Friendsgiving in the Classroom: A Simple But Festive Feast

 

It's the season of gratitude, and what better way to celebrate with your class than with a Friendsgiving feast? Hosting a Friendsgiving in the classroom is a great way for your little learners to celebrate being a classroom family, learn about different cultures, and enjoy some delicious food. I've held many Thanksgiving feasts in the classroom and each of them looked a little different. Here's a simple way to get started if you are looking for ideas for your first Thanksgiving in the classroom!

Choosing a Menu

When choosing a menu for your Friendsgiving, it's important to keep things simple. If you are planning to do a little cooking in the classroom, you want to choose recipes that are easy to make and that everyone will enjoy. 

A great way to do this is to send home a note to parents to have students contribute food items towards the making of a recipe like corn soup to represent the first Thanksgiving or they contribute foods that are featured in a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and you have a combo celebration!

Here is a simple menu for a combination style Friendsgiving feast in the classroom:

• Appetizer: Pumpkin spice cream cheese with pretzel sticks
• Main course: Turkey chili or corn soup
• Sides: Mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread muffins, stuffing or popcorn, buttered toast
• Dessert: Pumpkin pie, apple pie, Navaho fry bread or jelly beans

Preparing the Food

If your students are contributing food items, be sure to give them clear instructions on what to bring and how to prepare it. It is a good idea to have a system in place to confirm that items parents signed up for make it to school and... have a back up plan in the event that something is forgotten or a student is absent. 

I always bring in a crock pot so my students can help the making of our soup but ask for all other donated items to arrive ready to eat. We churned our own butter in a baby food jar!

Many schools have an oven in the teacher's lounge that can be used for baking as long as you have a volunteer to help monitor the oven.

You may also want to assign different students different tasks, such as setting the tables, decorating the classroom, or serving the food.

Making It Fun

Once the food is ready, it's time to enjoy! Be sure to set up some fun activities for your students to do while they're eating, such as playing Thanksgiving-themed games or watching a Thanksgiving movie.

Here are some tips for making your Friendsgiving feast extra fun:

• Decorate the classroom: Set up a Thanksgiving table with all the trimmings, or create a fun photo booth with Thanksgiving or fall props.
• Plan a few fun activities: Play games like Thanksgiving bingo, read funny Thanksgiving poems, or make an easy craft.
• Watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
• Give thanks: Take some time during your feast to have your students share what they're grateful for in school and at home. If you have a classroom gratitude jar, this is the perfect time to pull from it!

Hosting a Friendsgiving feast in the classroom is a great way to celebrate the season of gratitude with your students. By choosing a simple menu, having students contribute food items, and making it fun, you can create a memorable event that everyone will enjoy.

You can take a look back at our earlier posts for more ideas for Thanksgiving fun in the classroom:

Cooking Corn Soup and More Thanksgiving Classroom Fun

There are lots of  fun printable Friendsgiving teaching resources available at TPT! You can find them here.

Native American Picture Writing: A Unique and Educational November Project for First and Second Grade

Hi Friends! I wanted to share a fun and easy activity to do with your students this Thanksgiving season. Because all of the schools in my district are named after Native American tribes, we always spend a significant amount of time learning about Native American culture and traditions in our classroom. 

It is a tradition in my room to do some Native American PICTOGRAPH writing in November. 

When I hear that word it makes me think of graphing, but a pictograph is any picture that represents a word or idea. Native Americans living in early America, before the settlers arrived, used pictographs as their writing system. A few Native Americans still use pictographs today. 

I pointed out to my students that we see these symbols every day on the teepee that is displayed in our entranceway and painted in our hallway wall murals.

Years ago, someone shared a hard copy of a symbols sheet. The thing is as old as the Mayflower and I have no idea where it originally came from... Anyway, I displayed it on the board for the students to see.

I don't have this document to share with you, unfortunately, but you can find lots of similar pages by searching the internet for Native American pictographs. 

Next, I modeled what a picture story may look like and explained that not every word is represented, only big ideas. The students got to try their hand at creating a story using symbols too. I gave them a blank piece of paper for a rough draft.

Then, they were ready to rewrite their story on some bison hide. To make some hide, we cut open a lunch bag. You all know how I love my lunch bag projects! Yep~ here's another one!

We removed the bottom flap of the bag first and set that scrap aside. Then, the students cut out the strip where we see the seam to use the best part of the bag. I asked the class to cut the opened bag into a muddy lake shape. That's the best I can do to describe it!

The students copied the story in pencil first, then traced over the pencil lines with marker (our berry ink).

Each child shared their story with a partner or two. 

They loved that part!

 The best part was yet to come!

 Crumpling the bag for a minute or two until it becomes soft makes the bag resemble a hide. We smashed it into a ball and opened it up several times to get the right effect.

