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You are here: Home / Archives for Thanksgiving

2013: Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2013 by Tracy

2013: Happy Thanksgiving!
2013: Happy Thanksgiving!

Photograph Credit: NVTOfficeClips

It’s Gratitude Day! Though showing gratitude and expressing gratefulness is routinely practiced in our household, I especially enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

How different and blessed we are today in comparison to the first Thanksgiving celebrated in America. From the blessing of cooking on a stove with a delicious feast completely prepared in about 2 hours to having my family gathered around the table, I will be counting my blessings and showing my gratitude.

In using time wisely, our family is choosing to bypass this evening’s After Thanksgiving Sales and waiting in line at the stores for the Black Friday steals. When we were young and without children, Paul and I survived the thrill of Black Friday. We huddled together to keep from freezing while waiting for Best Buy to open at 5 a.m. 😉

With our turkey brining, potatoes peeled, and sweet potatoes and stuffing prepared, we are on schedule for our Thanksgiving feast. In using time wisely, we have family and friends coming to celebrate our many blessings. The pecan and blueberry pies are baked along with a chocolate cake for dessert this afternoon.

As the preparations commence, I look forward to watching my children participate with Thanksgiving printable activities along with place cards and coloring pages. Though the day is filled with details, I plan to relax and enjoy the day. All the prior preparations provide a path to a success feast while using time wisely.

Wishing you all a blessed day of gratitude! I’m very thankful for each of you, and the blessing you are to me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Holidays, Uncategorized Tagged With: Thanksgiving

2013: Thanksgiving Activities

November 19, 2013 by Tracy

2013: Thanksgiving Activities
2013: Thanksgiving Activities

Photograph Credit: Putti’s World

On the heels of the previous Thanksgiving printable activities post, I found more wonderful Thanksgiving activities to share.

As our family is hosting Thanksgiving this year, our kitchen gets active around 10:00 a.m. for our 1:00 p.m. feast time. My children are usually in need of attention, and I plan to keep them occupied this year with some of these easy craft ideas focused on Turkey Day.

In addition to the crafts, there are a few more printable coloring activities which are easy to print off for a best-coloring contest. My favorites on the list are place cards, the fruit loop turkey, and the turkey leftover recipes. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Activities

Coloring Sheets

    • Coloring sheets 
    • Color by number
    • Coloring book

Moderately-involved Crafts

    • Fabric leaf tree
    • Turkey felt board feather matching

Quick and Easy Crafts

    • Craft fruit loop turkey
    • Place cards
    • Thanksgiving lacing cards
    • Tissue paper stained glass turkey
    • Turkey cups

Recipes

    • Quick appetizers
    • Turkey leftovers

With so many choices, I know my children will have plenty of excitement just choosing their craft. Knowing Miss 6, she will set herself down in the morning and work on as many crafts and coloring pages as available until she finishes or tires.

In using time wisely, I am looking forward to encouraging creativity while keeping the kitchen clear of little ones around the hot dishes. Happy creating!

Question: Which of these Thanksgiving activities is/are your favorite(s)?

Filed Under: Holiday, Thanksgiving, Event Planning Tagged With: Thanksgiving

2013: Thanksgiving Printable Activities

November 12, 2013 by Tracy

http://www.giftofcuriosity.com/thanksgiving-printable-pack/
http://www.giftofcuriosity.com/thanksgiving-printable-pack/

Photograph Credit: Gift of Curiosity

Wow, the world of printable packs has burst wide open with so many bloggers offering FREE Thanksgiving printable activities.

Since the list was getting quite long, I chose to dedicate an entire post to highlight these FREE printable activities.

I focused on the truly FREE printable packs. There were many options, but some required signing up for a newsletter, mailing list, or membership.

Of the printable packs chosen, most are designed for ages 2-7. But I found some of them quite interesting, and I am a tad bit out of the 2-7 age range. 😉 Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Printable Activities

1. The Pilgrims at Plymouth

The Pilgrims at Plymouth pack by Lauren Hill at Mama’s Learning Corner is one of my favorites as Miss 6 just finished this unit study in 1st grade. This pack is 18 pages and designed for 1st-3rd graders.

2. Notebook Pages and Activities

The Thanksgiving Notebook Pages and Activities pack by Betsy at Notebooking Nook offers a variety of handwriting practice. The Thanksgiving poetry included is great for beginning writers to copy the poems on the lined pages.

3. Mini Books

The Thanksgiving pack by Crystal Brothers at Serving Joyfully includes two mini books. The first is pre-printed for reading, and the second gives the writer space to write for what he or she is thankful.

This printable pack is FREE, but requires a “like” on Facebook in order to download. I used my junk Facebook account to get the FREE download.

4. Gratitude Journal

The gratitude journal by Stacie Nelson at Motherhood on a Dime offers a place to record your thankfulness highlighting one nugget each day for 30 days. The printable sheets can be cut and bound or stapled for a keepsake.

