I have not posted in a long while! I've been lucky to get through day to day! This thanksgiving, as the kids and I discuss the holiday we are also talking about being thankful for what we have and what we are given. Especially since the start of school, attempting to introduce my middle to letters (I think we are going to wait and focus on other things, like this), and the baby needing much attention and rarely sleeping, having the visual reminder of things we are thankful for is so important. The kids and I need it (ok, maybe mostly me), and it's been fun!
I did a simple 'kids thankful craft' search. There are so many ideas on pinterest for thankful trees, displays, banners, and even jars! I've decided to go with a banner, writing what we are thankful for on leaves printed from here done like what was done here.
But before we got started with the leaves, I needed an introduction. Teacher me coming out here. They really have no frame of reference for the Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think I have really talked about it with them directly. And if I did, they most likely do not remember. Especially my middle, after all she is only 3!
I reserved a lot of books from the library. Some that we have been using are: (each book is linked)
It's been a fun. We have been talking about:
-The First Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims were thankful for the help when they needed it
-How to be thankful when you don't have much and are given something (even when it might not bee what you specifically want) <-- This one is because we have a hard time with that, just thankful for generosity
-Finding things to be thankful for when you think there is nothing to be thankful for
-Saying thank you to people for more than just giving you things
-Being thankful for God's grace and love
So far, I love it. Writing and coloring on the leaves is so fun.
My favorite one to this date is my middle, "I'm thankful for my heart that beeps". I think that is the cutest thing!
It might not be the most glamorous of banners, but it is something we've been looking at and reading as a reminder. It's serving it's purpose. The leaves have some thing written on the front and the back...
And, what I am very thankful for, is that this has been said by one of my littles...
I'm hoping to make this a tradition. Or at least some variation of this every year. I'm not going to save the leaves though. That would be too much, and I trying to use craft supplies not change their shape.
What thanksgiving traditions do you have?