Our November festivities ended with another tradition I have kept going for many years... making Native American corn soup with the kiddos. We also churned our own butter and served it up on top of my mom's cornbread muffins! She bakes them for us every year and always loves helping out at our mini feast! 

She even made an extra batch for me to take home! Mom's the best!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and enjoy your time off!

:)

Thanksgiving Writing Project for Second Grade: I Feel Like a Turkey and a Freebie!

Are you counting down the days to the holiday like me? I can't wait to gobble up all of my Thanksgiving favorites and have a little time off to regroup! Today I am blogging over at Primary Powers about a really funny Thanksgiving writing activity to do with your class just before Turkey Day! If you want a good laugh with your kiddos, head on over and read all about it!

A SUPER Thankful Teacher Blog Party: Expressing Gratitude

Feasts, projects, pilgrims... there is so much to be excited about in the classroom! But in November, we also spend a lot of time talking with our class about the true meaning of the holiday and being thankful for the things we have and the people we love. My friends and I thought it would be great for all of us to come together to express a little gratitude of our own! 

Primary Powers is hosting a SUPER thankful blog party that we hope will inspire others to get in the spirit and share as well.

There is NO WAY to even begin to say in a blog post ALL of the things I am thankful for!!!!

These are just a few of the BIGGIES that come to mind.

 And that includes all of you of course!

This list barely scratches the surface of the many ways that I feel BLESSED. I could just go on and on!

What are you SUPER thankful for? We'd love to know!

Link up at Primary Powers or leave a comment below!
:)

A Fun Thanksgiving Sight Words Activity for First and Second Grade Classrooms!

My class loves to play I Have, Who Has...activities. I love them too because it is a great opportunity for my students to practice good listening and speaking skills and using appropriate voice level. This set I made for Thanksgiving is great practice for reading seasonal sight words and a works as a fun little brain break too.

By mixing up the card set, the kiddos are pretty much guaranteed a new card each time we play. They beg to do this again and again! Who can argue with that kind of excitement? 

This set is at my TPT store, so head on over and gobble up a copy {here} if you like! 

Hope your little turkeys will like it too!

:)

How to Structure Your Writing Block for Student Success: November Writing Prompts for Second Grade

Well here it is! November already! My new writing centers have been working out so perfectly, that I decided to keep it going for every month. The November edition is all set and ready for next week!

The kiddos LOVE them, so we have been using them on a regular basis. This time, I have a cute fall basket set out for the prompt cards. 

There are papers to use for a variety of the November themes like life long ago, scarecrows, owls and Thanksgiving. 

My class likes to color the little clipart pictures!

I can't wait to get started and see what they can do!

Recently, I had some questions from readers and those that purchased the October kit about how I structure my writing center time to include these prompts.

I thought you might find it helpful to see how I set up my writing block.

This is what it looks like:

• mini-lesson with a focus skill such as adding details or organization

• modeled writing of one of the genre from the prompt set

• prompt-picking/ paper selecting time (tables are called to the center then return to their seats to write)

• whole-group independent writing practice/individual writing conferences

• author chair for a few randomly selected students

Occasionally, I select a whole-class prompt and take this piece through all of the stages of the writing process from prewriting to publishing. This may be a piece I display in a class book, hang up, or use for an assessment.

I have seen TREMENDOUS growth in my students’ writing using this model. What I love best is that it allows me to conference with students daily about ways to improve their writing. 

The students thrive on that individual attention and feedback. 

If you think you may want to give these a try this month, you can find the November Writing Center Kit {here}.

Happy Teaching!

Feeling Like a Turkey~ Thanksgiving Bulletin Board Idea and Freebie

• In high school, I walked around all day with a curler in my hair and no one said a word. 
• Something totally embarrassing fell out of my purse in plain view of people who should not have seen it!
• As a new driver, I hit a police officer on his way to work. 
• I forgot where I parked at the mall and had to have security drive me around to find my car.
• Someone had to do the Heimlich maneuver on me when I choked at a fancy wedding.

I'd have to say that last one tops the cake!

 Yes, there are so many times I definitely felt like a turkey!

This was the writing prompt given to students for this cute project idea shared by my teamies! We enlarged a turkey graphic, added a title, copied it on tan paper and added some writing pages behind it to create a flip book. 

The kids loved posing for a picture in a goofy turkey hat. We glued the photos to the front. 

If you don't own a turkey hat, you could make one like this for a photo prop:

source

Here's what one student had to say inside her booklet:

I feel like a turkey when I go sharpen my pencil and plop, I drop it in the trash!

(I hate when that happens because then I have to reach my arm in the can and fish it out!)

I do that too! :)

Oh my!

My personal favorite, and one that I hear often throughout the day,

I feel like a turkey when I call my teacher~mom!

You can download these freebie pieces from my Dropbox! 

When have you felt like a turkey? Hee Hee! 

