Thanksgiving Ideas for Kids...Really Easy Ones for Busy Mamas!

The girls and I have decided to take the entire week off of "school" for Thanksgiving.  If you are a homeschooler, you of coarse know that you are never not doing school, so what we are really doing is a fun approach to history through art and media.  The focus?  Well, Thanksgiving!  Here are a few things we are doing this week.  I am posting pictures of the actual crafts we have done/are doing instead of the girls doing the crafts to protect their identity.  I hope you don't mind ;-)

The first craft we put together this week was a Thankful Book.  We got the inspiration from B-Inspired Mama.  And yes, I was!




We adapted ours for what supplies we had on hand.

Materials we used:
*Three hole punch
*Embroidery thread
*4 pieces of fall color construction paper (at least one black for the cover)
*4 pieces plain computer paper
*Glue
*Black Marker
*Crayons (at least one white)
*Various sparkly do-dads

First, we took the computer paper and glued it to each of the pieces of construction paper, making a black piece the cover.
Then, when the glue dried, we folded the papers in half, holding them horizontally.
After that, we punched holes in the sides and connected the pages together with the embroidery thread.
I had them take a white crayon and make a "hand turkey" by tracing their hand on the cover, and write the title "Thankful Book".

My girls are 6 and 7.  The 6 year old is in the pre reading/dictation stage.  So, I asked her to tell me what she was thankful for and wrote one on each page with the black marker.

My 7 year old loves to write on her own, so I asked her what she was thankful for and wrote the  hard to spell words on a white board so she could copy.

When they had filled out what they were thankful for, I told them they could take the book out each day and a draw a corresponding picture for what they were thankful for on that page.   They could decorate it however they want.  My 7 year old even felt the need to do an impromptu "science experiment" where she put glue on her hand, let it dry, then peel it off like skin.  She put the "skin" in a big glob on one of her pages.  Yep, creative genius!







Another one we are going to do is the simple TP Roll Turkey inspired by Busy Bee Kids Crafts



One of my older boys saw a commercial for the new toilet paper that does not come with the rolls.  He actually said, "Well, we will never get that kind.  Mom would not have anything for crafts!"  Who would make such a products?!

Any way, here's what you will do:

Here's what you'll need...

•TP roll
•Scissors
•Construction paper in fall colors
•Pencil
•2 googly eyes, or black marker
•Glue


Here's how to make it...

1. Cut two slits into your TP roll to make a triangle, and fold up to make your Turkey's bill (as shown in the picture) 

2. Trace your hand print onto the construction paper and cut out. 

3. From your construction paper (preferably red color) cut out a "J" shape for under your turkey's neck. Glue onto the TP roll just under his beek. Glue the hand prints around the base of your TP roll. To finish it off, glue on googly eyes, or draw on eyes with a black marker. You've just created an adorable Thanksgiving turkey! 

Along with this, we will be supplementing with some movies!  I found this great site called Cross and Quill Media.  It tells you where to find awesome educational movies on things like Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, and more.  This is a life saver!  

Here is the direct link to the Ultimate Online Guide For Thanksgiving.

It has the listing by grade level and everything!  The first thing we will watch, without a doubt, is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  Oh yeah, it's going down!  Holidays don't happen in my house without the Peanuts!

Then, we will just go from there.  This particular one has a lot of good media if you are doing unit studies on early America, or the Attentiveness unit in Konos like we are.  

Well, there you have it!  Besides having the joy of them helping me cook all the goodies, and just play and be kids, that's what we are doing!  What is your family doing?  Any traditions?  Share them in the comments!

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!