Fun with Hieroglyphs is the resource you need for all your hieroglyphic crafts and projects. Includes 24 good-quality stamps, an ink pad, and a guidebook in a sturdy, book-sized case.

Have your students mummify an orange with this "Fruity Pharaoh" Lesson Plan! As far as fun activities go, consider having a Mummy Race, with teams competing to see who can make a "mummy" (wrap a standing teammate with toilet paper) first!

Build a paper model of a Pharaoh's Death Mask.

Click here for a variety of Egyptian projects from the Detroit Institute of the Arts.

Boise Art Museum offers a wealth of Egyptian ideas, including papyrus, jewelry, coloring sheets of the gods, senet, and the best cartouche craft out there!

Find out how to dress like an Egyptian, including instructions for a collar, bracelets, and an amulet.

Play the Egyptian game of senet.

Ancient China
Make a Chinese Slat Book to understand why the Chinese wrote from top to bottom and from right to left. There is also a link to explanations of basic Chinese characters, and how to imitate them.

Look under our World Cultures heading for more craft ideas for China.

Ancient Greece
This site offers lots of good ancient Greek crafts for the upper elementary school child, including directions for a paper mache Trojan horse, a pasta drama mask, and more!

Use rounds of cardboard and classical Greek Shield patterns to make your own authentic shields.

Template & instructions for a Mask of Medusa.

Stage your own Olympic Games! Full instructions can be found at Mr. Donn's website, or just think of your own selection of games! Divide into the Athenians and the Spartans. Use our Olympic Award Certificate to fill out and keep in your notebook as a memory of all the fun.

Have you read the Greek myth of Arachne? Make a spider bracelet to go along with the story!


Ancient Rome
Build a paper model of the Colosseum.

Jesus was born during the Roman era. This simple paper Nativity Scene prints in color.

Find a selection of Roman crafts for the upper elementary school child, including making a fresco, mosaics, and a Roman road.

Dress the Roman Soldier with this paper cut-out craft! Easy & fun for kids!

WORLD: Middle Ages 400-1400

Castles & Cathedrals
This Dungeons and Dragons site offers castles and other medieval buildings. All are done in color for the advanced student to print and fold.

Make a simple paper castle at this site, or try another one here! This paper soldiers site includes a castle, along with knights, weapons, and many other figures.

Better yet, make a castle pop-up card! This site offers another castle pop-up which doesn't include a pattern, but instructs you on how to make your own.

Build Neuschwanstein Castle out of paper at the Paper Toys site!

Create a Stained Glass Window! Or click here for more stained glass window ideas! Here's another one from Kid's Domain. "Shrinky Dinks" (or "Shrink Art") from your local craft store is also great for Stained Glass projects—simply draw/trace and bake!


Knights
Make your own authentic looking knight's helmet out of sturdy paper!

Make an authentic medieval shield (coat of arms) with instructions from Owl & Mouse.

Find instructions for chain mail at the History For Kids site.

This technique for making realistic, flexible armor out of craft foam is amazing! The instructions do not include a pattern, but just the process. Be sure to look at the author's finished product (for fictional "Helm's Deep" armor)!

Medieval Life
Make a chess set out of paper thanks to Canon Papercraft!

Medieval Times Thematic Unit by Cynthia Ross. Teacher Created Resources, 2004.
Reproducible activites based on the books Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, Adam of the Road, The Door in the Wall.

The Victoria & Albert Museum offers instructions & explanations to create a medieval book. Make your own quill pen and practice writing with washable ink!

Here is a fun and simple king's crown or queen's crown to color, cut, and paste together. It's wearable when you finish!

Make the medieval siege weapon, the trebuchet. This is an advanced paper craft.

Make a jester's hat out of craft foam.

This paper soldiers site includes figures for Normans, Saxons, Hospitalers, Mongols, and more, as well as siege weapons, a battering ram, and a castle.

Professor Noggin's Medieval Times Card Game

Robin Hood
Make Robin Hood's green cap! This site lists lots of fun and games with a Robin Hood theme!

Vikings
See Hands-On America Vol. 1: Art Activities About Vikings, Explorers, Woodland Indians and Colonial Life below.

Make a Viking ship out of paper!

WORLD: Age Of Discovery 1400-1700

England
The tradition of guarding the royals dates back to the early 1500's. Make a clothespin doll replica of a Buckingham Palace guard.

Construct the Tower of London from paper!

Explorers
Find out how early explorers found their latitude by making your own Navigator's Quadrant. Or try this quadrant link for more explanation.

Make a Spanish Galleon out of a milk carton.

Professor Noggin's Explorers Card Game

Japan
Scroll down this page to find instructions for an origami Samurai Helmet from the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

Look under our World Cultures heading for more craft ideas for Japan.

