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Cornucopia This project is an easy way for kindergarteners to 2nd graders to begin understanding the Christian doctrine of dominion reminding your children this is what the Pilgrims did! Draw and/or print off the picture of a cornucopia (see below). Have your children color it and paste it on to poster board. Entitle the board All Things to God's Glory! or any other appropriate Christian theme.
Draw and/or print off individual fruits/vegetables like apples, potatoes, grapes, corn, carrots, pumpkins, etc. (See: To print off, see below.) Have your children write in marker what areas in life God rules and write that on the fruit/vegetable.
Here are some ideas — music, art, math, family, brain, garden, fun, animals, money, dance, Bible, history, science, language, books, language, law, grammar, thoughts, time, music, inventions, civil government, education, homeschooling, etc.
After the fruits/vegetables are written on and colored, have the children paste them coming out of the cornucopia on the poster board. Save the craft and add onto it next year!
Make a Turkey — Have your children put their hands in paint (preferably brown, but any color will do) and, then, place their painted hands on paper. Quick ! take your children by their arms with their hands as far away from you, the walls, and anything else as possible, and wash them off ! To make the turkey's "gobbler", have the child place his thumb in red paint and put it by the "head" of the brown-paint handprint "turkey" on the paper. This original artwork may have any number of different titles (e.g., God Provides, God Knows Our Needs, etc.). Then, depending on your child's ability either have the child write or the parent write an appropriate Scripture verse at the bottom of the page. Note: A variation of this project is to have the child only put his palm in brown paint for the turkey's body and his fingers in different color paints for the turkey's tail feathers. (This is what our children did. It makes for an interesting turkey!)
Blessings Tree — On a poster board or wall (if you are brave!) draw a tree. Instead of having fruit hang off the tree, write the blessings God has bestowed upon His people on the fruit. Have the children write something they are thankful for on each "leaf."
Holiday Tree — The "tree" is a dead branch (I use a dead scrub oak branch) secured in a plastic container with plaster of paris, and in a wicker basket. Beginning the first of September we hang apples and footballs cut out of construction paper on it. In October we add pumpkins (not jack-o-lanterns) and red, orange, and yellow leaves (also cut from construction paper).
In November, we will add turkeys. Just after Thanksgiving we take everything off the tree and decorate for Christmas.
I presently have about 30 items hanging from it now, and we still have the turkeys for November to put on. I have to say that in the 11-12 years I have been doing this, we have been through several different "branches". The only months we don't change the decorations are June, July, and August. During those months we keep about 50 different shells hanging from it. When the kids were little and still learning names of months, I would also hang a little card with that month's name on it.
In case you are interested, in January we hang oranges (as you know, snowflakes are not associated with Florida, but harvesting oranges is!) and confetti for the New Year; February, hearts; March, kites, shamrocks; April, umbrellas; May, keep the umbrellas on and add assortmant of silk flowers (April showers, bring May flowers); December, it is a miniature Christmas tree. During Easter week, everything comes off and I have different decorations for each day. The same for July 4th, when I hang American flags, and red, white and blue ribbons. Some of the items are pre-cut from stiff felt and purchased at a school supply store. I just added the string or ribbon to hand them. Others are miniatures from craft stores. I purchased a gallon size ziplock back from Walmart with an assortment of flowers, broken off of arrangements, for $1! The oranges are plastic, other items are cut from construction paper. The shells are from the beach at Longboat Key!!! — Pat H. Oct 1999
Scripture Turkey — Draw or copy a picture of a turkey minus the tail feathers. Have the children color it in and paste it on a poster board. Next, draw or copy a picture of a tail feather and photocopy off several. On each tail feather write a portion of any of the following scripture on the turkey's tail feathers with a marker until you have the entire Scripture written —
Finally, have the children color the tail feathers and paste them on the turkey. Entitle the poster board with any appropriate Christian theme.
Turkey Craft for Little Ones —
Trace your child's hand (fingers open) on several sheets of fall colored paper or fun foam. Cut them out.
Trace your child's feet (each foot separately) on brown paper or foam and cut out.
