All posts by Rooftop Post

Autumn, Colouring

Remembrance Day Printables

It’s so important to remember those who laid down their lives in the hope of of keeping the rest of us safe, that we might inherit a better world.

Of course, we remember them for more than just one day a year, but Remembrance Day is a chance to do so together, and with that in mind, below are the printables we’ve got which we think might be useful for this day.

The British Legion need your donations more than ever.  You can donate to their Poppy Appeal here: britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate

Let’s start with some posters, which you can use to decorate. The colouring in ones are a nice way for children to be involved, so that the next generation will also be encouraged to remember.

Next, we have some printable remembrance cards.

While Remembrance Sunday is always the second Sunday in November, Remembrance Day in the UK is on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  On that day at 11:00 GMT a two-minute silence is usually observed to commemorate those who died in conflict.  Remembrance Day is also called “Armistice Day”.

Autumn, Seasons, Thanksgiving

Harvest Festival Printables

Autumn is upon us (in the northern hemisphere anyway) and so is the time of harvest.  In fact, did you know that the Old English word “haerfest” actually means “autumn”?  That’s not the only interesting link to history either.  In fact, the autumn harvest is a time of year steeped in ancient traditions.

For example, did you know that scarecrows, one of most iconic symbols of harvest time, have been used for over 3,000 years?  Originally, they were as simple as wooden frames dressed in old clothes, but over the centuries they’ve been made in all sorts of different ways across different cultures – whatever has worked to protect ripe crops.

Anyway, and if you’re on the hunt for harvest festival printables for your children to help celebrate, we’ve assembled ours below, starting with these two harvest-themed pictures to colour in:

 

When is Harvest Festival 2024 (UK)?

Well, did you know that here in the UK there isn’t one, single date when everyone celebrates Harvest Festival?  No, indeed!  However, lots of people use the dates recommended by the Church of England, which is typically any Sunday you choose choice during the September/October harvest season.

picture of annual solsticesIn 2024 Sunday, the 6th of October is proving a popular choice.  Other people are celebrating it a bit earlier, on Sunday the 22nd of September.  This is because the autumn equinox takes place around this time, usually between the 21st to the 23rd of September.

If you wanted to be ultra-traditional, you wouldn’t hold your harvest festival after Michaelmas Day on the 29th of September, because that’s when the church decided that the Harvest Festival period should end.  The idea was that all the crops had to be brought in before St Michael’s Mass and that parishes would then gather in their churches to give thanks.  In modern times however, dates are not as strict.

As harvest celebrations  take place over several days, it doesn’t really matter when you have yours.

Picture of a corn dolly twist
Corn Dolly Twist

Also, it’s worth remembering that traditions surrounding bringing in the harvest predate Christianity by a long chalk, in the UK going back to at least Saxon times.

Some of the very old traditions are feasting, dancing and playing games.  Making corn dollies was also popular, which were carefully kept in people’s homes as a tribute to the Spirit of the Corn or Goddess of the Grain, in the hope that he or she would make sure there was a good harvest the following year.  Not all corn dollies were made in the shape of a doll mind you, some were woven to look like bells, crosses, knots, spirals and animals such as hares and horses.  Different parts of the country often had their own corn dolly traditions.

Along with all the harvest festivals, we get to enjoy the magical Harvest Moon at this time of year.  It’s a full moon which was traditionally very important to farmers because its extra light allowed them to work late into the night.  This year in the United Kingdom, the Harvest Moon will shine down upon us on Friday Thursday, the 17th of September.  Why not colour in a harvest moon of your own?

Most of all, the time of harvesting was a chance to come together and have fun, to be thankful for whatever the land had supplied, and to lift people’s spirits and put them in a positive frame of mind, ready to get through the winter.

