DIY

Encanto Coloring Pages and Activity Pack

Disney definitely gave us a warm holiday treat this winter when they released Encanto. The screen comes alive in this movie with bright florals and the golden glow of enchantment. We hope your family has enjoyed watching Encanto, and what better way to relive the Madrigal family’s magic than with some free Encanto printable coloring pages and games?

Jump to free Encanto Printable Coloring Pages

Jump to free Encanto Printable Activities

What Country is Encanto based on?

One of the things that I was curious about early on in this movie was that I wanted to know what country is Encanto based on? As it turns out, the scenes were crafted to closely resemble Colombia in architecture and style.

What culture is Encanto?

Because it is modeled after a typical Colombian rural village, the culture in Encanto is aligned with the Columbian culture. In fact, the animation team partnered with choreographers to more accurately represent Colombian music and dance.

What is the story of Encanto?

As the song Dos Oroguitas plays, we learn the backstory to the Madrigal family’s magic. In her youth, Abuela and her husband were fleeing their village when tragedy struck. At the time of this sad event, the candle that Abuela was holding grew into an enormous flame that protected her and the rest of the refugees. This candle also provided Abuela with her enchanted casita where she lived with her children and, later on, her grandchildren.

Will Encanto be on Disney +?

Encanto is currently streaming on Disney+, and is also available to rent or buy on Amazon Video.

Printable Encanto Coloring Pages

These Encanto coloring pages are all free for personal use. Simply right-click the image and save it to your computer or print it out. There is also a pdf version below each image.

Mirabel

Click here to download the pdf of the Mirabel coloring page

Antonio

Click here to download the pdf of the Antonio coloring page

The Sisters

Encanto Mirablel and her Sisters Coloring Page

Click here to download the pdf of The Sisters coloring page

La Familia

Click here to download the pdf of the La Familia coloring page

Butterfly Maze Activity

Click here to download the pdf of the butterfly maze

Spot the Difference Pages

Click here to download the pdf of the Spot the Difference pages

Decorate your Own Magical Door

Encanto Decorate a Magical Door Activity Page

Click here to download the pdf of the Decorate your Door activity

Draw a Family Meal

Click here to download the pdf of the Draw a Family Meal activity

We hope you enjoy these free Encanto printable coloring pages and activity pages!

Check out these other printable coloring pages!

Onward Printable Coloring Pages

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Frozen 2 Printable Coloring Pages and Activities

Coco Coloring Pages and Activities

Incredibles 2 Coloring Pages and Activities

Valentines Day Printable Word Search, Maze, and Word Jumble

These 3 easy and fun Valentines Day printables are sure to add to your holiday fun. And since they are free, all you have to do is print and go!

In the classroom, word searches and word jumbles are a favorite “fast-finisher” activity of mine. Once you download these freebies, they can be printed out as many times as you want. So feel free to pass them out to the whole class or use them for a simple Valentines Day party activity at home.

To get all 3 free printable Valentines Day activities, you will have to download each one separately using the links below. Just click the link to be taken to the file. You can print from there or save it to your computer to use later. Each file is 2 pages long because the activity is on the first page and the copyright attribution is on the second page.

Valentines Day Word Search
Valentines Day Word Jumble
Valentines Day Maze with solution on page 2!

The activity pages are in black-and-white so your little ones can also enjoy coloring in the pictures. If homeschooling has taught me one thing, it is that printer ink is an expensive commodity! The pages shown in the photo above were printed with the “conserve ink/print as draft” option checked in my print dialog box. If you haven’t tried this, it is a great trick to extend the life of your ink cartridges! More info on how to do that here. And as you can see, the lines are still crisp and plenty dark enough.

Check out these other Valentines Day posts:

This year is our first year as a homeschool family, and one of the things my kids miss the most is classroom holiday parties. While I can’t give them a big party right now (thank you, pandemic), I can offer small moments of heart-themed entertainment. Like these cute little Valentines Day printable puzzle activities. If you liked these printables, make sure you’re following my Instagram where I share all my stuff as it goes up on the blog.

