Giving Thanks
   
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thevirtualvine.com 2003
  
 
Thanksgiving
The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway ...
Thanksgiving comes again!
~ Author unknown ~
Note: I fully
understand that in this day and time, it is politically correct to say
"Native Americans" rather than "Indians". However, in MS the
Choctaws call themselves Indians and my husband who is part Choctaw says
Indian. So I believe that Native American, American Indian, or
Indian is appropriate. The preference is with the particular
individual or group. So I use the word Indian respectfully.
Also, as a SPED
teacher, I don't spend a lot of time talking/teaching about the historical
facts of Thanksgiving ... I don't have to. I use this theme as a fun
vehicle to teach the skills that my students need to know. But I do
make sure that I tell them that Indians/Native Americans do not live in
tipis, wear feathered headdresses, etc. ... just like you're not
going to see any Pilgrims walking around either. We talk about NOW
and LONG AGO ....

Books:
A Turkey For
Thanksgiving ~ Eve Bunting
Happy Thanksgiving,
Biscuit! ~ Alyssa Satin Capucilli
The Story of
Pocahontas ~ Lucille Recht Penner
Sarah Morton's Day - A
Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl ~ Kate Waters
Samuel Eaton's Day - A
Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy ~ Kate Waters
Over the River and
Through the Wood ~ David Catrow
One Little, Two
Little, Three Little Pilgrims ~ B. G. Hennessy
My First Thanksgiving
~ Tomie dePaola
'Twas the Night Before
Thanksgiving ~ Dav Pilkey
Clifford's
Thanksgiving Visit ~ Norman Bridwell
Squanto - A Warrior's
Tale ~ R. Fontes and J. Korman
The First Thanksgiving
~ Jean C. George
Thanksgiving Day (with
cassette) ~ Anne Rockwell
Friendship's First
Thanksgiving ~ William Accorsi
I Can Read About The
First Thanksgiving (with cassette) ~ J.I. Anderson
The Very First
Thanksgiving Day ~ Rhonda G. Greene
Mr. Turkey
Gobble, gobble,
Who is that?
Mr. Turkey
Big and fat.
~ Author Unknown
Pilgrim Children
Did Not Play
Pilgrim children did
not play,
On that first
Thanksgiving Day.
The first chopped wood which he could take
To help his sister cook and bake.
The second one one took a great big sack
And brought some nuts, all they could crack.
The third one got a a turkey and
She helped to roast it in a pan.
The fourth one ground corn to make the bread.
The fifth made covers for the bed.
The sixth one brought a pumpkin by;
She cut it up to make a pie.
The seventh came and popped some corn.
The eighth fed horses in the barn.
The ninth watched the food or it might burn.
The tenth made butter in a churn.
Pilgrim children did not play
On that first Thanksgiving Day!
~ Author Unknown
*these poems would be
great to use for reinforcing ordinals
Six Little Pilgrims
There were 6 little
Pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day,
And this is what I heard them say,
The first one said, "I'll have a turkey leg."
The second one said, "I'll have a boiled egg."
The third one said, "I'll have some green peas."
The fourth one said, "I'll have cranberries, please."
The fifth one said, "I'll have pumpkin pie."
The sixth one said, "I'll have cake by and by."
There were 6 little Pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day,
And that's exactly what I heard them say.
~ Author Unknown
Five Little
Pilgrims On Thanksgiving Day
Five little Pilgrims
on Thanksgiving Day,
The first one said, "I'll have cake if I may."
The second one said, "I'll have turkey roasted."
The third one said, "I'll have chestnuts toasted."
The fourth one said, "I'll have pumpkin pie."
The fifth one said, "Oh, cranberries I spy."
But before the Pilgrims ate their turkey dressing,
They bowed their heads and said a Thanksgiving blessing."
~ Author Unknown
Five Little Turkeys
Five little turkeys
standing in a row,
First little turkey said, "I don't want to grow."
Second little turkey said, "Why do you say that?"
Third little turkey said, "I don't want to get fat."
Fourth little turkey said, "Thanksgiving is near."
Fifth little turkey said, "Yes, that's what I hear."
Then the five little turkeys that were standing in a row,
All said together, "Come on, let's GO!"
~ Author Unknown

Let's talk turkey!
What a walk it's got!
Strut about, strut about,
Do the turkey trot!
~ Author Unknown