Pirates
Make a telescope (or spy glass) with a paper towel tube. Make an extending version by sliding a smaller tube inside. Paint it black or gold.

Find a no-sew pirate costume here.

Wars and Conflicts
This paper soldiers site includes figures for ships and galleons, Samurai, Imperials from the Thirty Years War, and much more!


Renaissance
Make an art project based on a technique of Albrecht Durer.


Shakespeare
Build a paper model of the Globe Theatre.

WORLD: 1700 - Present

French Revolution
Celebrate Bastille Day with this fireworks Scratch Art.

Play the card game Guillotine!

The Eiffel Tower was built to commemorate the French Revolution. Make yours from paper!

Napoleon
Make Napoleon's hat with these basic instructions, then trim with gold paint and embellish to your taste (copy pictures!).

Russia
Make Faberge eggs! Decorate plastic Easter eggs with glitter, sequins, flat jewels, and gold or silver trim. You can even create a bird's nest to glue inside with supplies from your craft store. Follow these instructions from the Cleveland Museum of Art for an elegant egg holder.

Charles Lindburgh
Make a paper display of Lindburgh and the Spirit of St. Louis!

WORLD WARS

Find paper soldiers to print and cut out. Includes specific figures for warriors and soldiers throughout history, including both world wars.

Click here for a paper model of a tank to cut out and put together.

Get pre-printed "notebooking" ideas from Hold That Thought
for both World & American History!
Order through this link and get FREE shipping!

AMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICA: General Topics

Presidents
Click here for nicely detailed coloring pages of all American presidents!

Activities Spanning the Years
Interactive 3-D Maps: American History: Easy-to-Assemble 3-D Maps That Students Make and Manipulate to Learn Key Facts and Concepts--in a Kinesthetic Way! by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne. Scholastic, 2005.
Reproducible activities to illustrate important events.

Celebrate the 4th of July with these patriotic craft ideas from Artists Helping Children.

Professor Noggin's History of the United States Card Game

AMERICA: pre-1600's

Incans, Aztecs, and Mayans
Make a South American rain stick.

These coloring pages on the Ancient Aztecs are phenomenal!


American Indians/Native Americans See category below.


Explorers

History Pockets, Explorers of North America, Grades 4-6
You will love these books (it's a series)!
Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make.
Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.

Hands-On America Vol. 1: Art Activities About Vikings, Explorers, Woodland Indians and Colonial Life by Yvonne Young Merrill, illus. Mary Simpson. Kits Publishing, 2001. E-JH
Projects are based on authentic artifacts!

Professor Noggin's Explorers Card Game

Make a Spanish Galleon out of a milk carton.

AMERICA: 1600's

American Indians/Native Americans
See Hands-On America Vol. 1: Art Activities About Vikings, Explorers, Woodland Indians and Colonial Life above.

History Pockets, Native Americans, Grade 1-3 (History Pockets) by Karen Lowther. Evan-Moor.
You will love these books (it's a series)! Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make. Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.

Northeast Indians: Reproducible Models That Help Students Build Content Area Knowledge and Vocabulary and Learn About the Traditional Life of Native American Peoples (Easy Make & Learn Projects) by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne. Scholastic, 2005.

Southwest Indians: Reproducible Models That Help Students Build Content Area Knowledge and Vocabulary and Learn About the Traditional Life of Native American Peoples (Easy Make & Learn Projects) by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne. Scholatic, 2005.

Make a Native American Drum! Or go to this TeachersFirst site for instructions on a cornhusk doll, pinch pot, dream catcher, weaving, and authentic recipes!

This resource has instructions for a Native American headdress and shirt, as well as recipes for authentic foods. The instructions outline an entire day of activities celebrating Native American heritage.

Find an Indian vest made out of a paper grocery bag and a headdress, too.

Try Native American Sand Painting!

Coil Baskets were made long ago by many ancient cultures, including Native Americans.

Professor Noggin First Peoples of North America Card Game

Moccasins can be made out of paper or click here for detailed instructions on making a one-piece moccasin out of leather (or suede fabric).

Pilgrims & Thanksgiving
History Pockets, Life in Plymouth, Grades 1-3 (History Pockets) by Jill Norris & Sandi Johnson. Evan-Moor.
You will love these books (it's a series)! Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make. Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.

Make Pilgrim place cards out of juice boxes!

Make Pilgrim hats for boys and others for girls!

AMERICA: 1700's

Colonial Life
Try your hand at making colonial candles or Pomander Balls or a Horn Book or a Quill Pen or a Rag Doll with the easy directions at this site. A separate site gives instructions for a Nettie Doll, which is a rag doll constructed in a similar fashion to a cornhusk doll.

