HomescholChristian.com's Holiday Section
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving: a growing boy's favorite holiday! Yes, the food is wonderful, but that isn't what Thanksgiving is really about. The real meaning of Thanksgiving is to praise God for all that He has done for us! Here are some interesting ways to keep your Thanksgiving centered around Him this year. These resources were submitted by readers of the HomeschoolChristian message boards.
Cooking
First, some tips to make Thanksgiving cooking easier and less stressful!!
Cook the turkey the day before Thanksgiving and slice it up on cookie sheets. Cover it up with foil. On Thanksgiving day, spritz it with water and reheat it. You can make the mashed potatoes the day before, line up all the empty serving dishes you're going to use and put papers in them saying what goes in each--get serving spoons too. Do as much as you can the day before and it will make your life so much easier! Make the gravy too! Then it's just a matter of reheating. Baking can be done 2 days before, depending on what you bake. I usually have our family bring some of the dinner, which makes it even easier (and cheaper). See HomeschoolChristian.com's recipe page for delicious ideas for food!
Take a small branch with little branches on it, have your child cut out construction paper leaves big enough to write a sentence on. When everyone arrives for dinner, have them write something they are thankful for on the leaf, and hang it on the branch (holes pre-punched). This will get everyone in a different, more thankful mood.
Activities
Annette suggests:
Three Day Thanksgiving Unit Study -- This covers all subjects, and centers around Psalm 100.
To begin, we are memorizing Psalm 100.
We played a subtraction game starting at 100 with number dice.
We sang "We Gather Together", "Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving".
Then we learned the what "Praise" means, how to do it, and how is differs from offering God Thanksgiving.
After that, we copied Psalm 100 for handwriting and grammar.
Then we read "Pilgrims of Plimoth" by Marcia Sewall.
Thanksgiving Picture Book: Here's a review of Thank You for Thanksgiving, a wonderful picture book to help young children appreciate the day!
Thanksgiving Music: Classic Thanksgiving Songs of Praise, beautiful hymns and classical music, perfect for setting the mood of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Want to give of yourself on Thanksgiving? Volunteer at the Salvation Army, where you will receive a free Thanksgiving dinner, and you will have the chance to show kindness to the lonely, elderly, and poor people of our nation.
A Letter of Thanksgiving
Lorraine in BC decided to share a letter she received from a friend. This would make an excellent read-aloud at Thanksgiving dinner.
This dear man went home to Jesus last spring. He had a tremendous influence on many and has left a legacy of faithfulness that is still paying eternal dividends. I thought I'd share this since Thanksgiving is coming up. Of course, we should have "thanksgiving" every day, but it is special to have a particular time to reflect.
NOVEMBER 2003 - Some Thanksgiving Thoughts
Hi, my friend. So it's already Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. For many of us the past year has been one of difficulty and testing. For others of you I know it has been a year of great achievement. And for others it has been, as we all are a year older than we have ever been before, a year of new experiences. I love the words of a simple song I heard for the first time nearly a life-time ago. The words go:
How good is the God we adore, our faithful unchangeable Friend!
His love is as great as His pow'r, and knows neither measure nor end!
"Tis Jesus, the First and the Last, whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that's to come.
This little song was written by Joseph Hart nearly three hundred years ago. He lived from 1712 to 1768 and wrote many hymns. The melody, which some of you may recall, is from the "Lancashire Sunday-School Songs" (1657). I include all these ancient dates as a reminder that over these centuries one of the golden threads that characterize the healthy Christian is that of constant thanksgiving.
We are all familiar with the strong teachings in the Beatitudes, especially that crowning exhortation to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:33-34). And this righteousness is further defined in Romans 14:17, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." And I Thessalonians 5:18 exhorts us to "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
We all are eager to know God's will for our lives and this would include our purpose and ministry in life, as well as the place and the provision for that. Such a desire is legitimate but we often neglect to pursue those teachings in Scripture which already define God's will for our lives. We are startled as we have just read I Thessalonians 5:18, that part of God's will is to be thankful in all circumstances, as well as being joyful always and praying continually (vss.16, 17). We can hardly expect God to reveal His will in particular situations if we are not fulfilling His will in general experiences.
I include a couple of verses from another great hymn, written by Adelaide Proctor, which remind us to be thankful when we don't get what we may desire, for this enables us to be thankful for what we have received.
