Thanksgiving for Kids Activity
If you like this Thanksgiving for kids activity, here are a few more that you will like:
Thanksgiving for Kids- A Cornucopia of Prayer
Lunch for Kids- Scarecrow’s Harvest Lunch
Here are some more fun Bento lunches for kids:
Apple Chicken Salad Bento Lunch
Minion Lunch with Blueberry Overalls
You will find more bento lunch ideas on my Food Creations board on Pinterest.
Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey- Read.Explore.Learn.
Gus decided he needs to head south just as the geese do. Gus isn’t able to fly South. He has to walk.On his journey south he goes through Mexico and continues all the way to the tip of Chile. When he arrives in Chile, he stows away on boat that will take him further south.
When he is found he jumps ship and ends up with penguins. Guess what the penguins announce he is just like the pilgrims. He was looking for a new land that would give him freedom.
What did we do to explore Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey?
Gus Walking Finger Puppet
Then we added feathers, a center circle and a head with beak to the puppet to finish it up. A few black marker dots gave the turkey eyes. Then he was ready to run.
Fantastic Fun and Learning created a wonderful soldier craft after reading the book Hero Dad.
I Am Thankful For….Bento Lunch
We have so much in my family to be thankful for. The cornucopia of our life is filled with wonderful blessings.
We have wonderful church to go to and can teach our little man freely about God. The cheese cross represents that they gratitude we have for being able to do that.
We are so thankful that Jesus’ birthday is drawing near. The Chinese noodle stable with an apple manger represents how thankful we are that Christmas is so much closer than it was when JDaniel started his Christmas list last February. He has started asking almost everyday about the number of days until Christmas.
Finally we are thankful that our little night owl has adjusted to the time change finally. He spent several nights howling at the moon way past when his parents were ready to go to sleep.
As you can see we have big and little things to be thankful for. How blessed we are!
The next blog in this wonderful I Am Thankful For.. Bento Hop is BentoDays! Please stop by and check out her lunch.
Here are some more fun Bento lunches for kids:
21 Days of Gratitude- Thankful for My Kitchen
Yesterday I mentioned to you the 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge List. Well, during November there are bloggers sharing each day on one of the ideas or items on the list. When I signed up to participate in this project, I didn’t look at what I was signing up to share my thankfulness about. Instead I picked a day that worked best for me. Only later did I look at the topic I was going to share about. By then it was too late to change to a different day.
Did I want to change my day to something else?
Am I not thankful for what was on my assigned day of the Days of Gratitude challenge?
My Focus During the 21 Days of Gratitude
Ever since I walked in the kitchen in the house my husband had built many years ago, I have wanted to change it. It is not a bad kitchen. He chose wonderful cabinets and pretty tile for the room. He had curtains made that are nicer than one I would have picked out. It is a pretty room, but it is tiny.
The house I owned before we got married had a wider kitchen with a wonderful island in the middle. It was easy to move around. One person could prep food on the island while another person got things out of the oven. You could open the dishwasher and the refrigerator at the same time if you wanted to.
So, I pulled out my bible and I read about thanks.
1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.
Then prayed for God to show me things in my kitchen to be thankful for and do you know what happened? I turned on the news and saw victims of Sandy sharing about how they had lost everything. Maybe even their one butt kitchens.
Thinking about their losses has left me with many things to be thankful for.
I am thankful for…
- A refrigerator that has lasted eighteen years along with the oven and dishwasher that arrived when the fridge did.
- I am thankful for new counter that God provided for last year.
- The tile floor that has been so easy to clean up after JDaniel’s spills.
- The small distance I have to walk to catch a milk cup falling to the ground while I am trying to get dinner ready.
- The space that was just the right size to fit my hutch.
- The fact that I have a place to have friends and family come and share a meal.I can honesty say I don’t love my kitchen, but now I can say that I am very thankful for it.
What about your kitchen are you most thankful for?
Have you joined the 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge hosted by Inspired by Family and many other fabulous bloggers? Join us and take time to count your blessings and read their how they met their Day of Gratitude challenge!
