities include bonfires, incantations and magic of all kinds. Here are free printable Wiccan, fairy and pagan coloring pages and crafts. These would fit in with Halloween celebrations, as well as literature studies involving witchcraft and magic-themed fiction. Weave these crafts and activities into lessons on Harry Potter. There are also crafts for other pagan celebrations in order of the wiccan year: Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltaine Litha, Lughnasdha, Mabon and back to Samhain. Read on...Free Printable Wiccan, Fairies, Witches Coloring Craft Activities

Feast of St. Francis 'Blessing of the Animals' Continues Long Tradition

Oct. 4. is the Feast of St.Francis of Assisi, in the Catholic church. He was a gentle, humble man who taught us to love our earth. St. Francis is best known in his role as patron saint of animals. Francis was also a poet. His "Canticle of the Sun" is also called "Brother Sun, Sister Moon." Many churches celebrate the feast of St. Francis with a blessing of pets. The blessing of the pets is one of my most cherished mom-Catholic convert. Here's more on that.  Feast of St. Francis 'Blessing of the Animals' Continues Long Tradition 

Free Printable Saints Coloring Pages for Orthodox New Year

On September 1, the Orthodox Christian church celebrates the New Year. I've just found a lovely blog today, called Waltzing Matilda, that features a whole collection of free printable Catholic saints organized in order of the Catholic liturgical and saints feast day calendar. The Orthodox church honors many of the same saints. Print these free coloring pages for All Saints' Day. This blog features beautiful hand drawn images. Free Printable Catholic Saints Coloring Pages for All Saints Day 

Free Printable St. Nicholas Day Crafts and Activities

To mark the Orthodox New Year celebrated Sept. 1, here are free printable St. Nicholas activities. St. Nicholas is a patron saint of many Orthodox churches. December 6 marks his Feast Day. Nicholas was a 4th century bishop in Asia Minor and is the patron saint of Russia and Holland. Here are free printable St. Nicholas activities for your family, homeschool, religious education classes and Catholic school students. Explore St. Nicholas the man, the legend, the bishop and the saint. Free Printable St. Nicholas Day Crafts and Activities 

Free Printable Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Islamic Activities for Children

The Islamic world ended Ramadan 2012 and entered Eid al-Fitr (also called simply Eid or lesser Eid and sometimes spelled Eid ul-Fitr). For Muslims, Ramadan is holy season marked by prayer, fasting and abstinence. Ramadan, in the Islamic calendar is a month-long observance, falling roughly in the month of August. Here are free printable activities to help Islamic children explore Ramadan and Eid more fully. These activities help non-Muslim kids understand other cultures, too.  Free Printable Ramadan and Islamic Activities for Children 

Helping Children Understand Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Judeo-Christian Connections - Yahoo! News

Ramadan is the monthlong religious fast celebrated by Muslims, during the month of Shawwal (August this year in the western calendar). Like the Christian season of Lent, Ramadan is a penitential season. If focuses on the Five Pillars of Islam. It ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

In order for children to understand their faith and creed, they need to understand how it fits into the larger fabric of religion in general. To explain Islam to children, I've drawn parallels between Judeo-Christian faiths. This will help children understand how Muslims believe and why Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are so important. The five pillars, or tenets of Muslim faith include: (read more at)  Helping Children Understand Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Judeo-Christian Connections