Let's be thankful for this day
For our friends and for our play
Let's give thanks for you and me
And our home and family.
~ Author Unknown

(tune:
All Around the Mulberry Bush)
A turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
And all he says is just one word,
"Gobble, gobble, gobble."
The children sit in a circle and the "turkey" walks around the outside of
the circle. He wobbles his head when they sing "wobble, wobble" and
then he sings the words "gobble, gobble, gobble" alone. The person he
stops behind is the next turkey. This is very popular in my
K-Pre-first class. Submitted by Cathie. Thanks for sharing
this cute activity, Cathie. :)
November
It's November.
It's November.
Let's give thanks.
Let's give thanks.
Pilgrims set the table.
Pilgrims set the table.
Indians brought food.
Indians brought food.
~ Author Unknown

Turkey dinner,
Turkey dinner.
Pumpkin Pie,
Pumpkin Pie.
Thanksgiving Day is coming,
Thanksgiving Day is coming,
Oh my !
Oh MY!
~Author Unknown

It's November
It's November,
Thanksgiving day,
Thanksgiving day
Family, friends and food,
Family, friends and food
Hip, Hip, Hooray!
~ Author Unknown

It's November
It's November
Let's give thanks
Let's give thanks
For all the good things
For all the good things
In our lives.
In our lives.
~ Author Unknown
*this poem can be sung
to Frere Jacques
Provide a real cornucopia full
of fruits, vegetables, & nuts. Have students identify things they
see in the cornucopia. Then provide those words on cards with an
accompanying picture. Students will match words to objects.
The cornucopia
at my house last Thanksgiving
Five
Little Turkeys
Five little
turkeys by the barn door,
One waddled off, then there were four.
Four little turkeys out under the tree,
One waddled off, then there were three.
Three little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, then there were two.
Two little turkeys in the noonday sun,
One waddled off, then there was one.
One little turkey - better run away!
Soon will come Thanksgiving Day!
~ Author Unknown
Ten
Fat Turkeys
Ten fat turkeys
standing in a row.
They spread their wings and tails just so.
They look to the left,
Then they look to the right.
When they strut their stuff, they're quite a sight!
But you won't get to see them on Thanksgiving Day,
'Cause one by one they'll run away!
Ten, nine, eight, etc.
~ Author Unknown
Turkey
Trot
(tune: Hokey Pokey)
You put your right wing in,
You put your right wing out,
You put your right wing in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the turkey trot
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
Additional Verses:
Left Wing
Drumsticks
Stuffing
Wattle
Tail Feathers
Turkey Body
~ Author Unknown
Hello,
Mr.Turkey
(tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)
Hello, Mr. Turkey
How are you? (clap, clap)
Hello, Mr. Turkey
How are you? (clap, clap)
With a wobble, wobble, wobble
and a gobble, gobble, gobble
Hello, Mr. Turkey
How are you?
~ Author Unknown
Albuquerque
the Turkey
(tune: Oh My Darlin' Clementine)
Albuquerque, he's my turkey,
And he's feathered and he's fine
And he wobbles and he gobbles
And I'm awfully glad he's mine.
He's the best pet you could get yet
Better than a dog or cat.
Albuquerque, he's my turkey
And I'm awfully glad of that.
Albuquerque, he's my turkey
He's so cozy in his bed
Because for our Thanksgiving dinner,
We had scrambled eggs instead.
~ Author Unknown
Ten
Days of Thanksgiving
On the first day of Thanksgiving the Natives gave to me...
a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the second day of Thanksgiving the Natives gave to me..
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the third day of Thanksgiving the Natives gave to me...
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the fourth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me..
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a
pumpkin patch.
On the fifth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me...
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the sixth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me...
six pairs of moccasins,
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the seventh day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me.
seven Native teepees,
six pairs of moccasins,
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the eighth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me..
eight woven blankets,
seven Native teepees,
six pairs of moccasins,
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
On the ninth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me...
nine ears of corn,
eight woven blankets,
seven Native teepees,
six pairs of moccasins,
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in
a pumpkin patch.
On the tenth day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me...
ten native tom-toms,
nine ears of corn,
eight woven blankets,
seven Native teepees,
six pairs of moccasins,
five bows and arrows,
four cornucopias,
three Native headdresses,
two turkey gobblers,
and a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch!
~ Author Unknown
I don't think I'd be
able to remember the sequence of for this song if I couldn't read it, so
young children might have difficulties as well. Until they'd
memorized it, you could put cue cards in a pocketchart for them to use
while singing it. Sequence them as you sing going from top to
bottom, or use a pointer. The cue cards would have the number and
then a picture of the item. Afterwards, if you take the cards out
and mix them up, the students could sequence the cards themselves as a
pocketchart activity. You could turn it into a math activity by
having the number separate from the items. (ex. 4 cornucopias)
The students count the items and match the correct number card to it.