Thanksgiving Kids- Gratitude Turkey
This past Sunday I was teaching a lesson on gratitude and thankfulness to my Sunday school class of kindergartners. We were looking at how filled with thanks giving the Israelites were for all that had been given by God.
When I was brainstorming about how to help the children bring home the concepts I was teaching, the wonderful list of 21 Days of Contagious Gratitude on Inspired By Family Magazine came to mind. The list is filled with everyday items and concepts that children or anyone can be thankful for.
Why I thought couldn’t I create a turkey with feathers displaying each of the concepts covered on the list?
They nodded their heads in agreement for most things as other children shared. They all agreed that the time of day they were thankful for wasn’t bedtime and the new baby giraffe at the zoo was everyone’s favorite animal. It was fun to hear their answers.
I can’t wait to do this with another group of students. Maybe JDaniel’s preschool teacher will let me share the activity with the class.
Until then I will be putting this thanksgiving or gratitude turkey out on our kitchen table. We will be giving thanks for each of the concepts covered on the feathers. Maybe my husband, JDaniel, and I can pick a feather each night to add to the turkey basket turkey.
The link below is an affiliate link. It was put there for your convenience.
Thanksgiving Kids Book
I love the tie children’s book to activities that we do. I can across a wonderful book to tie to this lesson called Thanks for Thanksgiving. This amazing book by Julie Markes points out that we have things everyday to be thankful for. What a wonderful lesson to share with kids at Thanksgiving time or any other time during the year.
Warning: This isn’t a story as much a a wonderful book that shares reasons for gratitude.It is just a great Thanksgiving kids book.
Teaching Kids- What is Veterans Day?
Every year I take JDaniel to the memorial for veterans in our town. We bring a snack or lunch to eat as we sit on one of the granite benches before the flag memorial and talk about Veterans Day and why we celebrate it. I want him to know “What is Veterans Day ?”
When he was two and a half, I told him the people whose names were on the brick pathway were people who had tried to aid people in faraway lands that needed someone to help them and didn’t get to come back home.
When he was three and a half, we talked about how the memorial celebrates those people from our town and wanted to help others and didn’t make it home. They ended up dying where they were helping. I didn’t talk a lot about death although he understood that what death meant that year. JDaniel’s GranDan died the winter before and he really wanted to see him. I explained to him that while he might want to come see him he wasn’t able too.
This year JDaniel asked me a lot of questions about the soldiers remembered by the memorial. He wanted to know why they died, who they were, and did their families come here too. What is Veterans Day has become more than just a time to visit the memorial for him!
As we started down the path on the memorial grounds to check out all the flags that had been set out, we found someone who could answers some of his questions.
If you look closely, you will see an man down by the tree with rust leaves. We caught up to him and talked to him. He fought in the Vietnam War and had recently moved into our town from Kansas.
He told JDaniel he didn’t know any of the people that are remembered at this memorial. He came because being here helped him remember the friends he had lost in a faraway land. He told him that our country had sent him to help others and that was just what he had tried to do.
JDaniel seemed to understand a little more about why the memorial is important after that. For awhile he just walked down the path by the flags. There were hundreds scattered all across the lawn on both sides of the path.
Eventually he decided walking on the slope of rocks that leads up to the train track on the edge of the memorial was more fun and he was no longer quiet. He giggled and scurried up and down the slope. For a few moments though he took in all that we had told him.
I think our town just decided to put out as many flags as they could. The flags didn’t have a particular soldier’s names on them that had served. But I know that we could probably have covered the lawns up and down our towns main street with flags of those from around the United States that have not made it back.
So many have passed away serving our country though out the years.
I am so thankful to all who have served and to their families. Having loved one possibly in harm’s way has to be a real challenge.
JDaniel and I also talked with a lady who had stopped by the memorial to take a picture to send to her husband in Kuwait on our way to the car. Her husband will be serving there until just after Christmas. She said he would be thrilled to see how their hometown remembered its veterans. She also said she can’t wait for him to get home.
