The coloring page features a teacher playing piano from sheet music while three exuberant children dance and sing beside the piano. Musical notes decorate the page.

Pass out the music appreciation coloring page during quiet time in the classroom, or after story time at the library. Be sure to also read these picture book biographies of women musicians. After all, March is also Women's History Month!

Print it out here (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: Musical children and piano coloring page

About the Illustrator

Award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books, Melanie Hope Greenberg loves music! She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read.

Melanie loves to talk to children about the process of writing and illustrating books. Learn about how to bring her talk to your library or school, or request teacher's guides for her books at her blog here.

Her books are favorites of children everywhere. Melanie's cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in her iconic book Mermaid Parade, which was lists as an essential Brooklyn book by the Brooklyn Public Library. Be sure to read her other books, as well!

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like fo

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About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg loves to celebrate Lunar New Year. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read.

All year long she leads excellent workshops about the process of making children's books! Learn about how to bring her talk to your library or school, or request teacher's guides for her books at her blog here.

Melanie is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books! Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in her iconic book Mermaid Parade, which was lists as an essential Brooklyn book by the Brooklyn Public Library. Her many other books include Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like fo

The post Lunar New Year Coloring Page (Year of the Dragon!) appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Children's book illustrator and author, Melanie Hope Greenberg designed the snow globe ready for kids to fill it! Kids can do their own drawings on the snowy landscape or cut out and place the included assortment of decorations the globe.

Snow Globe Coloring Page Craft How-To

The snow globe craft makes a fun boredom buster at home on a wintery day or an easy library story time craft.

Materials

Snow globe coloring page

• Print it out here (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: snow globe coloring page

Coloring pencils, crayons or markers

Scissors

Tape or glue stick

Optional craft material: glitter, glitter glue, stickers, sequins, etc.

Optional: Cardboard

Instructions

Print out the snow globe coloring page and color as desired. Draw inside the globe, or leave it blank to add cut-outs.

Cut out objects and snowflakes from around the globe that you wish to place inside the snow globe. For a bit of whimsy, cut out a small photo of yourself and add inside the globe!

Glue objects in place as desired and use optional materials to jazz up the snow globe scene.

If desired, cut out the main snow globe and glue onto cardboard. Next, cut around the globe and prop up on a bookshelf for all to admire!

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg loves to shake snow globes. She also leads excellent workshops about the process of making children's books! Learn about how to bring her talk to your library or school, or request teacher's guides for her books at her blog here.

Melanie is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is, all of which take place in the city!

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Snow Globe Coloring Page and Craft appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Sailors stand on the deck of a large ship, waving flags as they pass by. Since this is general navy ship illustration, your children will enjoy personalizing it for their own country. Perhaps they will give the ship a name, either the name of a ship on which a love one has served, or invent one of their own.

If your family is attending a parade for the holiday, bring along a handful of coloring pages to pass out the other children who are getting antsy while waiting for the festivities to start, or give finished coloring sheets to parade participants.

However you choose to use the coloring pages, don't forget to talk to your children about what it means to honor the service of others on Veteran's Day.

Print out the pdf (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: Navy ship coloring page

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is, all of which take place in the city!

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

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The haunted mansion template was designed by author and illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg, who does all our monthly coloring pages. The house features empty windows so children can draw in the house's spooky residents. Along with the free printable, we'll give you instructions for how to turn the coloring page template into a 3D house to use as a backdrop for Halloween storytelling.

How to Make the Haunted House

The haunted house template makes putting together the 3D spooky mansion a breeze! This is a great craft for either the classroom, after school at home, or anytime you need a fun boredom buster or Halloween craft.

Kids will love giving the haunted house their own flair by drawing creatures like black cats or witches peering out of the windows and doorways. Add a pumpkin or two, and a Frankenstein monster. Perhaps a witch will fly by on a broomstick!

MORE: Halloween picture books with diverse characters

Cut out the haunted house. You can either cut carefully around the silhouette of the house or leave a wide margin as we did, to accommodate a (second) moon and flying ghosts.

Fold carefully along the dotted lines. Note that the lines don't go to the top of the template, but you'll still want to fold the length of the paper.

If you've printed the house out on card stock or a similar heavy paper, that may be all you need to keep the house standing.

If, like us, you used regular office paper, cut a piece of cardboard to the size of the house. Mark where the fold lines should be and fold the cardboard. We used the cardboard from a cereal box. You may find it easier to score the cardboard with your scissors before folding.

Next, glue your house to the cardboard, and stand it up to create a Haunted House playscape!

Do your kids want to create a whole spooky village? Use our village shop printable coloring page templates and draw in some creepy faces in the windows.

Don't forget to print out the Halloween finger puppets!