tune: Oh Susannah
Oh they left their homes in England
And prepared to take a trip.
They climbed aboard the Mayflower
And sailed upon a ship.
The year was 1620 -
On a cold November day
By the shores of Massachusetts
They arrived in Plymouth Bay.
(chorus):
Oh the Pilgrims!
Seeking to be free!
They came here to America
For opportunity!
The first year was the hardest
But their neighbors helped them out.
They met Native Americans
With Squanto as their scout.
They helped the Pilgrims plant the crops
Of pumpkins, beans, and corn.
They shared a feast and that is how
Thanksgiving Day was born.
chorus
~ Author Unknown

Thank you, thank you,
let's all sing.
Thank you, thank you for everything.
Thanks for the flowers.
Thanks for the trees.
Thanks for the sun that shines on me.
Thank you, thank you, let's all sing.
Thank you, thank you for everything.
~ Author Unknown

Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey,
Run away, run away.
If you are not careful
You will be a mouthful,
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day!
~ Author Unknown

I am a little Indian boy
I hunt with my arrow and bow.
If I see a turkey in the woods,
Swoosh my arrow will go.
~ Author Unknown
Pilgrim Boy and
Girl: We started out painting circles
of construction paper with skin tone colored paint that I mixed. We
also painted a small wooden bead like thing that was flat on one side the
same color for the nose (I just happened to have these on hand from a
bunch of craft stuff that another teacher donated to me). The kids
made the hat and collars from patterns that were copied onto construction
paper. After the paint was dry, we added facial features to the face
with a black Sharpie. The cheeks are made with a bingo stamp.
And of course, the girl's hair is yarn (it's a little skimpy, but I was in
a hurry). I really think if I did them again, I'd put a hat on the
girl as well. You could almost use the same pattern as the boy's,
just make some minor adjustments and copy it onto white paper instead of
black.
click on image to
enlarge
Turkey Greeter:
This is a turkey door greeter. I copied the
turkey onto construction paper and the kids painted him. Then they
added wiggly eyes, an orange beak and a red wattle from construction
paper. His feet were cut from brown paper and attached to the body
with loooong legs of twine. I added a loop of twine on the back as
hanger (put on with hot glue). Then I used a black marker to add
"Give Thanks" to the body.
click on image to
enlarge
Slice of Pumpkin
Pie: Cut a paper plate into slices, paint the edge light brown for
crust, inside orange for the pie. While it's still wet, sprinkle with
pumpkin pie spice. Then top it with a cotton fluff for the cool whip. Do a
pumpkin pie taste test and then graph the results. Extend the
activity by writing sentences to go with the slice of pie based on the
taste test. Ex. I like pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin pie is good. etc. <picture to be added>
Pilgrim
or Indian Games (submitted by Libby)
1. You'll
need a small cup; put in several clam shells (clean of course
and halved--not still stuck together)
The child
shakes the cup and dumps them on the floor and as they are
dumping they say 'in' or 'out'. If they say 'in' then they get
to keep all the shells that the insides are facing up. The
partner gets to get all the shells that the outside is facing
up. Then they count and whoever has the most gets a tally mark
by their name. Then repeat. They are categorizing and
practicing their counting in the same game.
2.
You'll need 3 moccasins and a pebble
The child
hides the pebble under one of the moccasins. The other child
picks one shoe up to see if it is hiding there. If they get it
on the first try, they get to hide the pebble.
3. You'll
need several sticks from the yard about a foot long. The child
is to use their problem solving skills to see if they can get
all of the sticks standing up using only the floor as a
support. (they usually make something like a tipi). It's
interesting to see how they problem solve to get this chore
done.
4. Turkey
hunt. This is a group game. Everyone sits in a circle. Start
by passing a stuffed turkey (or a picture on a paper plate will
do). When they get good at passing from lap to lap or hand to
hand whichever is easier for your students, then start a Pilgrim
or Indian doll (or a pic on a paper plate). Start the second
object about half way behind the turkey. The object is to get
the Pilgrim to catch up to the turkey. It is interesting to see
which kids are yelling for the turkey to go faster and which
kids are yelling for the hunter to catch the turkey.
Oh, Libby ... I LOVE
this last one!!! :)
Indian
Corn: Place an ear of Indian corn in a shallow pan of water.
After a few days, it should start to sprout. If appropriate,
students can record the changes that take place each day in a journal.
Thanksgiving
Feast: Many, many teachers like to "reenact" the first