If you have would remember to hold my sister and her family in your prayers while he is gone, I would be so grateful.
How will you be celebrating Veterans Day?
Turkey Trouble- Read.Explore.Learn
I love the turkey’s disguises. He uses upcycled costumes to keep him off the table.
Paper Bag Turkey
The feathers were attached next to the back of the bag just above the bread tag. The opening of the bag spread out made a great support for the feathers.
We ended the craft by adding his feet. I think he came out really cute.
If you like the Turkey Trouble crafts, here are some more wonderful turkey themed activities you will like:
Building Words with Turkey Feathers
Thanksgiving Themed Sink and Float Activity
Thanksgiving for Kids- Homemade Table Settings
Cornucopia of Prayer- Craft and Activity
Science Kids- Exploring Turkey Basters
Gratitude Turkey- Each Feather Shares a Blessing
Please link your book exploration posts below.
Yes, Giving Benefits The Giver!
I started the week my asking you to leave comments on my posts. Each comment would be added to all the others left during the week. The total number of comments will be translated into monetary donation to Samaritan’s Purse’s effort to help the survivors of Sandy. You can read more about it in my post called Doing Something about Sandy! Helping Others.
On Monday I wrote about all the All Stars that have helped and are continuing to help the survivors of Sandy. I shared a tribute bento lunch I had made in that post.Yesterday I wrote about another Samaritan’s Purse project called Operation Christmas Child and the fun we had in putting a special box of treasures for a little boy to have a Christmas time.
How does all this giving benefit the my family and other givers?
Seven Ways Giving Benefits the Giver
- Giving open our hearts up to others and their needs.
- Giving allow us to see all the treasures we have been given in our lives as we shift through them looking for items that you can give to others.
- Giving allow us to bestow some of our treasures on others.
- Giving leads you to pray for those who will be receiving the items we are giving.
- Giving shows our children that their wants can fulfill others needs.
- Giving takes our everyday worries and sets them aside while we think of others.
- Giving changes our hearts and allows us to see the world as a place you want to make better and not just take from.I know you are givers! I am blessed by you everyday. I hope that when you give you remember the seven things I have listed above. Realizing them as really blessed my life.
This post is linked to Alphabe Thursday!
Operation Christmas Child #OCCGiving
I usually take JDaniel with me when I am gathering food items or gifts to give to charity. This year I rushed around and gathered things for the Operation Christmas Child Project while JDaniel was in school. It saved me a lot of time standing beside shelves while items to being looked over and gave me the opportunity to select items he might not have picked.
Every time I came home with a bag of items to put in the shoe box I had JDaniel inspect the items. The fact that he wanted to add most them to his Christmas list filled me with hope that the little boy that receives our box will be happy with its contents.
When I had gathered everything we were going to give, we placed them in shoe box that once held my husband’s sneakers. It didn’t seem fair to give a child a box that once held my tiny shoes. (I only wear a 5/2 sized shoe.)
Each item had to be reinspected and placed into the box in just the right place. JDaniel thought the practical stuff should go on the bottom. He felt a child should get to see the good stuff first. I thought that was a great idea. We ended up with most of the toys and candy on the top.
What did we put in the box? There were toys, a flashlight, a notebook with pencil, a throw to snuggle under, candy, a tooth brush, a comb, a brush, coloring pages, crayons, and an inflatable globe.
When the box was filled, we took it to a church in the town right next to ours. Mauldin United Methodist Church was the closest drop of site to our house. What a pretty entrance they had to their office area.
The church secretary there happily lead us to the drop off area and told me that their church passed out 400 plastic boxes with presents last year and they hoped to donate the same amount this year. I am so glad our box will be surrounded by so many other boxes when it is picked up. JDaniel was thrilled to see all of the boxes that have been dropped off already! I am thrilled that he understands the importance of giving.
This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.
Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause.
If you like this Operation Christmas Child project, here are some more giving to others projects:
Disclaimer:BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter! This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.
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