If you’re having your own Harvest Festival celebration at your home, church or school, you might like our free printable poster:

And after all the harvest festivals of course, we’re in the run up to Halloween…

Autumn, Winter

Best of Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, is a long-standing, annual tradition across the UK.  It takes place after dark on the 5th of November.  People gather around large bonfires, often with a guy on top, and the sky is lit up with fireworks and bonfires to remember the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605.  Although some fear it’s dwindling in popularity compared to Halloween, it’s still a much-loved celebration for all the family, not to mention an evening full of excitement, bright colours, and a sense of history.

To help you celebrate, we’ve created a cracklingly good range of free printables for children to enjoy in the lead-up to, or on, Bonfire Night!

Craft Your Own Guy Fawkes Mask!

One of the most recognisable symbols of Bonfire Night is the Guy Fawkes mask, and we’ve made it easy for you to download and print your very own.  You can even choose from different designs—whether you want the traditional black-and-white version, a blank template to colour in, or a more vibrant, fiery version.  Hang them up as decorations or wear them – they’re perfect for getting into the Bonfire Night spirit!

Stay Safe and Have Fun

Fireworks are beautiful but they can also be dangerous, so it’s important to remind children about staying safe. We’ve created fun safety posters which you can use to help them understand that Bonfire Night is both fun and something to be cautious about.  They carry simple messages to stand back and let the grown-ups light the fireworks.

 

Remember, Remember Scrolls

If you’re looking for a printable version of that famous Guy Fawkes Night chant, ours are below.  They’re a great way to add to the 5th of November decorations.  You could hand them on the wall and encourage children to read them out as a fun, history-inspired activity.

Goodie Bags for Bonfire Night

If you’re hosting a Bonfire Night party, you might like to add a special touch by giving children goodie bags.  Here are some printable, easy to assemble bags which can be filled with treats to gobble up as you watch the fireworks.

We hope you have a roaring good time on Bonfire Night, but remember to be careful… fireworks can be as hot as dragon’s breath, and you wouldn’t go too near a dragon, would you?  x

Autumn, Seasons, Winter

Best of Back-to-School

Goodness, is it that time of year already?  Where did the holidays go? If you’re a parent, guardian, or teacher getting ready for the new school term, we’ve got you covered with the best of our back-to-school printables below.   They’re all free for personal use so whether you’re setting up a classroom or preparing for the new term from home, we hope these resources will add a touch of excitement and fun.

First up are some resources to help children set enjoyable goals:

Our “All About Me” sheets are a great way for children to share information about themselves at the beginning of the school year or term.  For those children who finish filling them in early, they also double up as colouring pages.

Looking to create a positive back-to-school beginning?  These reward certificates might come in handy to encourage good work and behaviour right from the off.

New school terms can sometimes mean a new school, too.  If you have child in this situation who needs rewarding for their courage, perhaps one of our bravery certificates might help:

Of course, a bit of colouring never goes amiss, especially at the end of an exhausting first day!  After all, it takes time to get back into the swing of scholarly things after the holidays.

Whatever you choose to do, we hope the back-to-school period goes well for your family or class and that you manage to generate some enthusiasm and a sense of purpose from the children in your care. It’s not always easy, we know, but the key thing is to create a nurturing environment that supports emotional wellbeing along with learning. Don’t forget to make use of all the fantastic free learning resources you can find online, such as BBC Bitesize, Duolingo, and the Khan Academy.

Summer

10 Summer Favourites

With the summer underway, (at least in the northern hemisphere – apologies to those elsewhere!), we thought we’d post a short list of our most popular summer printables.  We hope you find them useful:

1 Summer Party Bags

Summer Party Bags
Summer Party Bags

2 Summer Tooth Fairy Note and Certificates

3 Summer Traveller Pirate Certificate

Free printable pirate certificate - summer traveller
Summer Traveller Pirate Certificate
(Ready to personalise)

4 Summer Garland and Bunting

Printable Fruit Garland

5 Summer Colouring Pages

6 Summer Party Invitations

7 Sporty Summer Certificates

 

 

8 Remember to Pack Your Toothbrush! (Tooth Fairy Note)

Printable note from the Tooth Fairy reminding a child to pack a toothbrush
Remember to Pack Your Toothbrush

9 Summer Paper Baskets and Cones

10 Useful Thank You Notes for Summer

 

BEST FROM THE WEB:

For anyone looking for more lovely summery resources, here are a few of our favourites from around the internet:

Printable Masks – This site has a great collection of masks to keep the kids entertained this summer, or indeed at any other time of year.