Thanksgiving feast (to a degree). They have some students dress as
Indians, and some dress as Pilgrims. They serve types of foods that
they think might have been served at that time, or sometimes foods that we
think of as traditional Thanksgiving type foods. I did this one
year. My students all wore their Indian "headdresses". The
teachers were dressed as Pilgrims. We even had one parent come
dressed as and Indian.
In the past, Indian
braves had to earn their feathers. So at the beginning of November,
each student received a headband. We cut out construction paper
feathers of many colors. Each time I caught one of the students
doing something good, they earned a feather for their headband. I
wrote their good deed on the back of the feather with a Sharpie and
stapled it to their headband. Luckily, by the time the feast rolled
around, everyone had at least one feather. :) They got feathers for
good grades, kind acts, etc. Some of them had a LOT of feathers,
others only one or two.
Feather Printable:
http://www.theholidayzone.com/thanks/tturkey.html
For the feast, we made
all kinds of decorations. We made paper bag pumpkins, place cards,
paper bag turkeys, Mayflower ships, etc. I'll see if I can find some
of the pics without the students. We served sliced turkey (lunch
meat), cornbread dressing, corn, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes,
applesauce, pumpkin pie, and apple juice. Probably not authentic, but the kids and parents had a
good time.
You could also add
bread and have the kids make butter for it. There are butter
"recipes" and chants on
Old MacDonald's Farm.
Stone
Soup: Some teachers opt for having Stone Soup rather than the
Feast. They go on the premise that the Pilgrims and the Indians
shared their food with each other. So the teachers have each student
bring in one item to add to the soup. After it's cooked in a crock
pot, then all enjoy it. It takes everyone's contribution to make a
good soup. I've seen teachers also add crackers/bread and pecan and
pumpkin pie to the menu as well.
Friendship
Salad: And yet another route to take is to have Friendship
Salad. It has the same format as the soup, but you're making fruit
salad instead.
Individual
No Bake Pumpkin Pies:
1 foil baking cup line
(cupcake liner)
1 vanilla wafer (for
crust)
Put the vanilla wafer
in the bottom of the foil cupcake liner.
Mix in a small paper
cup (kitchen size):
1/4 C prepared vanilla
pudding
1/4 t pumpkin pie
spice
1 T canned pumpkin
Stir and spoon into
crust. Top with a spoon of cool whip and a candy pumpkin.
Bulletin
Board or Door Display: Send home a large feather copied onto
cardstock or construction paper along with a note describing the activity.
Have students cut the feather out and decorate it. Encourage
creativity. When they return the feather to school, use all the
feathers to form the tail of a large turkey.
Home
Project: Send a large simple turkey copied onto cardstock home
with each student. Attach a note to the family asking them to please
help their child creatively decorate the turkey and return it to school.
You'll be totally surprised at some of the materials that the families
will use. I had a student cut the turkey's feet from cheese slices
and cover the body with ground up dog food. It was beautiful!
I've also had a student return theirs with real turkey feathers.
If you need a turkey
pattern, the first link below for the turkey glyph is a good one to use.
Counting
Sets: Program Thanksgiving paper plates each with a number.
Provide students with small turkey pictures or other food items.
They count the correct number of turkeys or food items onto each plate
according to the number.
Pocketchart
Counting: Put Thanksgiving type cut-outs in a pocketchart.
Provide students with number cards. 3x5 index cards cut in half and
programmed with the numbers works well. Students count the cut-outs
on each row and place the appropriate number card on the row with the
cut-outs.
Number
Words Match: I programmed small Indian notepad pages each with a
number, and small tipi pages with a number words. Students match the
number to the number word. And I know that the Wampanoags did not
live in tipis, but in hut looking houses. BUT, some Indians
somewhere DID use tipis. And if I ever see any hut shaped notepads,
I'll be sure to buy and use them.
Pinecone
Turkeys: Collect one pine cone per student. Lay pine cone
on its side. The point of the cone will be for the head.
Insert multi-colored construction paper feathers in the back of the cone
for the tail. Glue a red waddle and wiggly eyes on a
gray construction paper. Insert the head near the point of the cone.
Predictable
Chart: Have your students each complete the following sentence
frame orally.
______ is thankful for
______.
Plug in their name in
the first blank and have them give you a word for the second blank.
Record each sentence on pocketchart strips or chart paper. If you do
it on chart paper, you can also make sentence frames like the one above
