Gray
Squirrel -
Discuss how different animals prepare for winter.
Use terms such as migrate and hibernate.
How do people prepare for winter?
Ask children if they've ever seen squirrels prepare for winter,
then teach them this rhyme:
Nuts To You -
Buy a bag of mixed nuts at the grocery store, or let children collect nuts on the playground.
First, have the children sort the nuts.
Then, take lunch sacks and write different numerals on them.
Let children count out the appropriate number of nuts and place them in the sacks.
For a rainy day game, hide the nuts around the room for the children to find.
(They'll love this fall version of an egg hunt.)
Finally, let the children crack and eat the nuts.
Family Quilt -
Involve your families in making a "Thankful Quilt."
Give each child a 10" square of heavy paper.
Let them take it home and decorate it with photos or drawings
of things their family is thankful for.
As the children return their squares, punch holes in the corners
and
tie the squares together with yarn to create a quilt.
Hang in the classroom.
(At the end of the month, take the squares apart and make a book
for your classroom.)
Voting Booth -
Help children understand the democratic process with a class voting
booth.
Take a cardboard box and cut off one side.
Sit it up on a table to create a "voting booth."
Cut a slit in the top of a shoebox for "secret ballots."
Children can vote for their favorite game, snack, song, story,
etc.
Tally the results.
Turkey
Glyph -
Give each child a cut out of a turkey body.
Provide them with paper feathers in the following colors.
Children can add feathers to their turkey according to the foods
they
plan to eat for their Thanksgiving Dinner:
yellow - corn
white - mashed potatoes
orange - pumpkin pie
red - cranberries
blue - dressing
brown - turkey
black - roll