And now for the “fine print”: I did pay to use the clipart images in these files, so you are ok to use the activity page as is. But you may not screenshot or make a copy of the clipart images by themselves. Those are the property of the creator. Her logo and a link to her website are on the second page of each activity. Please do not crop out my website at the bottom. I made it teeny weeny so it wouldn’t intrude on the activity, and so other people can find it if they want their own copy.

DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband

Who else loves an occasion to dress up? The girls have been counting down until the 4th of July, or “Fireworks Day” as they call it, since Easter. We’re not doing much to celebrate this year, but I did set aside some time to work with the kids on a red white and blue accessory. This DIY red white and blue flower headband, also called a flower crown, is so easy to make, you’ll want to make one for all your friends and family!

Materials for a DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband

For this project you will need:

A hot glue gun – I got my mini glue gun at Michaels for like $5.

Scissors

Suede cord – Again, Michaels. This fat roll was on clearance!

Artificial flowers with leaves. I used carnations from Michaels, and they were pretty big. Let that be your guide when choosing flowers for your flower crown.

Ribbon

Felt or cloth (optional)

You guys, this DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband craft was so simple! I’ll walk you through it step by step. Please let me know in the comments how the craft worked out for you!

How to Make a DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband

DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband

These red white and blue floral headbands are made from materials you can easily find at craft stores!

Materials

Suede cord
Artificial flowers with leaves
Ribbon
Felt or cloth (optional)

Tools

Hot glue gun

Instructions

Cut 3 equal lengths of suede cord for each DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband. I cut mine all 30 inches long. There was about 6 inches extra on my daughters’ headbands that I had to trim off.
Hot glue the end of the 3 suede cords together, then braid them into a rope of sorts. You’ll want the braid to be smaller than the circumference of your head, because you’ll be tying the headband on with ribbon. Hot glue the finished end of the braid. (Tip: Use a clipboard to hold the braid steady)
Remove a flower from the stem and push it through the very middle of the suede cord braid. Hot glue the end to hold it in place. Optional: The plastic backs of the flowers can be scratchy, so you may want to hot glue a little bit of felt or cloth to the back of the DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband.
Leave a good deal of space in between the middle flower and add 2 flowers on either side of it. The carnations I used for this DIY Red White and Blue Flower Headband are pretty large. If you glue them too close together, the whole thing can get a bunchy look.
Hot glue some leaves in between the flowers to fill in some of the space. I ended up using 3 little leaf-bunches in between each flower on this crown.
Finish off by glueing ribbon to the ends of each suede cord braid. Since this flower crown has a red white and blue theme, I used a starry ribbon to match the blue and red ribbon.
That’s it! Tie the red white and blue flower headband on and you’ll be perfectly accessorized for all the July 4th festivities.

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Also be sure and check out our other Summer Fun posts!

Scoob! Movie Printable Activity Pages

May 15th was the official premiere and watch party for the new Scooby Doo and Shaggy movie, SCOOB! Your family is going to love this movie. To make the home entertainment even more fun, I’ve rounded up a bunch of Scooby Doo printables and coloring pages! I hope you enjoy this mega bundle of Scooby Doo printables, games and activities. Perfect for your next Scooby Doo themed party or SCOOB! movie night watch party.

Here’s a little bit of the storyline from the website: The first full-length animated Scooby-Doo adventure for the big screen is the never-before told stories of Scooby-Doo’s origins and the greatest mystery in the career of Mystery Inc.

“SCOOB!” reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

SCOOB! Printable Coloring Pages & Activities

Looking for some easy activities for your Scooby Doo party or SCOOB! movie night? This mega bundle of coloring pages, games, and activities are printer-ready!

Scooby Doo Printable Cutouts

These full-color cutouts are an easy Scooby Doo craft!

Scooby Doo Mystery Machine

Print out this colorful Mystery Machine cutout, add some glue, and you're all set!

Evil Bot Mask

Print out this Evil Bot mask and pretend you're part of the movie!