for the pocketchart. Provide the students' names and the words
they used to complete the sentences on 3x5 index cards. The students
can use the predictable chart to complete the sentence frames in the
pocketchart.
If you do the
sentences in the pocketchart, then you can find clip art for each word
that the students used. Glue these onto 3x5 index cards and program
the word on the bottom of the card as well. Students can match the
pictures to the words. For more independent readers, do not program
the picture cards with the words.
After the students are
very familiar with the sentences, sing this song.
Let's Give Thanks
(tune: Wheels On the
Bus)
Let's give thanks for
all we have,
For all we have,
For all we have.
Let's give thanks for
all we have,
_____ is thankful for
_____.
~ Author Unknown
Turkey
Napkin Holder: This might be a cute activity to use to help
decorate for your Feast or to send home with students for their own family
get-together.
Paint the inside
circle of a cheapy paper plate brown. Paint around the fluted
outside rim using different colors to create turkey feathers. When
dry, turn the plate over to the back and measure the distance from the
edge of the plate to the center of the plate. Measure over one half
inch and crease the paper plate. Measure over 1 inch from the crease
and crease the paper plate again. This should create a "u" shape.
The bottom flat section should be about 1 inch in size. Create
a turkey head from brown construction paper. Add eyes and a red
waddle. Glue this to one side of the paper plate that is standing
vertically (the tail feathers should be facing outward). The bottom
of the head should be even with the bottom of the paper plate crease.
This is your holder for a lightweight napkin. Try this ahead of time
to make sure your plates are study enough to be successful. I
haven't tried this activity, I just adapted it from one in Woman's Day,
1997.
Potato
Turkey: This is another cute table decoration. Provide
each student with an apple, several toothpicks, and small colorful food
items such as colored mini-marshmallows, cherries, raisins, celery, etc.
Students will use the toothpicks and food items to create a turkey.
An apple can be used in place of the potato.
Tissue
Turkey: Cut out the center of a white paper plate and plate the
rim of the plate brown. Cut a turkey head and feet from construction
paper and glue to the bottom of the plate. Create the turkey's
feathers by gluing on wads of colored tissue paper around the rim of the
plate. Hot glue a hanger to the back to use in hanging.
We're
Thankful! Bulletin Board: There's a cute bulletin board pattern
in The Mailbox Kindergarten Oct/Nov 2000.
Handprint
Turkey: Have each child trace around their hand on to brown
construction paper. Use a Q-tip to make a black paint dot for the
eye on the thumb. On the index finger they'll use another
color paint to make two dots. On the middle finger, another color
paint and three dots. On the ring finger 4 dots. On the pinky
5 dots. Then have them glue on tiny triangles for a beak and feet.
This idea was adapted from the one below.
Paper
Plate Turkey: Paint a paper plate brown. Make feathers to
attach to the back of it at the top. Make a turkey head by drawing
off an hourglass shaped head and neck. Copy onto brown construction
paper for students to cut out. Add eyes, a beak, a red waddle, and
feet. Attach the head to the lower mid-section of the plate and the
feet to the bottom.
Turkey
Erase-A-Rhyme: Draw a turkey on your board or overhead.
As the student answers the rhyme, they get to erase that part of
the turkey. This rhyme was created and generously shared by
Barb.
If a Pilgrim you’d like to meet,
then you can
erase his (feet).
If you plan to
eat like kings,
then you can
erase his (wings).
If he’s a Tom, then he’s a male.
Why don’t you
erase his (tail)?
Did you know his feathers are spotty?
Please erase
them on his (body).
When he eats, I’ve seen him peck.
Can anyone
here erase his (neck)?
If you like ketchup in a bottle,
then you can
erase his (wattle).
If you look there near his cheek,
then you can
erase his (beak).
If you like homemade pumpkin pies,
then you can
erase his (eyes).
If you like honey on your bread,
then you can
erase his (head).
Thanksgiving
Card Away: Another neat activity created and shared by
Barb.
This is kind
of like an Erase-A-Rhyme, only you use cards instead of drawing.
Make the cards with the pictures on one side, and the words on the
backs. Display them in a pocket chart, on a magnetic easel, or
chalkboard ledge...whatever. Play "Card Away" by having the
children identify the rhyming word and come up to remove the card
at the appropriate time. You can play again, only this time
display the cards with the WORD showing (instead of the picture)
and let them try to find the correct word.
You'll have to
decide whether you want to call it "stuffing" or "dressing,"
depending on the vernacular in your area. I was able to find