My God, I thank Thee who hast made the Earth so bright;
So full of splendor and of joy, beauty and light:
So many glorious things are here, noble and right.
I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made Joy to abound;
So many gentle thoughts and deeds circling us round,
That in the darkest spot of Earth some love is found.
I thank Thee more that all our joy is touched with pain,
That shadows fall on brightest hours, that thorns remain
So that earth's bliss may be our guide and not our chain.
I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept the best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much to long for more:
A yearning for a deeper peace, not known before.
I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls, though amply blest,
Can never find, although they seek, a perfect rest
Nor ever shall, until they lean on Jesus' breast!
"Dear Lord, at this moment we deliberately and sincerely thank You for the wonder of Your constant giving to us, Your children on this earthly journey. We thank You for giving us temporal blessings of food, clothing, shelter and daily protection. We thank You for our homes and for our precious families with whom we live with You. We thank you for our churches, our pastors and fellow-members of this precious Body of Christ. We thank You for the gift of employment, for the privilege of being able to work diligently for You wherever, whenever. We thank You for the treasure of friends nearby and around the world, for their encouragement and prayer-presence day by day. We thank You, Lord, most of all, that You became one of us that we might become what we otherwise never could be, Your redeemed children, Your servants, Your fellow-workers, Your Body. Give us the desire to live thankfully, expectantly, joyfully moment by moment until that day when time shall be no more and we are Home. Hallelujah!!!"
Thank you, my friend. I thank God for you. Cheerio. Monty
Thanksgiving Humor
"Turkey Disaster!"
The turkey shot out of the oven
And rocketed into the air,
It knocked every plate off the table
And partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner
And burst with a deafening boom
Then splattered all over the kitchen,
Completely obscuring the room.
It stuck to the walls and the windows,
It totally coated the floor,
There was turkey attached to the ceiling,
Where there'd never been turkey before.
It blanketed every appliance,
It smeared every saucer and bowl,
There wasn't a way I could stop it,
That turkey was out of control!
I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
And thought with chagrin as I mopped,
That I'd never again stuff a turkey,
With popcorn that hadn't been popped.
"Twas the Night of Thanksgiving"
Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftover beckoned - the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became inffatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt my self swelling so plump and so round,
Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky.
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees.....
"Happy Eating to all, pass the cranberries, please!"
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump,
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!
Thanksgiving Links
The Proclamation of National Thanksgiving -- Given by George Washington in 1789.
Thanksgiving Clip Art -- Turkeys, pilgrims, and fun images for kids!
Thanksgiving Coloring Pages -- For toddlers, preschool, and kindergarten.
Thanksgiving Math -- Print out copies of these problem solving math worksheets to lend a Thanksgiving theme to your math classes.
Thanksgiving Menu Worksheet -- Consider the food groups for all the traditional Thanksgiving foods, in this printable student worksheet for elementary classes.
Mapping the Pilgrims' Voyage -- A template of a world map is available to download and print here, to help your students track the Pilgrim's voyage. A three dimensional map will be created, along with a miniature Mayflower as well.
Max's Thanksgiving Turkey -- Which turkey most appeals to Max? Print out copies of this mini-book with a Thanksgiving theme for your kindergarten-age child to assemble and read.
Tiny Titles Thanksgiving Book -- This printable Thanksgiving book offers children in grades one and two a chance to write their own Thanksgiving sentences--try a theme of what they are thankful for, or what traditions they look forward to.
Thanksgiving Timeline -- An online timeline for the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags together. Take an interactive tour of the Mayflower and learn just how difficult passage aboard the ship was, journey through the early days at Plimoth Plantation, learn how the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims forged a relationship, and finally, celebrate that first Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Art Projects
Holiday Baking Magazine
American Turkey Facts And Activities For Kids
Everything Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Games
Thanksgiving Unit Study for all grades
Thanksgiving Games and Puzzles, Printables, Recipes, and more!
Mayflower History
Many Thanksgiving-related resources -- Stories, crafts, coloring pages, etc.!
Thanksgiving Lesson Plans and Starters
Virtual Tour of Plymouth Plantation
Bry-Backmano.org -- a site with TONS of holiday stories, poems, games, and crafts!
Thanksgiving Crafts, Coloring Pages, and Other Resources
Turkey Quiz
Thanksgiving Traditions and History
All About the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thanksgiving Activities
The Great Turkey Maze -- an interactive Thanksgiving game
