Gobble, Gobble Appetizer

I had to bring a Fall appetizer to this year a friend's house and I wanted to make sure it would be something my kids would eat.  This simple turkey was a hit with the kids!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Half of a pear for the body and rings of yummy snacks around grapes, cheese, cranberries, and pecans.  Adjust to what your kids like to eat.

Mommy and Me Turkey

It is turkey time!  I could just "gobble up" this simple project.  The best part was having my son paint my hand.  I am most thankful for spending time with my little ones.  This project captures this time together.

"We made these little turkeys so everyone will see,
That I am most thankful for my Mommy and Me!"

Today was the last class of my Fall session of mommy and me.  This project was the perfect end to our time together.  I'll be back in December for a very special 2-week session.

A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart - Gratitude Journal

Last Thanksgiving we spent the day with friends.  I wanted to bring a meaningful gift to show our thanks and appreciation for inviting us to their family celebration.  I found a "Fall" looking journal and inscribed a special message.  Each person wrote in the journal what they were thankful for.  The young ones drew a picture.  I told the host to put the journal away with the Thanksgiving decorations so that every year your guests can write in the journal.
This year my family will be starting this tradition.  I ordered a notebook on Shutterfly which included my favorite family pictures.  It will be fun to look back every year to see who was at our Thanksgiving, what they were thankful for and to see their handwriting.  Nowadays most notes are emailed or printed.  Hand written notes are always treasured.
Wishing you many blessing this Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Popcorn Turkey Surprise

This year I brought in a turkey for my son's preschool class.  This wasn't your ordinary turkey, it was a popcorn turkey!  It was so fun to watch the eyes of the kids as the teacher carved the turkey.  They all enjoyed their Thanksgiving Feast!

The body of the bird was made from a large grocery bag turned inside out and stuffed with popcorn.  I folded the ends in and hot glued it shut.  The drumsticks were made from two lunch size paper bags.  I formed the bag around my fist first and then filled.  I put a rubber band around the end.  I took a white piece of paper and cut slits on it and attached it to the  end of the drumsticks.  Then hot glue the drumsticks onto the body of the bird.  Place on a platter.  YUM!!!

"Hand" and "Foot" Turkey craft

Gobble, Gobble, this turkey is one of a kind and has a lot to be thankful for this year!
You need construction paper (various colors) glue, scissors, and markers.
The body is made by tracing the child's foot on brown construction paper.
The feathers are the child's hand.  I had my son do 4 feathers to match his age.  He picked his favorite colors.
This craft can be done with any age and parent help varies with the child.  My son is not a big fan of crafts so I cut out the hand prints and did the writing.  He did the rest.  We used "teamwork."  It will be fun to do this project again next year to see what he is thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Time for THANKS

Thanksgiving is a week away and we have been spending a lot of time talking about who and what we are thankful for.  I have been modeling various ways to give thanks.  My son and I love to bake so we decided to make a few loaves of zucchini bread and create simple cards to deliver to some people we appreciate.  When the bread cooled, we divided and wrapped up the bread. (Fall paper plate and foil, nothing fancy!)  We handed out our homemade treats throughout the week to the puppet show ladies, our trashman, preschool teachers, and the fire station.  Shay loved handing out his gifts and the recipients were thrilled and surprised to receive this gift of thanks.   
*Remember to keep it simple, fun and a positive experience.  If you see your child getting frustrated or bored when making the cards, put it away and come back to it when they are ready.  No need to complete it at one time. Practice what to say before delivering the packages. 

Here are our favorite recipes and healthy too:
Zucchini bread that uses apple sauce and chocolate chips - YUM!
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/low-fat-chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread.html
Pumpkin Muffins: http://www.achildgrows.com/2007/11/30/pumpkin-muffins-recipe-healthy-but-good/

A great article on teaching children how to be grateful: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/teaching-children-to-be-grateful/

For more Thanksgiving Ideas: turkey time http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2010/11/turkey-time.html
tree of thanks http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2010/11/thankful-tree.html
nuts about you http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2010/11/nuts-about-you.html

THANKFUL Tree

Our THANKSgiving Tree

We went over to my parents house for dinner tonight for an "early" Thanksgiving.    The kids made a "THANKFUL" Tree to give to grandma and grandpa. I brought over a small olive branch that I stuck into a cup filled with rocks.  We used Fiskar scissors with the different cutting blades and Fall colored construction paper.  I drew a basic leaf shape and they cut out them out.  Then, they colored pictures of things they were "thankful" for, such as Rocky (our dog), family, papa, etc.  The oldest sounded out the words and I wrote the words for the younger kids.  They hole punched the paper leaf and pushed a thin ribbon through the hole.  I tied a knot and they hung their leaf on the "Thankful" tree.  They were so proud of their tree.

*This would be a great activity to do Thanksgiving Day when all the family is together.  Everyone could make a leaf to put on the tree (even the adults!)  It is also a great way to keep the kids busy that day.  Wishing you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day!

Turkey Time

Here are a couple of my favorite turkey projects.  1.  The turkey hand print is a must.  Paint the palm and thumb brown and the remaining fingers different colors. (use whatever colors you have at home) We sure to use washable paint and have wet wipes handy.  2.  The paper turkey.  When the project is complete, write things that they are thankful for, like the dog, mommy, daddy, etc! 

Happy Thanksgiving!