Thanksgiving
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Pie Filling Taste Test
I know that there are very strong opinions about using food for preschool activities, and I understand both sides of the argument. Personally, I believe that food is something that brings us together. It is a powerful way to open children’s minds to new experiences, and to introduce them to cultural experiences. I am especially partial to taste-tests as science and social studies activities because it gives me the opportunity to expose children to something that they may not ever encounter at home. I’ve been known to taste test fruits and vegetables, in order to introduce new foods and encourage children to be open to trying new things. This particular…
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Pie Themed Dramatic Play
October, November, and December are by far the easiest months to plan dramatic play for. For example, one of my favorite November dramatic play themes is a pie bakery. Simply use your play kitchen or create an oven out of a large cardboard box, then include some of the following items: Aluminum pie pans Felt circles for pie crust Rolling pins Aprons A toy mixer Mixing bowls Pie servers Cookbooks and recipe cards Play fruit for filling I’ve also got some fun Thanksgiving theme math and language activities that you can use to round out your other centers as you prepare for the holiday!
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Family Recipe Book
Thanksgiving is about two things; food, and family. Encourage your families to share their favorite recipes with each other by sending home these cute recipe pages. Once each family has completed one you can compile them to create a beautiful class recipe book that is sure to be a hit! Download your free recipe pages here!
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Pumpkin-Themed Show and Tell
Oh I love show and tell. Seriously, I do. I know that for some teachers it is probably their least favorite thing, and I know teachers that refuse to do it because it create chaos in their classrooms – but I love it. There are so many ways to use show and tell to support what you’re learning in the classroom (check out this post for ideas). One way to make show and tell really work for you is to link it to whatever theme or project you are currently working on. Since October and November are all about pumpkins, here are some ideas for pumpkin related show-and-tell: Ask children…
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Friday Freebie – Thanksgiving Pie
Happy Friday! I’m spending the day shopping, putting up my Christmas decorations, and relaxing – I hope that you get to do some of the same! I know that Thanksgiving is over, but this activity is a great one to stash away for next year. This Thankful Pie craftivity from Lindy du Plessis looks like a great way to help children think about all of the things they are thankful for, I bet that parents would love to see what their children came up with. Add this one to your file for next year and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that your holiday is wonderful and relaxing! *Card image from Snapfish*
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Tips for celebrating Thanksgiving with little ones
Do you have any young children attending your Thanksgiving celebration? I wanted to make sure to share one of my most popular posts because it is full of tips for avoiding meltdowns and keeping toddlers and preschoolers happy on Thanksgiving day. You can check that post out here!
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Family Engagment – Discussing Thanksgiving
I like to take any opportunity that I can get to involve families in my classroom discussions and investigations, so I created this great freebie in order to find out a little more about each of my individual students’ family Thanksgiving celebration. Send this questionnaire home with your students to find out what each of their Thanksgiving celebrations is like. Ask them to bring it back after the holiday and compare and contrast the foods that they ate, what they liked and did not like, and give children the opportunity to share their own special traditions. This is a great way to help little ones understand that their families have…
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Friday Freebie – Family Trees
Happy Friday! Can you believe we are over a week into November?! This year is flying by! I wanted to do something a little different today – don’t worry, you’ll still get a freebie! I actually shared this brand new freebie in my post on Monday but I wanted to share it again just in case you missed it. This Family Tree Freebie is a fun way to help your students explore their families. Use this set to help children explore their families. Send each child home with a tree background and a sheet (or half sheet) of leaves. Families can write names and relationships on the leaves. This family…
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Books about Families
I’m always full of great book recommendations, here are my favorites for starting discussions about families (Amazon affiliate links): The Family Book by Todd Parr All Families are Special by Norma Simon A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard What are your favorite books about families? Share them in the comments!