SCOOB! Bracelet Cutouts

These Scooby Doo Bracelet Cutouts are another easy Print-and-Go craft!

Scooby Doo Themed Party Food

Try these tasty treats at your next Scooby Doo movie watch party!

Scooby Doo Monster Burgers

These are sure to make you SCREAM for more!

Scooby Doo Cupcakes

Take your cupcake skills up a notch with this easy-to-follow Scooby Doo cupcake tutorial!

SCOOB! Coloring Pages

Use your creativity to bring your favorite SCOOB! characters to life.

Shaggy and Scooby Coloring Page

This Scooby Doo coloring page is from when the pals were little.

Young Scooby Doo Coloring Page

He's such a cute little pup!

Shaggy and Scooby Picnic

Here are the BFFs, doing what they do best... Eating!

Scooby and the Gang Coloring Page

All the friends are here in this Scooby and the Gang coloring page!

Best Pals Coloring Page

Shaggy and Scooby are the best of friends!

The Mystery Inc. Coloring Page

Another great printable of the whole crew!

Ruh-Roh Coloring Page

One of Scooby's classic lines!

Shaggy Coloring Page

Lots of snacks in the background are the perfect wallpaper for this hungry fella!

The Gang in the Snow

This chilly scene brings all the friends together for some coloring fun!

Shaggy and Scooby at the Movies

No sharing popcorn for these guys!

The Mystery Machine Coloring Page

The unsung hero of all the spooky adventures.

More Scooby Doo Printable Activities

Looking for more Scoby Doo printable activities? Check these out!

Mystery Quiz

Test your SCOOB knowledge with this fun quiz!

Scooby Doo Maze Activity

Help Scooby Doo get through the maze to find his collar. Also, test your memory skills with this fun online SCOOB! memory game!

The Mystery Inc. Gang Maze Activity

Help the pals find the haunted house!

SCOOB! Connect the Dots

Reveal the Blue Falcon in this connect the dots activity page.

Shaggy and Fred Connect the Dots Activity

Complete this activity to reveal Fred!

Movie Scavenger Hunt

Be on the lookout for these characters, and check them off as you watch the movie! Bonus game: Go to whackabot.scoob.movie to whack some evil bots in a fun online game!

Scooby Doo Crossword Puzzle

Use the clues to solve the puzzle!

Scooby Doo Mad Libs

You can enjoy this silly story over and over again!

SCOOB! Drawing Challenge

Pick a character to draw and have your family and friends guess who it is!

How to Draw Scoob

Use this quick tutorial or watch this video on how to draw the mystery-solving pooch.

SCOOB! Word Search (1)

Can you find all the hidden words?

SCOOB! Word Search (2)

Even more word-seeking fun!

Want the whole, 40+ page activity mega bundle? Click here to grab the entire SCOOB! Movie Night Party Pack.

Mega Bundle of Scooby Doo printables, games and activities for your next Scooby Doo themed party or SCOOB! movie night watch party.

Free Printable Valentine’s Day Card – Looking Sharp

When it comes to Valentine’s Day cards, all I really want is something that’s easy to do. This year I created my own printable with a cute pair of sunglasses. It’s a great candy-free Valentine’s Day option. You can make it even more special and “punny” if you add a sharpened pencil to the card!

This easy and FREE printable Valentine's Day card is a great candy free alternative. Add decorative pencils to make it extra special!

The Year of Candy-Free Valentines

This year I wanted my kids to give out candy free Valentine’s Day cards. I was a teacher for a long time, so I know that the last thing any educator wants is a bunch of seven-year-olds all hopped up on sugar. I’ve seen some super cute Valentines on Pinterest with a play on words, so my goal was to create something like that.

These Valentines are about 3″ x 3.5″ in length and come with 4 printed t a page. They work best if you print them out in color on card stock paper, but I’ve also made them using standard copy paper. Here’s how to make your own “Looking Sharp” free printable Valentines Cards:

Looking Sharp Printable Valentine

Get the printable Valentine here. Print it onto heavyweight or card stock paper. On the back of each card, write the name of who your Valentine is to and from.

