turkey Archives - Page 2 of 2

Fun Math Games With Number Turkeys

November 10, 2014 By Deirdre

$Fun Math Games Number Turkeys$

There are a number of fun math games and activities that you can play using these printable number turkeys I made. Let me walk you through each one of the games I have come up with. You may find that you have dozens of other uses for them. If you do, please leave your ideas in a comment below or on my Facebook page so that others can do them too.

$Fun Math Games with Turkey Numbers$

Ideas for Fun Math Games

Number Order

You can have your children put the the turkey numbers in order. We put them in two rows so they would fit in the picture above. You will probably want to have children put them into one really long row.

$Fun Math Games with Turkey Numbers$

Sorting By Even and Odd

Children can place the even numbered turkey numbers in one row and the odd numbers in another. We did this activity without using the foam turkey feathers that we used for some of the other fun math games. It might be helpful to use the turkey feathers if you are just introducing the concept of even and odd numbers. Children will be better able to visualize that the odd numbers have one feather that doesn’t have partner. They will also be able to see that the even numbers do have a partner.

One to One Correspondence

After placing a few of the turkey number cards out, children can add the correct number of feathers to them. The turkey with the number one would get one feather and the turkey with the number five would get five feathers. You don’t have to have children use foam feathers for this math game. You can have them used buttons, pom- poms or any small objects.

$Fun Math Games with Turkey Numbers$

Creating Number Sentences- Adding

This fun math game can be played two different ways. Children can place the correct number of feathers on each number in the number sentence. Then they can count out the feathers for the two numbers they are adding. Next they can check and make sure that the sum or answer has the same number of feathers.

Another version of this fun math game has children place the correct number of feathers on the two numbers being added. Children can pick up the feather from the two turkey numbers and place them on number that is the sum.

You can create the plus and equal sign with construction paper or draw them on index cards.

Creating Number Sentences- Subtracting

For this fun math game children can place the correct number of feathers on the large number they will be subtracting from. Then they will pick up the feathers and place the correct number of feather on the number they are taking away from the big number. The number of feathers remaining in their hands should equal the difference or the answer.

Fun Math Game Supplies

You really don’t need much to put together any of these games. Here is what we used:

A set of turkey-numbers (They are free to download.)
Feathers cut from foam
Construction paper or index card to make the +, -, and = signs.

More math activities can be found on my Early Learning Math Pinterest board.

Please stop by my Facebook page and share you idea or leave a comment below.

Spelling Games- Thanksgiving Words

November 6, 2014 By Deirdre

Spelling games that make you use your brain to build words are challenging and fun. In this game we tried to come up with a lot of words using the letters found in the word Thanksgiving. While we searched our minds for words that we could build, we were using a variety of reading skills at the same time.

Spelling games that tap into reading skills use the following skills:

Once children discover a word they can build, they can look for other words that would be in that words family.

When you have found a particular ending sound like –ng, you can see if you can build words that have that same ending.

If you have built a word like think, you can add a letter to it like an “s” to build a new word.

After building a word, you can talk about what kind of words it is. (noun, verb, or adverb)

We found a ton of words that we could build using the letters in the word Thanksgiving. We found about sixty actually. Rather than list them all in this post I have Thanksgiving Words list that you can use all with our file folder game.

Spelling Games Assembly

A simple turkey was cut out and glued into a file folder. The folder really displays just the turkey’s head and tummy. Then feathers were cut out of different colors of construction paper. Each feather had one of the letters in the word Thanksgiving written on it.

The file folder turkey is really just a work space for children to use to build words on. You could easily play this spelling game with just the feathers or just the letters on index cards.

Spelling Games to Play

As children are creating words on their own or with a partner, you may want them to record them on a piece of paper. After creating all the words they can think of, you could words in Thanksgiving give them the list of words. They could build the words on the list or search to see if all their words are on the list.

The main goal of the spelling games in to interact with letters and words. As children do that, they build connections from skills that they already know to new ways to use them.

This activity would be fun to doing in a learning center, as a whole group, with partners or even at a Thanksgiving gathering. It might we fun have the children at a gathering do this activity with an aunt or uncle.

The list I have provided contains only some of the words you can make with the letters found in the word Thanksgiving. I have found list of almost 200 words.

Here are some other spelling games and activities:

Spelling Games- Skeleton Bone Words

Practicing Spelling Words on a Place Mat

Spelling Games with Mixed Up Words and Apples

{Five Little Turkeys} Stick Puppets and Rhyme

November 18, 2013 By Deirdre

Five Little Turkeys Stick Puppets and Song

Have you ever sung the song the Five Little Turkeys with hand print turkey puppets? If you haven’t you, really should. It really is a lot of fun. We did it recently at our house. We put this activity together, because JDaniel loves the Halloween book Five Little Pumpkins .When I clear out the stuffed animals on his bed, I usually find the Five Little Pumpkins under one of them. Finding a Thanksgiving song that was similar and making puppets became a mission of me.