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg loves to dress up as a mermaid for Halloween, but alas, she doesn't live in a haunted mansion. You can visit her at her unhaunted website.

She is also an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is, all of which take place in the city!

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Haunted House Template, Free Printable Coloring Page (3D Craft) appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

As with all our monthly coloring pages, these adorable cityscapes were created by children's book author-illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg. The illustrations on the coloring pages were originally part of an enormous mural Melanie created for the AFL-CIO conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. You can see the finished mural in the photo below.

Coloring Page and City Playscape

We love using coloring pages as more than simple screen-free boredom busters. In the past, children have turned Melanie's illustrations into stick puppets (like these adorable bookmobiles), picture frames (like this night sky illustration) and finger puppets (like these gingerbread people).

It's very easy to turn this pair of city coloring pages into the backdrop for pretend play. Pretend play is a great way for kids to exercise their storytelling skills. If you're lucky, they make even put on a show for you! The technique is identical to the way we turned Melanie's ocean coloring page into a seascape. Alternatively, add the cityscape as a backdrop to this diy tabletop puppet theater.

Materials

You'll need the following:

City coloring pages. The free, printable download includes two different cityscapes.

• Print out the coloring page (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: City Mural Coloring Page

Colored pencils, or other coloring medium.

Cardboard. Cut off a large piece of cardboard from the next package you get in the mail! It should be about 22 inches long and 9 inches high to accommodate both coloring pages.

Glue or tape. We used a glue stick.

Boundless imagination (required)

Instructions

Print and color the two cityscapes.

Be sure to write a personalized message in the blank spaces on the blimp and airplane.

Fold the cardboard in half.

Glue a finished coloring page to each half.

Stand the cardboard up. The bend created by folding it in half will allow the board to stand on its own.

Add in toy figures or make stick puppets and tell stories about what happens in the city.

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg supports lives in the city and supports labor unions!

She is also an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is, all of which take place in the city!

One of Melanie's favorite parts of being an author/illustrator is talking about her craft with students at libraries and in classrooms. You can learn more about author visits (virtual or in-person) at her website.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Adorable City Coloring Pages for Pretend Playscape appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Melanie's latest coloring page shares a message that literacy is a key foundation of freedom. It features the Statue of Liberty and a group of children holding up books sitting on her crown.

Spark a conversation with your children, students and library patrons with this bookmark and coloring page set that promotes a love of reading.

As you can see there is a little word play on Lady Liberty's crown! That's because READing is essential for FREEDOM.

Print out the coloring page (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: Reading freedom coloring pages and bookmarks

The coloring page includes two sheets of bonus bookmarks. One set of bookmarks includes a spot for kids to write their name so they can claim their love of reading. The other set is for you to give out to fellow readers. Perhaps your kids can hide them in library books as a surprise for others!

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg supports reading freedom and reads banned books in her spare time.

She is also an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is.

One of Melanie's favorite parts of being an author/illustrator is talking about her craft with students at libraries and in classrooms. You can learn more about author visits (virtual or in-person) at her website.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Reading Freedom Coloring Page and Bookmarks appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Note: this post contains affiliate links.

Mermaid Paper Dolls to Print and Color

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT: (By clicking this link you agree to our terms of service*, see end of post for details) Mermaid Dolls Coloring Page

If you have read Mermaids on Parade (and if you haven't you will now!) you will know about the King and Queen of the Sea! There are two paper dolls, along with a change of clothing, and mermaid tail, crowns and a scepter for King Neptune.

You can use the book as a backdrop for mermaid paper doll pretend play! Kids can walk (or swim) their dolls along the Coney Island map in the book!

How to Make Mermaid Paper Dolls

Print the mermaid dolls on card stock for a sturdy dolls and paper costumes.

Next, color the dolls with crayons, markers or coloring pencils.

Cut out the paper dolls, being careful around the tabs on the costumes. Now it's time to play!

Play with the paper dolls at home, take them on the road, to the restaurant and to their favorite place: the beach (sunscreen not included).

See all of Melanie's coloring pages:

Mermaids on Parade is Melanie's signature book about a girl attending her first Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The Mermaid Parade is an annual costume parade that has taken place every June since 1983. Crowds of New Yorkers, young and old, dress up as sea creatures, both real and imaginary, march along the boardwalk and throw fruit into the sea. (Hey, every carnival has its quirks.)

Mermaids on Parade is an iconic NYC book. (It was also a Cool Mom Pick, a Red Tricycle Perfect Picture Book, one of Bank Street College of Education’s 2009 Best Books of the Year,  and a PBS Summer Reading pick, so I'm not just whistling Dixie.)

Take a peek at Melanie's official website to learn more about her books and illustrations.

