Theme: Thanksgiving



Focus of the Week: Our theme series focuses on one letter, one shape and one color each week. I put together and printed this printable mostly for my two. I hung it in our craft room and would often point to the letter, shape and color for him to identify throughout the week.


November Themes: My boys (ages 2, 4) go to preschool twice a week, so I planned our activities for the off days - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I printed a monthly chart (link to come) as a way to keep organized and stay on track. However, some weeks we just do activities as we go. Here's the first week at a glance:



MONDAY:

Sorting (Then & Now): We did this activity while my boys were eating breakfast. I held out two cards (ie. pilgrim clothes, our clothes) and we talked about the difference. I pointed out a lot of details and we talked about how different our lives are from the pilgrims. You can print Then & Now Cards from The Teacher Bag.


Letter ("C" Corn Kernel & Popcorn): We started putting corn kernels on the big Letter C, and then started our popcorn science experiment below. After we popped popcorn, we glued the popcorn onto our little c.


Science (Popcorn Observations): My boys had so much fun experimenting with popcorn! You can print the Popcorn Observations worksheet from A Little Pinch of Perfect.



Observe
Weight
Sink or Float
Treat (Popcorn): We ate A LOT of popcorn today during our science experiment! Yum!


WEDNESDAY:

Art (Indian Vests & Headband):



Fine Motor (Dream Catchers): The boys strung yarn (wrap a piece of tape around the end, so it will go through the holes easily) through hole punches on a paper plate. We talked about how the Indians believe these made bad dreams go away. 


Numbers (Planting Corn Kernels): We didn't get to this activity this week!

Sensory (Pilgrims & Indians): We had corn kernels from our Turkey Sensory bin, so we re-used them this week. I found this Thanksgiving Set on Ebay.




FRIDAY: 

Rhyme & Craft (Mayflower): We made the craft below while learning this Mayflower Song.


Shape (Feather or Pen?): I reminded my boys about the "then and now" activity we did on Monday - how the Pilgrims wrote with feathers. We dipped feathers in paint and drew shapes. 


Gross Motor (Shooting Arrows): I used a window marker to draw a turkey and antelope on our window. My boys took turns shooting the animals with bow and arrows.


Outing (Thanksgiving Dinner): With the busy holiday, we counted Thanksgiving dinner as our outing this week! We met together with a group of friends at a community room and ate our hearts full. 



Thanksgiving Booklist: And of course, we read often throughout the week. We mostly read before our quiet times each day, but we occasionally read during a meal or random time during the day. I placed these books on hold at our local library a week in advance and we enjoyed reading them this week as we learned about turkeys:
  • 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston
  • Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley and Joe Cepeda
  • I'm a Turkey! by Jim Arnasky
  • A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman
  • This is the Turkey by Abby Levine
  • The Thanksgiving Surprise by Peggy Archer
  • Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler
  • A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
  • Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano and Lee Harper
  • Who Will Carve the Turkey This Thanksgiving? By Jerry Pallotta

Note: We FINALLY started week one of our beginning reading program for my four. We learned a new sight word ("the") and worked on handwriting, rhyming, beginning sounds, and teen numbers this week. This program is very outlined and takes 15 minutes or so per day. We plan to do it right as my two goes down for a nap. 

Popular posts from this blog

Ocean Foil Painting

Image
We love foil painting. Last year, my three used monster trucks to paint on foil and this year, my three and 21 month old used q-tips to paint an ocean scene. They both really enjoyed painting and using ocean stickers to complete their ocean. You can view our other Letter O Activities  by clicking the link. Here's what you need: Cardboard Poster Board (I bought mine from The Dollar Tree and cut it into fourths) Tinfoil Tape (I used packing tape, but I'm sure any kind would work) Paint (we used dark blue, light blue and white tempera paint) Q-tips Glitter (optional) Ocean Stickers  (or print ocean clipart to glue on) 1) Wrap a piece of tinfoil around your piece of cardboard. Tape the tinfoil (on the back side of the cardboard) into place. 2) Squeeze paint onto the foil and have your child(ren) swirl the paint around with a q-tip. My 21-month old decided to use his hands to paint (top left), which made the paint lift and chip off a bit when the paint dried....
Read more

Family Home Evening Index

Image
Update: Did you know I'm posting weekly COME FOLLOW ME ideas and lessons for young children (ages 3-12)? The lessons are short, interactive and lots of fun. Click the link for more details.  I started doing a weekly Family Home Evening lesson when my oldest child turned 18 months old. These lessons teach our family about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Restored Gospel - we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The lessons in BLUE are based on principles from the nursery manual, "Behold Your Little Ones" along with supplementary ideas to teach the same principle. The lessons in PINK are from the Sunbeams Manual - which we used at group family home evening lessons at our home. These lessons are meant for toddlers and young children - they're short, interactive and sweet. Baptism Book of Mormon (1) : "The Book of Mormon Teaches me about Jesus" Book of Mormon (2) : The Story of The Book of Mormon Book of Mormon Her...
Read more

Family Home Evening: Baptism

Image
**Other Baptismal Lessons:  Kit Kat Baptismal Covenants ,  here (includes covenants with pictures) and here (includes baptism jeopardy).  Prayer: Scripture - John 3:5. Explain that Jesus is speaking in this verse and teaching us something we need to do in order to live in heaven again with Heavenly Father and Jesus. Read the verse and explain that "born of water" is referring to baptism. Song: " When Jesus Christ was Baptized " from the Children's Songbook page 102. When Jesus Was Baptized: Use these visuals (shown below) to teach your children about when Jesus was baptized. Each visual has a summary included. I printed the summaries and glued them onto the back of the pictures, so I could show my children the pictures while reading the summary on the back. Point out any additional details you'd like in the pictures. When I Am Baptized: Teach your children that they can be baptized just as Jesus was baptized. Use these visuals (s...
Read more

Obedience (1): The Chocolate Chip Ghost Story

Image
This lesson contains ideas from the current nursery manual, Behold Your Little Ones. Click the link to view the original lesson, " I Will Obey " from LDS.org. Prayer : Scripture : Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." I explained what 'obey' means and told Easton how happy it makes Heavenly Father when he listens to mom and dad. Song : " Quickly I'll Obey ." (Primary Children's Songbook P. 197) We did the actions from the manual as we sang the song: When my mother calls me (cup hands around mouth) Quickly I'll obey (run quietly in place) I want to do just what is best (nod head up and down) Each and every day. When my father calls me (cup hands around mouth) Quickly I'll obey (run quietly in place) I want to do just what is best (nod head up and down) Each and every day. Heavenly Father loves me (hug self) Blesses me each day (continue hugging self as you tur...
Read more