clipart at MS Clipart Gallery for everything except the
stuffing/dressing.
Look at little brother, acting so "jerky."
Please pass
him a piece of (turkey).
Look at Mom,
saying the blessing.
Please pass
her the plate of (dressing).
OR??
Look at Mom, huffing and puffing.
Please pass
her the plate of stuffing.
Look at Cousin
David, home from the Navy.
Please pass
him the bowl of (gravy).
Look at the
Baby, he's so cross.
Please pass
him the cranberry (sauce).
Look at Aunt
Helen, she's allergic to tomatoes.
Please
pass her the mashed (potatoes).
Look at
Grandpa, with his head so shorn.
Please pass
him an ear of (corn).
Look at Big
Sister, in her brand new jeans.
Please pass
her some yummy green (beans).
Look at Dad,
cheering for the Seminoles.
Please pass
him the basket of (rolls).
Look at Uncle
John, starting to droop.
Please pass
him a bowl of (soup).
Look at my
dad, wearing his suit.
Please pass
him a piece of (fruit).
Look at me;
it's no surprise!
I am waiting
for the (pies)!
PS...For the
cranberry sauce, I used a picture that was actually
jelly, but looks like cranberry sauce!
printable
pictures for Thanksgiving Card Away, all furnished by Barb.
(prints on legal size paper)
Thanks Barb
for sharing your neat ideas! :)
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Zoo
Pal Pilgrims & Indians: They are just too precious. The
students had lots of help completing theirs. They basically
did the painting, but not even all of that. You turn the Zoo
Pal plate upside down and turn it to the back. I freehanded all
the hair for them to paint. I created
different kinds of hats and headband patterns. The paint is tempra; I just mixed the skin tone colors. I drew the hair off for them
with a pencil and they painted it over the other paint. That's why I chose
darker colors for the hair. The noses are things that were given to me
years ago and I don't know what they're called. They're like round wooden
beads, but they're flat on one side. Perfect for this. We painted them to
match the skin tone. The "rosy cheeks" were made using a red bingo stamper.
The Pilgrim girl's bonnet is just a strip of white paper folded in half
and hot glued to the plate using a thick stream of hot glue. It
sticks out 3-D.
Turkey
Take-Home Project:
This was a take-home project. Each
student took a feather home to decorate and return. The decorated
feathers were used to create the turkeys tail. We have extra
feathers decorated to use for filler. There's lots of filler on this
turkey since several of my students did not return their feathers and I
don't have that many students. Karen emailed with another idea of
having the family make a list of things that they're thankful for as well,
to coincide with their Character Education program.
The
Mayflower: The design for this ship came from
TLC Art,
but we do our project differently than what they recommend. The
students are given the pieces to cut out and glue into place after seeing
one modeled. A lot of help was given to these students by the sub
TA.
Math:
A second grade teacher emailed me and wanted a math activity around
turkeys. So I created this activity. Give
each student a turkey body and let them purchase the feathers for it. You
can sell different color feathers for different prices. If you want to
extend the activity, have supplies for sale too and let them decorate
their turkey feathers!
Our second grade kids are working on dimes and
pennies right now, so I'll use that as an example. Put each
color feather in a different basket and label each basket 10
cents. You could make white, black, brown, and gray feathers
worth 7 cents each. Give each student 8 dimes and 20 pennies in
a snack size zipper bag. Allow them to come up and purchase
what they need with their money ... maybe two or three at a
time. They'd have to figure up how much money they needed to
give you and using the least amount of coins ... say for 87
cents. Then they'd have to count their money out for you.
There will be pennies left over, so they could even share the
extras so that someone else could get another feather if they'd
like. That would work well with the "friendship" part of
Thanksgiving.
It would probably be even better if you let one
of the kids be the clerk and that would leave you to supervise
everyone. You will need something for the others to be doing
while they're waiting their turn ... maybe a turkey practice
sheet on counting money (let them color the feathers according
to how much money is on each feather).
You can also extend the activity by selling
additional items to decorate the turkey or feathers with. Then
they'd have to decide if they wanted feathers or decorations
more, OR you could give them some extra money. Maybe those who
finished their practice sheet and did it correctly would get
extra money to spend. A neat addition would be using one of
those little cash registers that they make and it would also be
a place to store "some" of the incoming money.