*Terms of Service: You are welcome to download and print this coloring page as many times as you want for personal use. You may not upload this file to another website or database. All commercial use is prohibited. You are welcome to share this coloring page by sharing the link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to directly share the link to the document itself, thus bypassing this blog post. The copyright to this coloring page belongs exclusively to Melanie Hope Greenberg (used with her permission).

The post Exclusive Mermaid Paper Dolls Printable and Coloring Page appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Sure, you can save the coloring page for Independence Day picnics or New Year's Eve parties, but ordinary days deserve celebrations, too.

This free, printable fireworks coloring sheet features brilliant pyrotechnics, exploding firecrackers and sparklers illuminating a city skyline at night. Below the skyline, a parade of transportation drives by the river where boats float, filled with fireworks, ready to add to the festivities.

Print out the coloring page (By clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see end of post) -->: Firework display coloring page

The fireworks illustration is from A City Is, a collection of free verse poems by the late Norman Rosten (Brooklyn’s First Poet Laureate) and illustrated by Melanie. Published in 2004, it is currently out of print, but I highly recommend checking out a copy from your local library!

About the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg loves watching fireworks bring color to the night sky.

She is also an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Eric Carle Museum and her books have been featured as a NY Times Great Children's Read. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Mermaid Parade, Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is.

One of Melanie's favorite parts of being an author/illustrator is talking about her craft with students at libraries and in classrooms. You can learn more about author visits (virtual or in-person) at her website.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Exploding Fireworks Coloring Page appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

As with all our coloring pages, the following illustrations of dancing dogs, waddling penguins, leaping unicorns and more were created exclusively for us by children's book author and illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg.

Playful Poodle Puppets

Color this trio of puppies and then turn them into stick puppets for some extra pretend play. Best of all, they don't shed or need to go out for a walk on a freezing cold day. Get the prancing poodles coloring page here!

Tiger Mask

What kid doesn't love to roar like a tiger whenever they get the chance? With a pair of scissors and a little ribbon, your child will transform into a tiger and you'll soon wonder if you've gotten lost in the jungle. Get the tiger mask coloring page here.

Frog in the City

This imaginative frog coloring page features a scene we hope never to experience in real life, but it sure makes for a great coloring page. A giant frog looks ready to leap, but by the smile on his face, the city folk have nothing to fear. Get the frog coloring page here.

Sea Mammals

Everyone's favorite sea mammals, giant whales and leaping dolphins, feature on this life under the sea coloring page. A curious school of fish swims over to watch the action. Get the under the sea coloring page here.

Fish Under the Sea

More ocean life, but this time with the opportunity for some pretend play. Color the seascape, glue the fish to some craft sticks and your child will exercise those storytelling skills. Get the fish puppets and ocean scene coloring page here.

Whale in Love

This whale and fish coloring page is a good coloring page for Valentines' Day, but there's no reason not to print it out any day of the year. After all, love is for every day. Get the whale and fish coloring page here.

Unicorn Magic

Kids who love unicorns, rainbows and all things sparkly will enjoy this star-studded unicorn and rainbow coloring page. For extra bling, use metallic colored pencils, and add some sequins and sparkly do-dads. Get the unicorn coloring page here.

Rabbits on the Go

Where are these rabbits off to? This rabbit coloring pages features three bunnies on wheels, reminiscent of an old-fashioned wooden toy. Get the rabbits coloring page here.

Mix 'n' Match Heart Animal Puppets

After coloring this sheet to your heart's content, cut out the heart-faced animals and use the extra hearts to mix and match your own heart-shaped creatures. Get the animal puppets coloring page here.

Runaway Reindeer

Banish winter doldrums with this pixilated reindeer herd. Turn the coloring page into a greeting card, or cut out individual reindeer to make stick puppets for pretend play. Get the reindeer coloring page here.

Dynamic Dinosaurs

No doubt your dinosaur-obsessed child will be able to name every lizard on this imaginative coloring page. Perhaps they will even spot some evolution in progress. Get the dinosaur scene coloring page here.

Penguin Rookery

Sure you could color this penguin rookery in rainbow colors, but the important part is that these playful penguins will put a smile on any child's face. Get the penguin coloring page here.

Noah's Ark

The six animals on this Noah's Ark coloring page are probably hoping they spy land soon, because they are getting a tad too big for their sea-faring vessel! Get the Noah's Ark coloring page here.

Kangaroo Printable Card

From one kanga to another! This kangaroo gift exchange is a delightful addition to any Christmas coloring page collection. Use the large space to write a holiday greeting to a friend. Get the Kangaroo coloring page here.

The post Exclusive Animal Coloring Pages: Free, Printable and Fun! appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.