Tip: If you’re making Valentines with your small child (any age from pre-K to first grade), it’s MUCH easier on the teacher if the cards aren’t addressed to a specific child. If your child can’t read, then he has to have his teacher read every single name to him. From experience, it takes forever to pass them out this way.

Tutorial for the Looking Sharp printable Valentine's Day cards

Cut out each card and, using a standard single hole punch, make a hole at the corner of each sunglasses. The hole punch that I use in all my crafting has notches in the side so you can line up the hole punch with the right place on the paper.

Otherwise, guessing where the holes will be can make your cards look like this:

Bend the card into a rainbow shape and push the pencil through the two holes. The pencil makes the card it keep its rounded shape. At first I planned to make the cards with dollar store pencils but they kept breaking as I was sharpening them, so I ordered some cute Valentine’s Day pencils from Amazon instead. I think they will go pretty well with this card’s color pattern too!

printable Valentines with a pencil and no candy!

And there you have a pretty easy Valentine that you can make yourself!

Easy and Fun Printable Valentine's Day card candy free

Cute but Cheap Farmhouse Decor Finds on Amazon

If only I had the budget of the Fixer Upper crew! I’d have our cozy little home turned into a San Diego farmhouse in no time. There’s a little shop near us that creates custom designed farm tables, up to 12 feet long. Unfortunately, we’re making do for now with pre-made Farmbouse decor on Amazon. Today I’m rounding up some pieces that are super cute and won’t break the bank! And the best part is that, as of right now, they’re all on Prime so I can have them at my doorstep in less than 48 hours. Check out these cheap farmhouse finds on Amazon:

Farmhouse Decor You Can Afford

Did you know you can buy barn doors Amazon? That’s a little out of our price range at the moment. If barn doors or a custom table are too expensive, then most big pieces on Amazon probably are too. No matter what your home looks like, it will have a much more farmhouse-y feel with some simple accessories.

Remember back when I shared about easy everyday table decor? I had recently been to a decorating presentation by a local woman who works as a stylist for showcase homes. She was all over eucalyptus in everything. So I went out and cut some branches from a eucalyptus tree down the street. The table did look nice for a while. But pretty soon the leaves dried and the snippets of eucalyptus lost their fresh green luster.

Savor the look of fresh greenery all year long with some artificial eucalyptus or cheery faux hydrangea.

Creating a Farmhouse Look in a Small Home

We have a pretty small living space, and it’s shared by 6 people. So I totally understand the frustration when it comes to the cluttered feeling of a small space home. But you can still get that cute farmhouse look with a few simple tricks.

Use a lot of white and neutral colors to open up the space. Burlap, white-painted vintage items, and bright white flowers are quick and easy farmhouse-style pieces. This burlap table runner and vintage vase are on Amazon.

Add one or two eye-catching pieces to set the farmhouse decor tone. A rustic wall organizer or vintage cabinet with chalkboard can make it look like you’re an awesome thrift-store-finding-D.I.Y.-er… It’s ok, we won’t tell anyone that you got it on Amazon. 😉

Compliment the Things you Already Have in your Home with Farmhouse Decor Accents

Add a simple touch like a little mason jar wall decoration. Or give any space a “lazy summer day” vibe with a string of indoor/outdoor globe lights.

A tight budget shouldn’t prevent you from getting the farmhouse decor look you crave in your home. It just takes some piecing together (and a bit of eucalyptus!) to make your home feel like Joanna Gaines has been there.

DIY Christmas Gift | Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Bags

During the holidays, I like to give a little something nice to my coworkers and the kids’ teachers. The trick is finding something that fits in my budget and also falls under a “one size fits all” category to save on shopping time. This was the DIY Christmas gift I gave out last year. It was so easy and inexpensive to make!

DIY Christmas Gift Idea: Pretzel Treat Bags

To make the chocolate dipped pretzels, you need a really fat pretzel. Either the twisty kind or the straight kind will do.