You will also need a little red piece for the turkey's whatchamacallit. Little orange pieces for the turkey's feet, and yellow for a beak. Black marker for the eyes.
Glue the heels of your child's feet together slightly overlapping. Make them toes down, this is the turkey's body and thighs. Next, glue the hands, fingers out, behind the "body" to be the turkey feathers. Then you can add the red thingy, yellow beak and draw in the eyes. Do this on your child's heel. Then add the feet at the bottom of each thigh, your child's toes.
Make sense??? I hope so. If you start making it, it makes sense.
The Mayflower Poster — Place a cut out picture of the Mayflower your child(ren) colored and paste it on a half sheet of poster board. Have your children color waves under the Mayflower and the ocean around it. You may even want to place a picture of a whale your child(ren) colored on the poster board! Encourage your child(ren) to think of other sea life the Pilgrims would have seen, what the sky looked like, etc.
Activities —
— Collect and study pictures of the Pilgrims, their clothes, houses, tools, and weapons.
— Write a report or give an oral presentation about how people lived in London during the time of King James.
— Older students — Why was King James referred to as "the wisest fool in Christendom"? (The answer is found in the book James I: The Fool as King, by Otto Scott, Ross House Books, Vallecito, CA © 1976)
Review the lyrics of the Christian song We Gather Together. Discuss the song's lyrics and how same applies ... (1) to King James harrying the Pilgrims out of England as well as the (2) understandable concern about the Spanish reinstituting the Inquisition in the Low Countries.
(Hint: Could the latter part of this question relate to "Let Thy congregation escape tribulation"?)
— Thanksgiving Creed Write a Thanksgiving Creed of your own. The word creed comes from Latin and it means "I believe." Make a list of the things you are thankful for and arrange them in the order you think makes the most sense. Write your creed.
Thanksgiving Creed Example:
Thanksgiving Day Literature
John Smith: Gentleman Adventurer, PrestonSpeed Publications, 51 Ridge Road, Mill Hall, PA 17751
St. Bartholomew's Eve: A Story of the Huguenot Wars, PrestonSpeed Publications, 51 Ridge Road, Mill Hall, PA 17751
By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic, PrestonSpeed Publications, 51 Ridge Road, Mill Hall, PA 17751
By England's Aid: Or, the Freeing of the Netherlands, PrestonSpeed Publications, 51 Ridge Road, Mill Hall, PA 17751
Captain John Smith fought in with the Dutch AND the Huguenots! He is absolutely incredible. One will never really be able to appreciate all the hard work that Captain John Smith did and how he willingly GAVE (through his Christian charity) his MAPS to the Pilgrims unless you read John Smith: Gentleman Adventurer by PrestonSpeed Publications! Learn about his connection to Squanto as well. Captain John Smith is FANTASTIC!
St. Bartholomew's Eve by PrestonSpeed Publications will help give MORE than a flavor of the fluidity of the lines between various nations with others going to aid and help one another. Absolutely incredible.
By England's Aid: Or, the Freeing of the Netherlands, PrestonSpeed Publications: One will NEVER be able to have a good handle on the Pilgrims if you do not understand the forty (40) years War of Independence of the Low Countries. That's right ... 40 years of war ! The War of Independence of the United States was only eight (8) years. What these folks went through is absolutely mind boggling. The difficulties of today pale in comparison. Learn WHY the sons of the Pilgrims opted to stay in the Low Countries and join the military ... for it was about two weeks AFTER Spain was FORCED to sign a peace treaty that the Pilgrims arrived in the Low Countries. They would BENEFIT from the hard earned sacrifices and those who willing laid down their lives for their fellow Christians for the last 40 years. Absolutely incredible.
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. Henry (includes vocabulary, historical personages, historical documents, geography, PDF file worksheet — more coming soon)
An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott (includes vocabulary, historical personages, geography, PDF file worksheet — more coming soon)
Courtship of Myles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (includes vocabulary, historical personages, geography — more coming soon)
Re-Enactments/Homemade Plays/Charades
Do any of the following ideas for either re-enactments/homemade plays/charades —
1. The pilgrims in the Low Countries becoming concerned as the twelve (12) year peace treaty Holland has with Spain is drawing to a close. Will Spain attempt to reinstitute the Spanish Inquisition?
