gratitude Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Counting on Bear Paws with Number Claws

November 7, 2016 By Deirdre

This fun counting on activity was created to go along with the Virtual Book Club book Bear Gives Thanks. This math learning space can be used for counting blessings, exploring the number of things kids have to be grateful for, or just doing math facts.

Making Counting On Bear Paws Number Claws

Cardboard Bear Shape

The bear shape math counting space was cut out the side of a large cardboard box. I traced a large dinner plate near the top of the piece of cardboard for the bear’s head. Then I traced around a small saucer near the top of the head twice to make the ears.

Next I traced the dinner plate to the right and left of the head to make the bear’s shoulders. Then I used a ruler to make straight lines from each shoulder to the bottom of the box.

A ruler was used to measure eight inches from each side of the box to the center. This section of the box would become the bear’s paws. Next a V was drawn from the inside edge of each paw to the center on the box. Then it was time to cut out the bear. After cutting out the bear, finger sections were cut out of the claws.

Then it was time to decorate the bear. We used white card stock of his claws and a paper bag for part of his nose area. Gray felt was used to make his nose and paw pads. Wiggly eyes are used to make his eyes.

Counting On Activities

Link below is an affiliate link.

Counting Blessings

You can ask you children to share things they are grateful or thankful for after reading Bear Says Thanks . They can put a block on the paw pad as they share each blessing.

Counting Specific Areas of Gratitude

This activity encourages your children to share ways their basic needs are met. Areas like food, shelter, water, and companionship (family and friends) could be shared. They can put one block on a paw pad for each person or thing they share.

Number Recognition

Children can pick a number and then find the claw with that number on it. Then they will place a block under that paw. They will keep going until all the numbers have blocks under them.

Please check out all of the ideas shared by our Virtual Book Club for Kids co-hosts this week:

I am Thankful Activity-Craft Create Calm
Magnetic Thankful Tree – The Educators’ Spin On It
Gratitude Counting Activity
Easy Gratitude Turkey Pumpkin for Kids
Pumpkin Muffins for Friends – Inspiration Laboratories
Thank You Gingerbread Cookies – Rainy Day Mum
The Gratitude Pick-Up Sticks- Teach Beside Me
Gratitude Drawing Prompt – Sunny Day Family
Gratitude Tree Printable – Mama Smiles
“I’m Thankful For You!” Ornaments – Preschool Powol Packets

I Am Grateful for Family {21 Days of Gratitude Challenge}

November 13, 2013 By Deirdre

I am participating in the 21 Day of Gratitude Challenge Hop hosted by Inspired by Famila. Today’s theme or focus is gratitude for family. I am truly fortunate to have a loving and supportive family. When someone is in need or needs support, my family rallies around them. I saw that happen when my brother-in-law was sent to Afghanistan last year.

Charles headed to Afghanistan right after Thanksgiving last year leaving my sister Catherine and their two children behind. We send cards and care packages to my brother-in-law as well as gifts for my sister and the kids. It was so important to remember them and show them they were important.

I Am Grateful for Family {21 Days of Gratitude Challenge} - Carrying Flags

We held my sister, brother-in-law and their kids in our prayers. I didn’t always know the specifics of what to pray for, but we handed over prayers knowing that God would hear them and send the answers that were needed.

A couple of weeks ago JDaniel and I went to our local veterans memorial to help plant flags in the ground. There was a number of local newspaper and television reporters present. Each went around asking the various groups present as to why they decided to come to the memorial to help to plant flags. I told them what I had told JDaniel on our way over to the memorial. We came to remember those who served our country by getting their memorial ready for Veterans Day and that we have two veterans that recently fought for our country overseas.

I Am Grateful for Family {21 Days of Gratitude Challenge} - Field of Flags

The event organizers were so impressed with all the work JDaniel did that day. He helped plant flags when we first got there. Then he moved on to distributing flags to those who were using stakes create holes to place the flags in. Finally, he helped me by holding my collection of flags to be planted so they won’t touch the ground. JDaniel worked for over two hours.

I Am Grateful for Family {21 Days of Gratitude Challenge} - Veteran's Day Quote

When we left that day, we both felt like we had done something special. It was truly special to look back and see the field filled with flags knowing that we had planted some of them as a tribute to those in our family who have served.

The Gratitude Challenge runs from November 1st- 21st. Each day one or two bloggers will be sharing an encouraging quote focused on being thankful, grateful, kindness… They will also share an activity or share their 21 Gratitude moment. Stop by and visit their website on the date listed below to read their Contagious Gratitude story or activity.

Here are the lovely bloggers and each day they have posted:

Nov 1st. – Mari at Inspired by Familia – Day One Girlfriends are necessary…
3rd Devany at Still Playing School Day Three- In Memory of Violet (Hold your little ones a little longer)
6th – Kim at The Educators’ Spin On It Day Six – I Am Thankful For You Chocolate Bar Wrappers & Craft (free printable)
7th Kristina at Toddler Approved! Day Seven – Parenting Challenges: I am Grateful for the kids who are the hardest to love.
8th – Amy at The Connection We Share Day Eight – Before I Tuck Him In – Teaching Gratitude
& Bits of Positivity – Gratitude for New Adventures… In Parenting
9th – Jane at Mama Pea Pod – Day Nine –How the Magic of My Kids Kept Me Alive
10th Jen at Mum in the Madhouse – Choose Happiness
& The Eyes of a Boy Remembering the Loss, Thankful for the Present
11th Melissa at Mama Miss Thankful FREE Print & Thankful Jar
12th Jen at Plain Vanilla Mom
13th Annette at Tips from a Typical Mom
14th Natalie at Learning with Mouse
15th Carla at Preschool Powol Packets
16th Giselle at Kids Yoga Stories
19th Ariadne at Positive Parenting Connection

20th Jen Farr at Kitchen Counter Chronicles
21st Jen Fischer at The Good Long Road

21 Days of Gratitude- Thankful for My Kitchen

November 14, 2012 By Deirdre

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?

Yes! I would like something easier. I can jump up and down and say that I am thankful for it.
Am I not thankful for what was on my assigned day of the Days of Gratitude challenge? Well, I am thankful, but I don’t always express my gratitude for it.What is it I am to share thanks for? The thankfulness is supposed to be for something in my kitchen.

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.

We have a one butt kitchen. Only one person can be working in the main areas of the kitchen at a time. Whether it be cooking, washing dishes, opening a door or drawer. It is tight and it seems to get tighter when JDaniel wants to jump in and help.Our kitchen gets super crowded when more than four people try to eat in it too. Literally the person sitting with their back to the backyard has to ask for things to be fetched for them once they have sat down and they have to drink very little. It can be challenge to get around the table and get to the bathroom.

So, I pulled out my bible and I read about thanks.

Thinking about their losses has left me with many things to be thankful for.I am thankful for…
1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
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.

21 Days of Gratitude- Thankful for My Kitchen

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

November 13, 2012 By Deirdre

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?

I created paper plate turkey head and placed it on a clothes pin to clip to the front of a basket. Then I gathered together construction paper, clothes pins, and markers to create the feathers.On each feather I wrote one of the concepts on the 21 Days of Contagious Gratitude. I change a few of the terms of their list to words I thought the kindergartners would know. Emotion was changed to feeling for example.When the children arrived in class, we talked about Thanksgiving and what it meant to us. We then talked about the story of the week on gratefulness and I pulled out our gratitude or thanks giving turkey. The thanks giving feathers were spread on floor and the children were invited to come up one at a time to select a feather and tell what they were thankful for.

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.