Hidden Pictures – This selection of charming pictures with things hidden all over them is great for keeping children busy over the summer.  Like hide-and-seek on the page!  They can also be coloured in for extra fun.

Colouring, Popular

Mother’s Day Colouring

Looking for some printable colouring for Mother’s Day?  we have a few below, carefully designed for children of all ages to enjoy.  In creating them we have focused on magical creatures as well as the animal world.

Why bother with printable colouring in our digital world?

Sometimes people wonder whether to bother with printing out colouring pages for children (or indeed adults!) in a world where there are so many activities to do online.  However, colouring with real pens on real paper is more than just a fun activity, it helps children develop their fine motor skills.  And colouring on a digital device is not the same – using pencils, crayons, or markers to colour things in on paper requires a different set of motor skills compared to tapping or swiping on a screen.  Holding and manipulating these tools can improve hand-eye coordination and develop fine motor skills.   Plus of course, there’s the fact that colouring on paper gives children a rest from all the distractions online.  To be honest, a bit of time spent colouring on paper is good for adults too, for as we’re all realising, reducing screen time can help alleviate eye strain, promote better sleep patterns, and encourage more physical activity.

Another big reason to invite your child to colour in a printable page is that on days such as Mother’s Day, a picture they’ve worked on can make a beautiful gift!  There’s a real sense of accomplishment which comes with being able to give someone something you’ve made look good, too.  So it’s also an excellent way to amplify the joy of giving.  Talking of which, you might find our printable Mother’s Day cards useful – like our colouring, we designed them with young children in mind.

Our Favourite Printables, Spring

Printable Mother’s Day Cards

We thought we’d put some free printable Mother’s Day cards together for those of you who need them.  In keeping with the rest of our site, we designed them to be gentle, cute, and magical—the kind of thing children love.  We’ve created heart-warming scenes both from the animal kingdom and other, more magical worlds.  From baby foxes and koalas to enchanting fairies, each card is designed to capture the special bond between mothers and their little ones.

You should be able to see all the cards we have so far below, just pick one and click or tap on it to get the PDF.  So, dive in and select a card (or two!) that speaks to you.  Print them out and prepare to make this Mother’s Day not just special, but magical.  Because every mother deserves a touch of magic on her special day.

First up we have cute caterpillars and hedgehogs:

Next, we have a cards depicting a beautiful mother and baby fox and a bright, sunny scene with mother duck and her duckling:

Cats and mice may seem very different but they both make lovely Mother’s Day cards:

Down at the bottom of the garden, bumblebees and frogs are also celebrating Mother’s Day in these beautiful cards:

Looking for animals from warmer climes?  Mother Parrot and Mother Koala receive cards from their little ones below:

And now for a bit of magic!  Here’s Mother’s Day for dragons and fairies… perfect for your own magical mum:

Whether you’re a parent looking to craft a memorable Mother’s Day with your child, or a teacher seeking resources for a classroom activity, these cards offer a perfect way to express love and appreciation.  They’re all designed with children in mind and we hope you find the perfect match for your little one’s Mother’s Day celebration.