5. Hymn Study Unit

Sarah at Homeschool Giveaways and Freebies created a wonderful Thanksgiving hymn study unit. This resource includes 12 hymns, the history of each writer, and printable sheet music.

6. History of the First Thanksgiving

The History of the First Thanksgiving pack is another resource by Lauren Hill at Mama’s Learning Corner. This unit study includes a list of children’s Thanksgiving books. In encouraging children to read, parents have a starting point for discovering a different perspective from what we celebrate today.

7. Various Activities

The Thanksgiving pack created by Erin at Royal, Baloo, and Logi-Bear Too provides addition and subtraction practice along with lots of other activities for students ages Kindergarten to 2nd grade.

8. Multi-sensory Activities and Links to many more Thanksgiving Printable Packs

Not only has Katie at Gift of Curiosity created a wonderful Thanksgiving pack for ages 2-7, but she has also posted a roundup of FREE Thanksgiving printable activities.

I am very grateful for Katie contacting me when she releases a new printable pack, so I can share her hard work with you. These packages are well done and provide lots of practice for little ones.

In approaching Thanksgiving, these wonderful resources provide practice, fun, and learning opportunities focused on why we celebrate this holiday. From math, reading, writing, and history, these printable packs offer hours of opportunity.

With my children out of school during Thanksgiving week, these printable activities should keep my crafty Miss 6 occupied for a little while. 😉 Reinforcing her study of the Pilgrims, I hope she will enjoy the games, printing practice, and reading focused on Thanksgiving while using time wisely. Happy learning!

Question: What types of resources do you find interesting around the holidays?

Filed Under: Holiday, Thanksgiving, Event Planning Tagged With: Thanksgiving

2012: Happy Thanksgiving Day!

November 22, 2012 by Tracy

Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Happy Turkey Day! Brawk, brawk! 😉 As you spend time with your family and friends counting your blessings, enjoy making memories.

I realize that the hustle and bustle is upon us, and deals are waiting in the wings to go live. But you have a choice, so continue using time wisely.

With four pies baked – apple, blueberry, pecan, and pumpkin – and the sweet potato casserole prepared, I will spend time with my family without the distraction of baking the meal.

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving on this Turkey Day! Brawk, brawk! 😉

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Filed Under: Holidays, Uncategorized Tagged With: Thanksgiving

Family Fun: Thanksgiving Activities

November 16, 2012 by Tracy

Thanksgiving Activities
Thanksgiving Activities

Photograph Credit: NVT OfficeClips

As my children get a week-long fall break at Thanksgiving, I have been looking for fun activities to provide at home. With so many talented and giving bloggers, I am thrilled to highlight my favorite Thanksgiving activities from around the Internet. Enjoy!

Decorations

  • Pictorial tutorial to make an apple and mason jar votive centerpiece from the Krazy Coupon Lady 
  • Free Thanksgiving party printables from Amanda’s Parties to Go 

Recipes

  • Turkey Rice Krispy Treats at Amy’s Finer Things 
  • Oreo Turkeys and Cookie Pilgrim Hats at Our Best Bites 
  • Hershey Kiss Acorn Treats by the Krazy Coupon Lady 

Free Thanksgiving Printable Packs

  • Thanksgiving pack by Homeschool Creations  
  • Thanksgiving pack by All Our Days  
  • Thanksgiving pack by Creative Learning Fun 
  • Thanksgiving Unit Study by Meet Penny 
  • Dot marker sheets by 3 Dinosaurs 
  • Thanksgiving pack by 3 Dinosaurs 
  • Pre-K pack by This Reading Mama 
  • Math pack by Royal Baloo 
  • Autumn Pre-K pack by Intentional Mama 
  • Preschool pack by Our Little Monkeys 
  • Lots of Thanksgiving worksheets posted by Blessed Beyond a Doubt 

Crafts

  • The Gratitude Jar by Paper Coterie 
  • Hand print Turkey Keepsakes by Share and Remember 
  • Thankful Tree by the Krazy Coupon Lady 
  • Thankful Tree by Simply Rebekah 
  • Turkey Finger Puppets by Tip Junkie 
  • Pilgrim Paper Dolls by Creative Connections

For more planning ideas, visit this list of 70 free Thanksgiving resources by The Better Mom or the list of Thanksgiving Planners from Amy’s Wandering.

As this fall season is very busy for lots of families, these resources are highlighted for your information. If your plate is full, then bypass these activities. In using time wisely, I only present this list to help those looking for Thanksgiving resources this fall season.

My plate is quite full, but I am printing lots of these Thanksgiving packs for my daughter. She loves the games and puzzles. By reinforcing her desire to learn and decorate, these printables bring lots of fun to my family. Enjoy your family activities around your table, your house, and your community. Happy planning!

Question: What Thanksgiving activities is your family planning?

Filed Under: Staying at Home, Family Activities Tagged With: Thanksgiving

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