Jacob's Ladder & Whirlygig toys are often sold in historical souvenir shops. Make yours with these instructions!

Try your skills at Marbles or the Game of Graces.

See Hands-On America Vol. 1: Art Activities About Vikings, Explorers, Woodland Indians and Colonial Life above.

Make a punched tin decoration to imitate the early American lanterns or candle sconces.

Make your own quill pen and practice writing with washable ink!

The Dutch used windmills in New Amsterdam (the future New York), and other colonies such as Williamsburg had them, too. Copy this pattern onto cardstock to make one yourself!

History Pockets, Colonial America, Grades 4-6 (History Pockets) by Marc Tyler Nobleman. Evan-Moor.
You will love these books (it's a series)! Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make. Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.

Colonial America (Easy Make & Learn Projects): 18 Fun-to-Create Reproducible Models that Bring the Colonial Period to Life by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne. Scholastic, 2002.
Our favorite projects were a 3-D Jamestown, and a Look-Inside Log Cabin. Everything can be made from paper (or cardstock).


Founding Fathers & Government
Conduct 4 different experiments similar to what the amazing scientist and inventor Ben Franklin did.

This simple craft illustrates the first President's Cabinet in a way that a child can understand and remember. FREE from A Book In Time!

Kids can make Abraham Lincoln or George Washington by cutting out shapes from construction paper or craft foam. The patterns are very inexpensive and are available for immediate download! The flag and the American eagle are also options!

Revolutionary War
This paper soldiers site includes ships and soldiers from both American and British regiments (Look under the 18th Century heading.)

Professor Noggin's American Revolution Card Game

AMERICA: 1800's

War of 1812
All Hands on Deck is a fabulous classroom resource on "Old Ironsides." Be sure to check out the DVD/Video offered free to teachers (or view it online).

Slavery & Plantations
Demonstrate the value of Eli Whitney's cotton gin by giving each student a cotton boll so they can experience pulling out all the seeds by hand.

Abraham Lincoln
Make Lincoln's tall, black stovepipe hat.

Log cabin crafts range from a more difficult cabin to a very simple.

Kids can make Abraham Lincoln by cutting out shapes from construction paper or craft foam. The patterns are very inexpensive and available for immediate download!


Civil War
Print and cut out paper Civil War soldiers.

Check out these instructions for a Buckingham Palace guard, and use the same construction ideas to make your own clothespin Civil War soldiers. (Clothespin dolls were popular at the time of the Civil War.)

Professor Noggins Civil War Trivia Game


Frontier Life
Try your hand at making candles or a Horn Book or a Quill Pen or a Rag Doll with the easy directions at this site.

Get instructions for a Nettie Doll, which is a rag doll constructed in a similar fashion to cornhusk dolls. Or try your hand at making a Clothespin Doll.


Inventors
Print out a coloring and activity book on George Washington Carver.

Make a Paddle Steamboat as you study Robert Fulton! Print, cut, and assemble!

Featured in our Newsletter!
Demonstrate the value of Eli Whitney's cotton gin by giving each student a cotton boll so they can experience pulling out all the seeds by hand. Pair this activity with the "Lift & Look" plantation in Colonial America (Easy Make & Learn Projects): 18 Fun-to-Create Reproducible Models that Bring the Colonial Period to Life for a complete hands-on project!

Gold Rush
The kids will love panning for gold! The Mineral Information Institute offers kits for individual or classroom use.

Westward Expansion
History Pockets, Moving West, Grades 4-6 by Martha Cheney. Evan-Moor.
You will love these books (it's a series)! This title includes "pockets" on missionaries, Native American struggles, the Oregon Trail, and the Gold Rush. Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make. Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.

Make a covered wagon from construction paper or craft foam with this pattern.

Statue of Liberty
Click here to print, cut, and paste together a paper Statue of Liberty. Or click here for one that might be slightly simpler. This is an attractive, preprinted Liberty Star to cut and fold.

AMERICA: 1900's

Presidents & U.S. Government
Click here for a paper model of the Capitol Building.

Cut and paste together this simple model of Mt. Rushmore.

Use ribbon and small gold bells to make a President's Day wind chime.

Make a paper model of the White House.

Kids can make Abraham Lincoln or George Washington by cutting out shapes from construction paper or craft foam. The patterns are very inexpensive and are available for immediate download! An impressive American eagle is also offered!


Air & Space
Celebrate the Wright brothers by constructing their air flyer from paper!

Make a paper model of an early airplane.

Celebrate rockets and space explorers with these patriotic rockets.

Construct a space shuttle out of paper. Advanced.