Making a printable Mother's Day cad by carefully cutting along the lines with scissors.
Print onto card and cut out

We recommend you print them onto cardstock rather than paper, so that they are sturdy enough to stand up properly.  The images are large so you may need to fit them to the page if you don’t have software that does this for you.  You will also need a sharp pair of scissors to cut off the excess around the edges.  Inside, there should be plenty of space for children to add their own message, doodle, or signature, making each greeting not just a card, but a keepsake. x

A Bit about the History of Mother’s Day

Have you ever wondered where Mother’s Day came from?  Well, in Europe its origins are sad to be very old, perhaps dating back to ancient Rome and Greece.  Beyond Europe, some people argue that setting aside a day to celebrate mothers goes even further back – perhaps even to ancient Egypt and the time of the pharaohs.

In the United Kingdom, it is more traditionally known as “Mothering Sunday” and can be traced back to the Middle Ages.  It takes place on the fourth Sunday of Lent, because on that day people used to return to their hometowns and churches, and therefore their mothers.  They would often bring gifts and so over time, this evolved into Mother’s Day.

The American history of Mother’s Day is considered slightly differently, because in 1908 a woman called  Anna Jarvis started the tradition by organising the first official Mother’s Day.  The celebrations took place in West Virginia and Philadelphia on the second Sunday in May, which Anna chose in memory of her own mother who had died a year earlier.  The American president of the time, Woodrow Wilson, made Mother’s Day a legal holiday in 1914.  Interestingly, Anna hated the commercialisation of Mother’s Day.

Easter, Spring

Messages from the Easter Bunny

Hello and welcome to a post where we’ve added together all our best messages from the Easter Bunny.  (If you’re Australian you might want our Easter Bilby resources instead.)  Whether notes, letters or certificates, we bet your little one would love to hear from the most magical rabbit in the world this year.

Along with the little messages and certificates above, one of our favourite Easter resources is this full-length letter from the Easter Bunny.  It’s a lovely thing for a child to find with the eggs on Easter Morning… adds a sprinkle of magic to the this holiday occasion.

Need another one?  There’s at least one more letter from the Easter Bunny available on this page.

Looking for some blank Easter notepaper?  Try these:

 

Autumn, Seasons, Thanksgiving, Winter

Bits and Bobs for Thanksgiving

ThanksgivingAlthough we are based in the UK, we know we have many American visitors, so we’ve created a few resources for Thanksgiving.   These include:

  • Thanksgiving Notes – Little notes to print and/or write on, saying what you give thanks for.

All out printables are created with kids in mind, and we hope they add a little extra magic to your Thanksgiving celebrations!  Our favourite printables for this event are below:

Our Favourites:

 

It’s always great to involve children in the spirit of Thanksgiving.  You could encourage them to write about what they’re grateful for using our themed writing paper, or maybe just express their creativity with a little coloring.  As well as keeping them entertained, these activities give them the chance to slow down and reflect on the importance of gratitude, which as we all know these days, is so good for their mental health too.

 

Don’t forget that any printable resources you use for your Thanksgiving can  offer a way to preserve these memories for years to come.  Once you’ve used them as a family you can put them carefully away as treasured mementos that can be revisited each holiday season.

However you choose to celebrate, our printables are here to help make your Thanksgiving joyful and memorable.  We hope you have a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

Autumn, Halloween

Our Favourite Fun for Halloween

Not long now until that spooky time of year – so we’ve collected a few of our favourite Halloween printables together below.   Some are popular every year, others are new additions.  Whatever you’re doing on the 31st of October, we hope you have a frighteningly good time!

In the mood to make some Halloween cards?  Here are a couple of cute printable ones to write your spooky greetings in:

Or you could write a Happy Halloween message, using our froggy notepaper…

No Trick or Treat Posters

Trick or treating is great fun but it’s fine not to want to take part. You don’t need to give your reasons to opt out but one of the best ways to let trick or treaters know it’s not for you is to put a light-hearted notice up in your window. Here are a few which might help you out.

If you’re looking for some simple paper decorations to hang around the house, you might also like our Halloween ghosts:

Oooo! And before you go, you might like to create some decorative jars full of spooky potion ingredients.  If so, why not make use of our Witch’s Pantry Potion Labels.  It’s a great way to get your house looking just like a witch’s hovel!