T is for Thanksgiving

This class really knows how to put the T in THANKSGIVING. The past few weeks of school there has been a flurry of Thanksgiving related activities. 
This eye catching hall display is a Thanksgiving paper quilt made by 6 kindergarten classes.

Another ambitious project    

was spread out over two days. They were thank you cards to the kidpack organization. In case you are not familiar with term kidpack it is an organization that provides each student in qualifying schools on Fridays with a small pack of non-perishable food items for the weekend. Volunteers from local business and churches pack items and then they are delivered to school and distributed. 
The turkey's feathers were made with fingerpaints. On the other side of the card each student printed the sentence Thank you for the kidpack. Then they signed their name.     
Sounds simple? Maybe not as many steps were required but you have to admire how earnest each one works on the task at hand and so proud of their completed work.  I might also add lots of pre-preparation is involved to implement this project. 
Day One: 

The concept of place one and only one finger into one color paint and dab it on paper-clean finger and use another color to dab on paint repeating process mystified many :)



Day Two
(easy peasy in my estimation)  Thank you cards for two volunteers-so only two cards were needed.

Each student only had to sign their name on two different slips of paper and then each slip of paper was glued onto paper plate to represent fathers. 
What I liked best about these two projects was stressing the importance how good it is to write and thank people who do things for you. 
Oh, and in between all this fun stuff, was working on how to write the number 4 and word four, going to centers and reading. They were busy.

While they enjoyed story time in the library 

I was totally enamoured by the newly painted murals on the library wall (courtesy of an art grant) representing some children's favorite books. 

                        

Last but not least, I shared a book with them called "Bear Says Thanks". 

Written in rhyming prose it is a great read aloud for ages 4-7. Chapman and Wilson have created a series of books with Bear as the main character. 

In Bear’s eighth woodland outing, he is bored in his cave, so he plans a gathering—but his cupboards are bare. Serendipitously, his gentle friends stop by, one by one, bringing food: Badger brings fish, Hare brings muffins, and a trio of birds brings pears and herbs for tea. Though Bear regretfully admits that he has nothing to offer in exchange, they assure him that his presence is all that they need and he really does have something to share his stories which they all love. Chapman’s illustrations create a joyful atmosphere in a story that references Thanksgiving, but functions more as a reminder of the importance of gratitude any time of year. 

Cook's notes: Next posting addresses question "to brine or not to brine"

Written in rhyming prose, Bear Says Thanks is a delightful read out loud book for the holiday season. Bear is worried that he has nothing to share with his friends, but then he learns that being a friend is about just being yourself and giving whatever you have to offer.Written in rhyming prose, Bear Says Thanks is a delightful read out loud book for the holiday season. Bear is worried that he has nothing to share with his friends, but then he learns that being a friend is about just being yourself and giving whatever you have to offer.Written in rhyming prose, Bear Says Thanks is a delightful read out loud book for the holiday season. Bear is worried that he has nothing to share with his friends, but then he learns that being a friend is about just being yourself and giving whatever you have to offer.

Written in rhyming prose, Bear Says Thanks is a delightful read out loud book for the holiday season. Bear is worried that he has nothing to share with his friends, but then he learns that being a friend is about just being yourself and giving whatever you have to offer.Written in rhyming prose, Bear Says Thanks is a delightful read out loud book for the holiday season. Bear is worried that he has nothing to share with his friends, but then he learns that being a friend is about just being yourself and giving whatever you hav