This could be fun! Don't be shy!

Life Long Ago Anchor Chart Freebie

Boy, there are some fabulous looking anchor charts floating around Pinterest aren't there! Let's face it though, it takes time to be creative and to make them. I've decided to try to save some time in the years ahead and start to create some pieces for my anchor charts that I can reuse each year!

I print a photo or clipart in color, type a heading with a cute font, laminate the pieces, cut them out and tape them on the chart paper or butcher paper. All that needs to be done is the writing with the class or adding sticky notes! I recently did this for our Columbus Day bubble map. Now Christopher is all set to go for next year's chart! 

I made this set of printable Smart Chart Parts for our life long ago unit. 

There are several printable graphics in frames and some titles too.

It's a freebie at my store. I hope you can use it! :) Click on the image to download your copy. 

If you have a tip for working smarter, not harder, feel free to share it below! 

Thanksgiving Project Time! Let the Fun Begin!

Feasts, projects, Pilgrims...I can't wait! I could seriously spend two months on the Thanksgiving theme, but have to pick just my favorites from my overstuffed November binder and project tub!

This little guy is one of my favorites because it's an easy to prep and colorful classroom decoration for the month. Last year, I hung our turkeys from the ceiling clips, but he would make for a great bulletin board display too!

All of the patterns you need for this project and some fun writing pages are included in this craftivity. If you want to see more of it at my store, click on the image below!

To welcome in November, my Thankful Turkey is on sale until Sunday!

Two sweet friends recently shared some Thanksgiving items with me and I'm so excited to use them with my little "turkeys". I'm sure they will be some of my new favorites. Stay tuned for Pumpkin Pie projects and Turkey Glyphs! 

What are your favorites for the month of November?

Science Club Challenge Activity!

As if my plate isn't already full enough, I have taken on the role of head coach for our Science Olympiad team this year! 

This activity from our Science Club would be fun for you to do with your students in the classroom! I might try it out with my second graders! I could work it in with Columbus Day next year or with our discussions about the Mayflower in November! Integration~ yes! 

Penny Rafts  

Their first challenge was to build a raft that will support the greatest number of pennies when floating in a tub of water. 

Each partner group was given four straws, a pair of scissors and a sheet of foil to construct their raft. No restrictions were given on the design.

 Great care was taken to strategically place the pennies onto the raft as they counted! 

If the raft takes on water, sinks, rips or tips over, the challenge ends at the count of the last penny added. The students loved this! The club members learned a great deal about the importance of working together and put their engineering minds to the test! Coming soon~ tennis ball towers!

Don't forget about the Fall Favorites giveaway going on this week! There are still a few days left to enter to win an item of your choice from my store and lots of other great products! Head over to see my friends Jaime at Bright Concepts 4 Teachers or Aimee from Primarily Speaking to enter! 

Cooking Corn Soup and Grape Salad!

Today we imagined we were pilgrim children, cooking soup over the fire!It was our corn soup feast complete with butter we "churned" and enjoyed on cornbread muffins.

 My recipe for corn soup does not come with any exact measurements, I just make it to taste. The children help add the goodies to the crock pot, take turns stirring and feel like little chefs. We imagine we are pilgrim people, discussing as we cook the fact that pilgrim children had many chores that included cooking and churning butter and talk about what they may have really eaten on a daily basis. Every child contributed something for our mini-feast. 

Here's what I use in the corn soup:

chicken broth
canned corn
long grain wild rice
fresh spinach leaves
browned sirloin
onion
salt and pepper

It's so easy and smells so good!

To churn butter you need a few large baby food jars. Pour heavy whipping cream in and add some salt. Place it in a baggie (in case it does leak) and pass it around. The kids take turns shaking the jar until it solidifies. I check on it occasionally. Each jar usually makes its way around the room once before it is ready.

We are going to spread our butter on the corn bread muffins! 

Surprisingly, the kids devour the soup and usually are begging for seconds~ spinach and all! That's a butter mustache!

While my little pilgrim children feasted, partners performed the Thanksgiving Poems they had been working on. The students were excited to use the microphone!

I just finished a new poetry unit I plan to start when December rolls around. Once again, I am going to make the most of the children's excitement for the holiday and work in some great fluency practice with our poetry binders.  Click on the first picture to see it at my shop!

Wishing all of you lots of fun with family and friends this Thanksgiving and a restful break from school! 

Here's a yummy recipe that you can quickly throw together! It's great as a side or additional dessert for those that don't care for pumpkin pie. It's my mom's famous grape salad! It's a big hit at any party!

3 pounds of assorted grapes (you could use any fruit combo)
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 container of sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (it's yummy without nuts too)
1 cup brown sugar

blend cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup of sugar
fold in grapes
spread in 9x13 dish
combine walnuts and brown sugar
sprinkle over grape mixture
serve or refrigerate
Enjoy!