Thanksgiving Feast

We had a great preschool "field trip" making a Thanksgiving feast together.  The kids first sponge painted a tablecloth for our feast.  Then we read a story about the first Thanksgiving and how the Pilgrims and Indians had a feast to give thanks for all they had. 

The kids then got to go around to stations to help make our Thanksgiving feast with the Moms helping- one kid at each station then they rotated.  Station 1: they helped make air popped popcorn and cut up apples.  Station 2: they made turkey rolls.  Station 3: they learned to make mini pumpkin pies and rolled up slices of turkey.  Station 4: they helped make green beans and stuffing.  (When they had extra time we wrote a list of all things each boy was thankful for which we read at the feast together.)

The kids then all learned how to set a table properly (using their place mats from their lesson on Tuesday as a guide).  Afterwards we laid out our whole spread of food and, after a nice prayer, had a great feast.  We all had a great time and it was so much fun for the kids to help make the food and set the table.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Turkey rolls: You start with the Rhodes dough that comes roll shaped. You need two rolls per child. Take the first roll and just put it on the tray this is the body of the turkey. Take the second roll and with a rolling pin roll it out flat. With a butter knife have the child cut the flat circle in half. With one half of the circle roll it into a snake shape and this is the neck and head of the turkey. With the other half of the circle, cut with a knife to make the feathers. When you have all the parts of the body done, have the children brush on a beaten egg white. This makes it shinny and it also helps it to stick together. Bake the turkeys at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. You don't need to worry about letting them rise. When your turkey is done, place 2 pretzel sticks in the bottom of the turkey for the legs. *We found that one roll cut in half (half for the body and the other half for the head and feathers works best!)

Mini Pumpkin Pies for dessert!

Mini Pumpkin Pie:

Makes 12 mini pumpkin pies

1.      Use Pillsbury Allready Piecrust- Using a cup or 4 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from your 2 9-inch pie crust doughs.

2.      Place each circle into a pre-greased muffin tin. Press them in, letting the sides come up for a fun look. Score the bottom of your dough with a fork to keep the crust from bubbling up as it cooks.

3.      Pour your filling into each muffin tin cup. Fill them to the very top

4.      Bake your muffin tin pumpkin pies at 425* for 15 minutes. Then turn your heat down to 350* and bake them for 25-30 minutes. (This is 15-20 minutes less than a regular pie)

5.      Add a dollop of whipped cream to each individual muffin tin pie.

**Blue Preschool mommies- if you have other pictures please post them!

Thanksgiving- Giving Thanks!

Today we had a great preschool for Thanksgiving. Here is my lesson plan:

Thanksgiving Gratitude Lesson

Objective: Students will learn about gratitude, what we can be thankful for, and how to give thanks.  Students will also learn how to form the letter T and learn what it says- be able to recognize and name the oval shape- be able to recognize and name the color brown- and recognize and form a number 8 and count up to 8.

Gathering Activity: Play-dough.  Boys will be able to play with the play-dough when they arrive and each have their own ball that will be put into a plastic baggie with their name on it for further use. 

Welcome: Welcome song, pledge, calendar, and weather. Here is T as the star helper!

Introduce: Color BROWN- sign brown and look at brown fabric then point out brown objects in the room. Number 8- form a letter 8 with play-dough and practice counting to 8 together.  Letter T- tuh, tuh, tuh (Turkey)- each form a letter T with play-dough.  OVAL shape- say oval and form an oval with play-dough.

Use all the information to create some tuh tuh tuh Turkeys!- Brown color with 8 ovals.  Have each kids pick 8 oval feathers for their turkey then bring them to the table and show them how to make the turkeys with glue.  While turkeys are being made one kid at a time will go to the bathroom with Teacher W to get hands painted for place mats.  clean up for snack- clean hands and table off.

Free Play

Snacktime/Storytime:  Use half apples, toothpicks, marshmallows, and raisins to make Apple turkeys- then eat! Discuss how Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all that we have and there are so many things in our lives that we can be thankful for.  Like in this book: My Book of Thanks by B. G. Hennessy.

Discussion: Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all that we have.  Another way to say that we want to give thanks is to say we are grateful. 

Grateful Song: "If you’re grateful and you know it, clap your hands… stomp your feet… spin around…"

We can give thanks by saying thank you and helping others.  There are so many things in our lives that we can be grateful for.  Like in the My Book of Thanks and in this song:

Let’s Be Thankful song: (to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

Let's be thankful for this day
For our friends and our play
Let's be thankful; let's be glad
For our food and the things we have
Let's give thanks for you and me
And our home and family.

It makes people happy when we tell them thank you.  We especially need to say thank you to our Father in Heaven for all that he has given us. 

Thank you jars: Brainstorm things that we can be thankful for- each kid takes a turn and we write it on their oval and stick it in their thank you jar along with a few others that will already be filled out- family, sun, food, bed, clothes, friends, happiness, no owies, no sickness, blue preschool, etc.  The jars will have this little poem I wrote on them:

This Jar is for you to use on your way

To help you be thankful night and day

At time for prayers just pick one or more

And you’ll always have something to be thankful for

 Place mats: After place mats are dry attach poem and draw feet, beak, and wattle.

"This turkey is a part of me—

It is made from my hand you see.

I have so much to be thankful for,

like my family and so much more.

 It is time to say:

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

Boys can use this place mat for our Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and remember as we eat our big yummy meal that we should think of all the things that we are thankful for. 

Playtime

(P was not able to come today because he was sick.  We missed him and hope he feels better soon!)