On a pretty day last week, JDaniel and I made turkey hand prints on our deck. I had to be careful not to tickle him as I applied the paint. After a few JDaniel sized turkey had been created, it was mine turn to make a couple. I think he did a better job of pressing his hand down to make a print then I did. I made a few extra turkeys so we could decide which of mine were the best five little turkeys.

We were so fortunate to have warm day. The turkey dried quickly. I think the fact we used washable paint on white drawing paper helped too. Construction paper and acrylic paint seems to take longer to dry. When they hand prints were dry, we added beaks and feet.

Then they were ready to cut out. We also cut out twelve by eight pieces of cardboard from cardboard boxes in our recycling box. The cardboard would be used to make the turkeys a little bit stiffer. A colored popsicle stick was threaded through two horizontal slits I made in the cardboard.(I didn’t think the popsicle stick glued between the hand print turkey and the cardboard would stay in place.

The hand print turkeys were glued onto the cardboard pieces and then cut out. It was a little tricky cutting through the cardboard even though it wasn’t that thick.

When all five little hand print turkey puppets were done. We worked on the rhyme. It was easy to learn its words. Holding the turkey was a challenge. We found that JDaniel needed to hold some and I need to hold others or we needed a tool to help us. The tool we found that worked the best was a chip clip. Two or three turkey could be attached to chip clips and the clips’ handles could easily be held by two hands.

The side of the kitchen table with a white sheet over the back door was a wonderful stage for the five little turkeys to bob up and down and say their rhyme from. We also found the end of the end of a bed and the railing of the deck worked too.

After singing the son a few times, JDaniel took the Thanksgiving decorations of our living room mantle and create a play with the five little turkeys. It was truly amazing.

Here is the Five Little Turkeys rhyme we used:

Five little turkeys standing at the door,
One waddled off, and then there were four.

Four little turkeys sitting near a tree,
One waddled off, and then there were three.

Three little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were two.

Two little turkeys in the morning sun,
One waddled off, and then there was one.

One little turkey better run away,
For soon it will be Thanksgiving Day.

If you have the opportunity to make hand print turkey puppets, you may want to think about having them say a Thanksgiving rhyme. Five little turkeys on stick puppets and a Thanksgiving theme rhyme are just plain Thanksgiving fun!

{Healthy Snack} Fruitful Turkey

November 11, 2013 By Deirdre

Heathly Snack- Fruitful Turkey: Great Fine Motor Activity

JDaniel has enjoyed food creations I have made for him for several years. Recently he helped me create a healthy fruitful turkey snack filled with fall fruits. Creating turkey feathers by putting the grapes on to the straws also turned out to great fine motor activity along giving us the opportunity to review several math concepts.

How to Make a Healthy Snack Shaped Turkey

Supplies:1 fruit strip2 raisins2 dabs of frosting
2 mandarin oranges1 Bosc pear1 yellow fruit flavored marshmallow1 bunch of red grapes1 bunch of green grapes1 bag of coffee stirring straws

Directions

Preparing the Healthy Snack Fruit

I made the turkey’s head ahead of time. The first step was to cut a red fruit strip into a peanut shape for the turkey. Two dabs of leftover frosting were placed on the fruitful turkey’s head to represent the whites of the turkey’s eyes. A small brown raisin was placed on each dab to represent the turkey’s pupils. A small section of the yellow marshmallow was cut to resemble the turkey’s beak.With the head ready I set out the grapes, mandarin oranges, pear and coffee stirring straws for JDaniel to work on. He decided where to place the fruit strip head and mandarin orange feet on and beside the pear. With those in place JDaniel started on the turkey feathers.

healthy-snack-fruitful-turkey-putting-fruit-on-straws

Constructing the Healthy Snack

The coffee stirrers were easy to thread the grapes onto. JDaniel tried to push the stirrer through the hole at the base of each grape and then to pull the straw through. I asked him to try to put the grapes on in a AB pattern. He has worked a lot with patterns and had no trouble completing that request.

Threading the grapes onto the stirrers was a great fine motor activity. JDaniel had to work on focusing, counting the number of grapes on each straw along with patterning.

When he had finished loading the stirrers with grapes, he arranged them around the pear. Some of the sat on the plate and others JDaniel pushed into the pear. The straws filled with grapes were hard to push into the pear so, laying them beside it worked best.

