Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

Thanksgiving 2013 is already in the books. Yesterday my mom and in-laws came for lunch.  Afterward we put together a 500 piece puzzle together and watched The Watson's Go to Birmingham, a Hallmark movie based on Christopher Paul Curtis' Newbery honor winning novel.  

I shopped with my friend, Robin, just so we could say we were part of the Black Friday madness.  Most of my Christmas shopping is done - and most of it I did online after I returned home from our Target excursion.  

Today I had my hair cut and colored(the gray continues to peek through more and more), and then we had Thanksgiving at my mom's - all except my husband who did not have the day off.  

I have eaten a lot of food in the past two days. 

I have done a bit of reading as well.

Tomorrow we are going to UNI's home wrestling meet with friends. We also need to pack our kitchen up.  The screened in porch has been torn off, appliances have been purchased, cabinets have been ordered....I can't wait to see the finished product.  

Every year I look for new holiday books to share with students and my own girls.  This year Thanksgiving Day Thanks by Laura Malone Elliott, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger made its way into my collection from Harper Collins.

Sam tries to determine what he is thankful for. His classmates have lots of great ideas, but Sam think long and hard about what to choose. Eventually, he decides to create his own version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which doesn't go off without a hitch. 

A Thanksgiving facts page and history of the first Thanksgiving are included at the back of the book, which offer ideas for discussion and extensions for parents to use at home or teachers at school.

 

I love both Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet and Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra, but have noticed that both of these books are a bit too detailed for my kindergarten and first grade readers.  Thanksgiving Day Thanks is a perfect selection for this lower elementary age range.  It introduced many customs and traditions of the holiday, allowed us to talk about the Macy's Day parade and watch a small clip from youtube, and learn about Squanto.  

I'll be picking this one up again next year to share with my students, although my own girls will no doubt ask to hear this story long before then.