2. The Pilgrims leaving dear friends in the Low Countries.
3. Squanto being kidnapped and learning how to fertilize maize and other crops in Europe.
4. Squanto rescued by Captain John Smith and brought back to the New World only to be kidnapped again!
5. The Pilgrims' experience of the storm at sea while on the Mayflower.
Thanksgiving Day Puzzles
Select the puzzle(s) you would like. Click on PDF File. Print off !
Thanksgiving Day Coloring Pages —
Thanksgiving Day Analogies
Complete the following analogies. For analogy help, click here.
Lamb is to Easter as turkey is to Thanksgiving St. Patrick's Day Columbus Day New Years Day .
Veterans Day is to warriors as Thanksgiving is to crusaders pilgrims founding fathers settlers .
Santa Maria is to Christopher Columbus as the Mayflower is to football players pilgrims pianists sewers .
Day is to birth as giving is to Grammar Thanks Christians Algebra .
Conestoga wagon is to western settlers as ship is to pony express riders pilgrims reformers pioneers .
Independence Day is to July as Thanksgiving is to October December November January .
Memorial Day is to spring as Thanksgiving is to autumn spring winter summer .
Duty is to Founding Fathers as courage is to WWI doughboys pilgrims crusaders western settlers .
Click here for Thanksgiving Day Analogy Answers
Thanksgiving Day Alliteration
Alliteration is a lot of fun and great for long car rides.
Alliteraton = the repetition of the initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words ... kind of like tongue twisters. For alliteration help, click here.
Pronunciation: uh-LIT-uh-ray-shun
Example: Peaceful pleasant perservering patient pilgrims prayed passionate physical petitions. Thankful, theatrical, thoughtful turkeys theorized three thermometer theses.
Do your own Thanksgiving Day Alliteration for pilgrims, Mayflower, (Miles) Standish, Squanto, (Capt. John) Smith, Christian, freedom, liberty
Hint: If you have difficulty creating alliteration phrases, try the formula below ...
Thanksgiving Day Onomatopoeia Activities Remember: Onomatopoeia = Words that imitate sounds or sounds that are linked with objects. In short, literary sound effects. (from Greek = name-making)
Pronunciation: on-o-mat-o-PEE-a
Quick ... what sound ...
— What sound do turkeys make? — What sound is heard when a family sits down to eat their Thanksgiving Day feast? — What sound do you hear when children re-enact the adventures of the Pilgrims? — What sound is heard when a parent tells their child(ren) the story of the Pilgrims? — What sound do you hear when a grandparent encourages their grandchildren to learn about the Pilgrims? — What sound is heard when a family prays for their family and country? — What sound was heard when the Pilgrims were on the Mayflower? — What sound did the Mayflower make during the tremendous storms on the Atlantic Ocean? — What sound did the Mayflower's sailors make when hoisting the sails? — What sound was heard when supplies were taken aboard and taken off of the Mayflower? — What sound could be heard when the Pilgrims left the Low Countries? — What sound was heard when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock?
Thanksgiving Day Analogy Answers Lamb is to Easter as turkey is to Thanksgiving; Veterans Day is to warriors as Thanksgiving is to pilgrims; Santa Maria is to Christopher Columbus as the Mayflower is to Pilgrims; Day is to birth as giving is to Thanks; Conestoga wagons is to western settlers as ships is to pilgrims; Independence Day is to July as Thanksgiving is to November; Memorial Day is to spring as Thanksgiving is to autumn;Duty is to Founding Fathers as courage is to pilgrims.
Most people know PrestonSpeed Publications brought the classic writings of G.A. Henty back into print. Entire families are once again enjoying Mr. Henty's work in books, audiobooks, and in The Captain. Demand the best by demanding PrestonSpeed Publications. Accept no substitutes!!