We both sat back and took in the wonderful creation we had created together for a moment or two. Then the turkey’s head and feathers quickly disappeared. The pear went into the fridge for later along with some of the grapes. I am so glad I was able to take a picture of it before the healthy fruitful turkey snack was deconstructed.

You will find more healthy snack and creative ways to serve food on my Food Creations board on Pinterest.

Do you have favorite fall snack?

My Posts From Other Blogs – Fall Crafts and Actvities

November 22, 2012 By Deirdre

Today I am taking the day to enjoy time with members of my extended family. The Smith clan is in South Carolina this year for a family reunion and a time give thanks. I hope you enjoy looking for this wonderful collection of fall crafts and activities.

I am giving thanks that they everyone from out of town is staying at the amazing Embassy Suites hotel and that almost all the food is catered. Our Cape Cod house would have been filled to its rafters if everyone had tried to dine at our house.

If you have stopped by for a moment or two of your Thanksgiving downtime, here are some of the posts I have shared on other blogs and websites this month as well as some of my old favorite from this blog.

The other blogs and websites represented are Kiwi Crate’s The Studio and Kids’s Activities Blog this month.

Here are the Fall Crafts and Activities:

A yummy Turkey Bento Lunch with apple feathers and frozen yogurt Thanksgiving molds was served to JDaniel two weeks ago for lunch.

JDaniel and I made a delicious Pumpkin Smoothie. It was smooth and just a tad spicy according to the JDaniel.

One morning for breakfast JDaniel had Apple Cider Pancakes. My husband keeps asking for me to make more the ones I made for him disappeared too quickly he claims.

The final picture in this collage isn’t food related, but we did have fun with the owls in it. They were for a post called Owl Craft for Skip Counting. We counted by ones as we counted their beaks, we counted by twos when we counted their eyes, and we counted by threes when we counted their claws.

A turkey activity for preschoolers and others to work on spatial terms like above, below, and over was created with feeling. JDaniel was told to place the small red feather on the large green one. Then we were asked to place it beside the large red feather. We had a great time making various turkeys with this activity.

Beside it is a turkey JDaniel created. His feathers were created by painting in a salad spinner.

JDaniel and I did our November shopping for our local food bank using a word and picture guide I created that displays food the food bank really needs.

We worked on symmetry while creating a found art object or centerpiece. JDaniel loved collecting the objects to create the project with.A paper boat was used to create a really simple Mayflower craft! I love how the ruffled edge of the plate looks on the sails.

Here are some of our fall crafts and activities :

JDaniel and I made two paper plate turkeys. They were a part of a post called Read.Explore.Learn.- Trouble at the Tappleton’s.

I made the turkey bowling pins for JDaniel when he was two and a half. The turkey’s bodies were made of his hand prints. The post was simply calledRead.Explore.Learn.- Thanksgiving

We made the turkey treat bag to take to our local fire station. We filled the bag with cookies. The post the bag was featured in was called Read.Explore.Learn.- The Firefighter’s Thanksgiving.

Our thankfulness tree spent last Thanksgiving on our kitchen table. It is filled with leaves that list things we are thankful for. The post that featured the tree is called Thanksgiving for Kids: Being Thankful.

The muffin tin meal on the top of this collage features a turkey and all different foods a turkey would eat. The post was called Muffin Tin Monday- Turkey’s Food Pyramid Meal.

The muffin tin meal on the bottom features a stuffing turkey, the best sweet potato casserole, and turkey divan with a turkey biscuit on top. The recipe for the sweet potato casserole is included in the post. It really is wonderful. The post is called Muffin Tin Monday- Thanksgiving with Sweet Potato Casserole and More.

I made my guys a Breakfast Turkey last year. They loved the pumpkin spice pancakes, bacon, and sausage.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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.

Turkey Trouble- Read.Explore.Learn

November 9, 2012 By Deirdre

The turkey in Turkey Trouble realizes that he is in trouble and decides to disguise himself as other animals on the farm. Every time he thinks he has found a winning costume a different farm animal recognizes him. He then tries to pretend he is one of them.His disguises work for him in the end! What is he at the end of the story? He is a pizza delivery man. Thank goodness the family likes pizza.

I love the turkey’s disguises. He uses upcycled costumes to keep him off the table.

Turkey Hat

We glued a set of yellow turkey legs, a turkey head with face, and a bunch of turkey feathers to a brown band of construction paper and made the cutest turkey hat.

Paper Bag Turkey

We gathered together newspaper, construction paper feathers, wiggly eyes, a turkey head and facial features made of construction paper, a paper bag, and a bread tag to make the paper bag turkey.

Then we stuffed the bag with newspaper and closed the bag with the bread tie.

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.