Hands-on Thanksgiving Fun

Educational Activities Add an Extra Spark to a Thanksgiving Unit

Nov 16, 2007 Belinda Mooney

Adding kids crafts and hands-on activities to your Thanksgiving unit study could be just what you need to spark their interest.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to take a real look at an amazing time in our country's history. The founding of our nation, the coming of the pilgrims and the interaction with Native Americans is nothing short of fantastic. It was an exciting time in United State's history.

You can always add some spice to any unit study when you add some easy kids crafts and hands-on activities. It pulls in all the children's senses and brings your subject alive. Kids can contribute their own thoughts and ideas for activities as well making them even more willing to study the chosen subject.

Here are some fun ideas for Thanksgiving crafts that are educational as fun.

Make Mini Posters

Choose an aspect of Thanksgiving and make a mini poster. You might choose to make a poster on the dress of the pilgrims. (Interesting note - they didn't just wear black and brown!) Other mini poster ideas include:

• Native American foods that would of been available
• how the pilgrims celebrated their Thanksgiving - what did they actually eat, who came and what were they celebrating
• Indian tribes the pilgrims encountered
• English recipes they might have made
• how the pilgrims got to America
• native plants in the area
• a map of the area

Make a Notebook

Make a Thanksgiving notebook. Include a list of books your read or videos you watched. Add your mini posters and any coloring sheets you color. Here is one to get you started. Put in the reports you write, recipes, pictures of plants and the people of the time. Add drawing of the ships, their homes, the land and anything else you can thing of to add. Make a decorative cover for your notebook.

Have an Original Thanksgiving Dinner

Cook only foods the pilgrims and native Americans would have eaten. Set the table and make your own decorations. use plants and natural resources to make your decorations, squash, corn cobs, pumpkins, leaves and acorns are perfect for this type of crafting.

Make Your Own Table Settings

Make Be Thankful place mats, make your own napkins and place settings, use colorful paper napkins and add fall colored raffia as napkin rings. Put on your thinking cap and see what else you can come up with to help make your Thanksgiving table special and share it in our forum. Our mini pumpkin candles are perfect for the Thanksgiving table and add warm atmosphere. You could even do as the pilgrims would have done in the evening and eat by candle light.

The copyright of the article Hands-on Thanksgiving Fun in Kids Crafts is owned by Belinda Mooney. Permission to republish Hands-on Thanksgiving Fun in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.