Thanksgiving in Canada is coming soon and in preparation for the holiday, I did an activity with my grade 1 class: we spoke about what it means to give thanks, what we are thankful for – and of course what we eat for the Thanksgiving dinner.
For the holiday craft I chose to help the children make a turkey. (If you are interested in doing this craft you can visit enchantedlearning.com which is where I found the instructions). Using colourful pieces of construction paper, I traced their hands (three times) and their feet (amidst some giggles). They were excited to create the craft as they had seen what mine looked like:
Once the feet had been traced, the children practised their cutting skills:
And then the gluing got underway:
Once the turkey had been assembled, I asked the children to write at least five words on the bird which expressed what they were thankful for. Previously we had brainstormed and written the words on the board. I helped them find the words once they had told me what they wanted to write. The result? Beautiful turkeys that were similar to mine, and yet had their own individual characteristics:
An even closer view of some of the turkeys:
And I could not resist recording the outcome from another angle:
When I compare the children’s result to mine, I find they did a good job. And I know they will proudly carry their turkey home on Friday in time for Thanksgiving.
Do you enjoy making holiday crafts?
This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge at The Daily Post. The prompt this week is Mine)
© Colline Kook-Chun, 2012
This reminds me of our six years in New York 🙂
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This is one holiday I enjoy adapting to 🙂
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Yes, I remember making turkeys for Thanksgiving, wearing stovepipe hats for Lincoln’s birthday, and, going to a Catholic school, a number of faith-based items. Mom kept them all. 🙂
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I admit, I have kept my children’s too 🙂
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Where were you when I was teaching? These are adorable. Do you speak French in class? Mon Dieu! 🙂
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I am currently teaching a grade 1 French Immersion class 🙂
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I’m not the crafty type … but I know that others get bountiful joys with them! Good luck with your preparations.
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Thank you Frank – I will take Saturday to get ready. But alas, no more crafts …
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I wish I could go back in time and be one of your little students – you are amazing!
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Thank you. They had such fun making them – and they will proudly take them home tomorrow.
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These are just adorable..and what a great idea!
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If you have any young ones around, they will love doing them.
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I remember tracing a hand to draw a turkey when I was in school 🙂
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The best crafts stay around for ages 🙂
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Fun activity indeed!
What do the vegans do about Thanksgiving, though?
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They do not eat turkey. Instead they make some very interesting vegetable dishes. And of course they have the potatoes 🙂
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This is so cute. I am sure the kids enjoyed themselves! Makes them appreciate the good things
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I think so. Some of the boys mentioned their gaming devices; but some mentioned things like trees, their pets, their family, and one mentioned cheese 🙂
Not bad for 5 and 6 year olds.
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Yes, shows you what they think of
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We don’t have Thanksgiving Day here in the Philippines, but still, making those turkey arts sure looks like a fun activity! 🙂
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It is fun. And the children love it 🙂
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Colline, you know how much I adore children’s art. Thanks for sending this my way. The children’s turkeys are beautiful. I really like the one wearing glasses. Soooo cute!
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Isn’t it just? So creative. I think your youngest would like to try make one of these 🙂
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Love the turkey craft. I had been thinking of activities for me and my son this October. You just gave me a cool idea. Thanks.
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I am sure you will enjoy it – it is such a fun thing to do.
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Good job providing creative activity for the children. Nice to see it altogether. Cool post!
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Thank you. The children proudly carried their creations home after the end of the school day yesterday 🙂
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These are so beautiful and meaningful and I bet the kids had a lot of fun making them. It will definitely be something they remember. Well done Colline.
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Thank you Georgia. And if their parents are anything like me, these will be kept as souvenirs of grade 1 🙂
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Looks like a lot of fun! 🙂
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They enjoyed every minute – and were so proud of their creations. It is rewarding to work with children that age – they take pleasure in the simple things.
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