Thanksgiving is a great holiday because you can use it in so many aspects of your homeschool curriculum. You can cover history and art all in one along with a lesson in geography. For older children you can talk about the existing cultures of the settlers that came here. There is just so much ground you can cover with your kids on this one holiday!
To begin with we have a few books to recommend that the whole family will enjoy but may be more geared for the younger children.
- Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland – This book discusses the history and facts behind Thanksgiving but recognizes that really it is about giving thanks!
- … If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern – Answers questions that kids will love and understand. It is full of facts about the history behind Thanksgiving.
- Turkeys, Pilgrims and Indian Corn: The Story of the Thanksgiving Symbols by Edna Barth – Discusses the traditions and cultural aspects of our holiday.
A great craft that we came across was to make a circle and draw the likes of a turkeys face on it but then cut out leaf shaped pieces in different colors as the turkeys feathers. On each feather you have each family member or student write something that they are thankful for. These are fun to display in your home because they can be fall colors and have great sentiments that will melt your heart when you glance at them. We also like this activity because it lets a student focus on gratitude.
Try putting homeschool science curriculum to work this holiday by letting the kids in the kitchen. You can talk about food preparation safety, cooking meats and poultry to certain temperatures, discuss why the roll dough rises, and the list could go on and on. The kitchen is the ideal place in the home to do a lot of lab work and research. The kids love being hands on and you will love having them become capable in the kitchen.