The pumpkin
pies that I made last Thanksgiving for my family were delicious
and fun to make.
Other Resources:
The Mouse on the
Mayflower video
The Berenstain Bears'
Thanksgiving
SCHOOLDAYS,
Nov/Dec/Jan 1987-1988 Thanksgiving Math

Links
Turkey Glyph
http://teachers.net/gazette/NOV02/printable.html
Thanksgiving
Information and Activities on the Internet
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/thanksgiving.htm
Thanksgiving
http://jc-schools.net/techupdate/thanksgiving.htm
The Pilgrims and
Indians
http://www.kinderteacher.com/PilgrimsAndIndians.htm
Billy Bear's
Happy Thanksgiving
http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.htm
Kids Domain
Thanksgiving
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/thanks/index.html
Annie's
Thanksgiving Welcome Page
http://www.annieshomepage.com/thanksgiving.html
Plimoth
Plantation
http://www.plimoth.org/
ABCs of the
First Thanksgiving
http://www.mrsmcgowan.com/fall/abc_thanksgiving.htm
Pilgrims
http://www.proteacher.com/prosearch/search2.cgi?c=nil&s=pilgrims&n=1
Recipes
http://teachers.net/gazette/NOV02/recipes.html
Thanksgiving
Crafts (and more)
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/
An Old Fashioned
Thanksgiving
http://www.victorianas.com/thanks/alcott.html
Preschool
Education Music & Songs - Thanksgiving
http://www.preschooleducation.com/sthanksgiving.shtml
Pilgrim Fact
Cards
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-785.html
Perfect Pies
file folder game
http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/pie/filefolderpie.shtml
Turkey Lurkey!
Color Match (file folder game)
http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/turkey/filefolderturkey.shtml
Ship Shape (file
folder game)
http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/ship/filefoldership.shtml
Thanksgiving
Turkey Sticker Chart
http://www.preschoolprintables.com/schart/schartturkey.shtml
Teaching Kids
the World Diversity of American Indians
http://www.nativechild.com/article.html
The First
Thanksgiving: A Feast of Activities
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson037.shtml
ProTeacher!
Seasonal and Holiday Lesson Plans for November
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson037.shtml
abcteach.com -
Thanksgiving
http://abcteach.com/directory/theme_units/month_to_month/k_november/thanksgiving/
MayflowerHistory.com
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/
Thanksgiving
Crafts for Kids
http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/thanksgivingcrafts.cfml
Thanksgiving
Word Searches, Crosswords, and Math Worksheets!
http://www.edhelper.com/Thanksgiving.htm
I Am Thankful
(printable)
http://www.abcteach.com/Thanksgiving/thankful.htm
Silly Turkey
(for kids online)
http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/turkey/load.htm
Thanksgiving
http://www.littlegiraffes.com/thanksgiving.html
Turkey Ideas
http://kinderteacher.com/TurkeyIdeas.htm
The Thanksgiving
Story
http://kinderteacher.com/ThanksgivingStory.htm
Thanksgiving
Feast
http://kinderteacher.com/ThanksgivingFeast.htm
Paper Plate
Pilgrim
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/thanksgiving/mplatepilgrim.html
Thanksgiving
Games
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/holiday_themes/thanks_games.htm
Thanksgiving
Poems and Songs
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/thankspoem.html
Turkeys
http://stepbystepcc.com/animals/turkey.html
November Ideas
http://kindergarten2.homestead.com/Thanksgiving.html
Pilgrim Hat for
Boys
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/pilgrim1.html
Pilgrim Hat for
Girls
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/pilgrim2.html
All About
Turkeys for kids and teachers
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/Turkeys/
 

 
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