Materials:

Pretzel twists or sticks

White and brown milk chocolate chips

2 microwave-safe bowls

Candy sprinkles

Wax paper

Holiday treat bags

Ribbon

Gift tags

Put one color of chocolate chips in each bowl. Working with one color at a time, microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until the chips are melted and soft.

Dip a pretzel in melted chocolate and top with a light coating of candy sprinkles.

Lay the sprinkled, chocolate-covered pretzels on a sheet of wax paper and allow them to dry completely.

Once they are dry, put some candy-covered pretzels into a treat bag. Tie it with ribbon and add a gift tag with the recipient’s name.

This time of year I always find myself caught up in the holiday spirit. I want to give something nice to everyone I know, but of course that’s not reasonable. I want my fellow coworkers and Logan’s teachers to know that I appreciate them, but I don’t have a lot of extra time or money. This was such an easy and inexpensive DIY Christmas gift to put together. I plan to make another batch of these treat bags this year, and I know the twins would love to help me dip the pretzels in chocolate!

What’s your go-to gift for coworkers ? Let’s discuss holiday gift-giving in the comments sections below!

Halloween Pencil Treats

These Halloween pencil treats are candy-free, so they make a cute little gift for your child’s class. They are so easy to make that even your small children can help you! Ever since I had a type-1 diabetic student in my class, I try to be more conscious of the sweet treats I send to school. If possible, I try and come up with a candy-free goodie for the kids to share with friends. We made enough to pass out to the girls’ classmates, and had a few extras to add to our Halloween candy dish for the big night!

When I first came up with the idea for this post I was planning on making cute little printable cutouts. But it turned out to be a lot of work both to create the printables and to cut out 30 little Halloween shapes! I found these cute cutouts online, and they work much better for what I need to do. I love that they’re not too spooky for my little cuties!

Halloween Pencil Treats

Materials:
Halloween-shaped mini cutouts
Single hole punch
Fancy pencils

Simply punch a hole in the top and bottom of each shape. Depending on how strong your hole punch is, you may be able to punch through several cutouts at one time. Weave a pencil through the two holes. The hole punch may make holes that are too small to get the unsharpened pencils through, so we used a sharp pencil to widen the holes a bit. It’s up to you if you want to sharpen the treat pencils before handing them out. We sharpened the ones we gave to the friends at school. I didn’t want the poor teacher to be bombarded by 24 kids, all wanting their pencil sharpened at once. From experience, I much prefer my class to receive sharpened pencils as gifts for just that reason!

I’ll be honest, we definitely have plenty of candy in the house at this time of year. But it doesn’t hurt to have a fun activity like this that the kids can make and that doesn’t include any sugar! We are out trick or treating as a family on Halloween, so we don’t usually need a lot of candy on hand for passing out to the other kids in the neighborhood. I plan on adding in some of these cutouts with the candy in our candy bowl and seeing which one the kids prefer: candy or pencil. I’ll let you know how it goes! These cute little Halloween Pencil Treats are a great candy-free option you can pass out on the big night or take to school. Your kids will love helping you make this fun craft!

How Smart Appliances can Save your Sanity

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Many of you know that John recently graduated from SDSU as a computer science major. Over the last 4 years he’s told me more than my brain can handle about software and programming. As much as I tease him for his over-the-top geekiness, there is something to be said for the latest advances in technology. I mean, where would I be without my smartphone? If you are still on the fence about owning smart home appliances, let me share with you why smart appliances can save your sanity.

Kids will love helping with chores

Kids love gadgets and tinkering with things. The LG Smart Appliances (available now at Best Buy) can connect to your Google Home or Alexa device, so your kids won’t even have to know they’re helping with chores! They can just say, “Alexa, start the dryer”, and voila! If you have an LG washer and dryer with SmartThinQ® technology, it will start right away. Doesn’t technology make laundry time more fun? The SmartThinQ® app can also notify you when the wash is finished. No more forgetting that a load is in the washer!

