A Circle of Thanksgiving – Bracelet Craft – The Circle of Thanksgiving 

Materials needed:  Yarn or string (enough to make a wrist bracelet for each child) and pony beads (blue, black, red, white, yellow, orange, and purple pony beads -enough for each child to have one of each color).

Read the Circle of Thanksgiving (linked above) to the children and have them put on one bead for each line that is read.  Discuss words the children may not know: represent, purity, gratitude, etc.   Discuss the color choices and why colors are often associated with words, feelings, or objects.  Give the children an example by discussing the sun.  When we read or listen to words that describe the sun, the colors of yellow and orange often come to mind.  When the children have added all the beads to their string, tie the ends together to create “The Circle of Thanksgiving.”  The children may keep at school or home and retell the bracelet’s meaning as they look at the beads.  For very young children, repeat the activity over the course of several days.  Invite the children to retell the story to their peers or to parents/family at home.

Thanksgiving:  What does NOT belong? – Does not belong_drawings

Print the file linked above for each of the children.  Have the children mark an X with a crayon or pencil over the picture that does not belong with the others in that row.  The last page of the file can be used for patterning (have the children cut the pictures from page one to pattern with) or for drawing same/different shapes.

Turkey Teen Number Math Activity – Turkeys_Teen_Numbers

Materials needed:  Pipe cleaners (one for each of the numbers the children are learning), Turkey Templates (linked above), crayons/markers, or number stamps, tape, and a variety of pony beads

Print the turkeys from the template above and laminate for durability.  Have the children cut out each of the turkeys or pre-cut for younger students.  Have the children use masking tape to tape the turkey to one end of a pipe cleaner (younger children will need assistance.)  On the turkeys, have the children write or stamp any numbers that you are learning.  Using the pony beads, have the children slide the beads, one-at-a-time, over the end of the pipe cleaner until they have counted all beads needed.  The children can pattern different colors of pony beads while counting, if desired (see photo above).

For more Harvest or Thanksgiving Theme Literacy and Math Ideas, see the Thanksgiving Thematic Unit at The Preschool Toolbox.