They make an on-the-go lifestyle more manageable

I’ve come to realize that every season in life is a busy season. My friends all say their family life is crazy busy, whether their kids are 2 or 22 years old. The cool thing about the LG smart kitchen appliances is that they are wi-fi and voice-enabled. So, as you’re chopping veggies for the party, you can say, “Ok, Google, turn on ice plus.” Next thing you know, your classy matte black stainless steel refrigerator is pumping out extra ice. I got to explore the LG refrigerator at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Pasadena, and I found out that they have another “cool” feature (pun intended). The outside of the fridge door is black, but when you knock on it , it turns transparent so you can see inside without having to open the door.

I can see my family using this 1,000 times a day.

“Mom, do we have any more juice?”

“I don’t know, go knock on the fridge and see!”

Plus, you can use the SmartThinQ® app to preheat the oven from the car on your way home, or to check how much longer the oven timer is set for.

They are compatible with so many devices

For me, this is the biggest sanity-saver. Being able to connect my kitchen and laundry appliances to an Alexa or Google Home is great, but I love that you can manage the appliances from your smartphone. I’m at work or carpooling kiddos all day long, so it’s nice to have that extra connection to home appliances.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to cross over to the ‘smart’ side.

This is the perfect time to join the community of LG Smart Appliance owners. Right now, through July 11, Best Buy is offering super deals on the kitchen and laundry appliances.

The Summer Kitchen Bundle: There is a $400 INSTANT rebate on the 4-piece LG or LG Studio Kitchen Bundle, even on Independence Day.

The LG Ultimate Laundry Room Rebate: Receive up to a $400 rebate on the purchase of a qualifying laundry bundle.

Check out all the options for Best Buy deals and LG appliances here.

Valentine Gift for your Mom Friends

During this holiday of love and giving, let’s not forget about our gal pals. Being a mom is a big job, and we’re often left feeling under-appreciated for all that we do. If you need an idea for a Valentine gift for your moms friends, or maybe a just because gift for your bestie, I have an idea for a super easy and thoughtful way to show these women that they are valuable and loved.

I’m sure we can all think of a friend who could some acknowledgement for how hard she’s working as a mom. Why not give her a little pat on the back by gifting her with a little trinket of encouragement?

So what is it? It’s really just a cute little jar of marbles. But there is a lot of meaning behind it. The marbles represent all the balls we juggle as women: wife, mother, coworker, friend, team mom, room mom, chauffeur, chef, nurse, therapist, shoulder to lean on… Sometimes we’ve got so much going on that we drop the ball. And that’s ok!

Materials for the Valentine Gift for your Mom Friends

This works best with little bitty containers. I got these turquoise lidded ones at Michaels but there is a similar kind on Amazon that are half as much as the Michael’s ones. As for the marbles, I just happen to have a zillion of them because, teacher. But you can probably find them at the dollar store. I got a bunch of these marbles on Amazon years ago for a classroom marble jar reward system (I think they’re cheaper now!). The stickers came from my classroom stash as well, but I think they were a Target find that are supposed to be an envelope seal similar to these. Cute little red heart stickers can be found just about anywhere as a good substitute.

To be honest, I can’t take full credit for this idea. It was inspired by a devotional I’ve been reading with some friends, Living a Life of Balance. It’s a Christian book about meeting your needs for physical and mental health as well as spiritual balance. Perfect for the new year, right? Each chapter ends with a little idea for a trinket that’s themed around finding balance.

Gift-Giving can be “Just Because”

I ended up having more little boxes than I needed for the women in my study group. I gave the extras to some of my friends who aren’t in the group. Everyone thought they were really cute. I like that it’s a small token of acknowledgement to other hard-working moms. Plus, it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It’s nice if you can pair it with a little note or card explaining why you’re giving the person a tiny jar of marbles. 🙂 Also, chocolate is always appropriate!

If you don’t end up giving this gift, I hope you’re inspired to encourage another mom in some way. It doesn’t have to be at Valentines Day, either. It’s always a good time to lift another mom up by showing her your appreciation for her!