Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas

“Thanksgiving” By Robert Haven Schauffler {Free ebook}

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November 23, 2022 | Sallie Borrink
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Thanksgiving: Its Origin, Celebration and Significance as Related in Prose and Verse by Robert haven Schauffler (1907) is an excellent vintage book for the American family who wishes to remember the traditions, origins, and history of the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks to Google, you can add a copy to your family library for free.

About The Book

The book features a variety of short pieces that have been divided into the general categories of:

Origin
Celebration
The Spirit of Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving Season
Exercises (class readings and plays)

The Preface explains the need for this collection:

Every autumn in school and home recurs the need for a collection of literature on Thanksgiving, an anthology comprehensive enough to include all the best that has been written about this intensely American holiday. For years the imperative ungratified demand for such a book has almost suggested a dark conspiracy among literary folk, – a conspiracy which the present volume is Intended to thwart. It brings to children of all ages all the best poems, essays, plays and stories of Thanksgiving. And its scope is yet wider.

The Introduction gives a rapid view of the holiday’s origin, its derivation from ancient festivals; its development, its spirit and its significance. This part of the books intends to be as suggestive as possible to parent and teachers who are personally conducted to the sources for the study of their subject.

Here is a link for a free Google copy to be downloaded and saved:

Thanksgiving By Robert Haven Schauffler (PDF)

If you prefer to purchase a paperback copy, it can be found here:

Thanksgiving By Robert Haven Schauffler

Ideas For Using The Book

During the month of November, select various readings, poems, or hymns that will best work with your family’s current situation and learning plans.

Choose one selection each day to read aloud as part of your morning time, homeschooling, or family worship.
Use the poems for copywork during November.
Practice narration with the stories.
If your family is working on memorizing poetry, there are several selections to choose from.
Research an author and write a short biography about him or her.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Thanksgiving” by Henry Coyle – Printable Poetry

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November 23, 2022 | Sallie Borrink
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“Thanksgiving” by Henry Coyle

We thank Thee, Father, for Thy care,
For countless blessings that we share;
For all life’s trials, pains and pleasures,
And all its labors and its treasures!

We thank Thee for Thy blessed light,
The sun by day, the moon by night;
For summer’s heat and winter’s blast,
For gloom and shadows o’er us cast;

For hearts with love for Thee imbued,
For tongues to speak our gratitude;
For all Thy blessings from above,
For everything we owe Thy love;

For restful slumber and the gleams
Of Paradise we see in dreams;
For hope that ever upward springs To Thee,
O God, on Faith’s strong wings;

For peace and plenty — grace untold,
And blessings rich and manifold;
Our thanks and praises now are given To Thee,
O Father, Lord of Heaven!

From The Promise of Morning (1899)

Thanksgiving Printables in The Shop

The Lifetime Shopping Pass

$97.00
“Doe Ye Next Thynge” by Mrs. George A. Paull

$1.50
“Thanksgiving” by Henry Coyle

$1.50
Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation Printable

$1.50
Thanksgiving Writing Pages

$4.00

Celebrating Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving Learning:

Category: Holidays & Traditions - Thanksgiving, PoetryTag: Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving Reading and Music

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November 25, 2021 | Sallie Borrink
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Happy Thanksgiving! Our Thanksgiving will be a quiet one with just the three of us. We are thankful for each other, our home, our work, and our health. Above all, we are thankful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you would enjoy some Thanksgiving and Pilgrim themed reading for this day, here are a few to share.

Pilgrims & The Christian-Agrarian Exodus of 1620 and Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving from The Deliberate Agrarian
A Lesson From Plymouth – Many Stories from Plymouth Rock Foundation
Thanksgiving from Pilgrim Hall Museum

One of my favorite hymns I’ve shared before as an Eventide Blessing is actually a Thanksgiving hymn: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come. Here is another version in a lovely collection of Thanksgiving hymns.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Artist: George Henry Boughton

Category: Holidays & Traditions - ThanksgivingTag: Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas2 Comments

Simple Thanksgiving Activities for Children

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July 2, 2021 | Sallie Borrink
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Thanksgiving is a special time of enjoying family and giving thanks for our many blessings. We set aside this day to reflect on the many ways God has blessed us over the year and thank Him for His goodness to us.

In keeping with the spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving, here are some fun and simple Thanksgiving activities for children using things you probably already have around the house. These creative ideas will keep your Thanksgiving celebration simple and meaningful this year.

Cranberries In A Jar

Fill a canning jar or other glass container with fresh cranberries. Have each person guess how many cranberries are in there and write it down. When it is time to count, take the opportunity to practice estimation. Take out a half a cup of cranberries and use that information to determine if the first guess was a good one or if it is possible to make a more accurate prediction. Then count to find out who came closest.

Graph Paper Indian Corn Craft

Using graph paper, cut out corn shapes. Use crayons or colored pencils to color in the squares and make Indian corn. Use light brown paper to make shucks and connect them together into a cluster and hang.

Thanksgiving Dinner ABC

Make a list of what your family likes to eat for Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, etc.). Then put the words in ABC order and draw a little picture of each item.

Thanksgiving Fun Fact Cards

Learn new and fascinating facts about the traditions and people of Thanksgiving with my Thanksgiving Fun Fact Cards.

Thank You Notes

Write a thank you note to someone who has blessed you in some way this year. Illustrate the card with either a Thanksgiving theme or a picture to match the reason for the thank you.

Thanksgiving Bingo Game

Make a list of Thanksgiving words such as turkey, cranberry, Pilgrims, Mayflower, pumpkin, etc. Have each child fill in a bingo sheet drawn on a plain piece of paper, putting the words wherever they choose. Then play bingo using candy corn or candy pumpkins for the cover pieces.

Turkey Feather Thanks

Cut out a turkey body from construction paper and hang on the wall or door. Each day write something for which you are thankful on a feather cut out of construction paper and add it to the turkey.

Thankful Art Collage

Make a collage of things for which you are thankful. Use magazines, newspapers, catalogs, stickers, or your own drawings in the collage.

Creative Sticker Story Writing

Use Thanksgiving stickers for some of the words in a Thanksgiving story you write. For example, if you use the word “pilgrim” instead of writing the word, put a pilgrim sticker there.

November & Thanksgiving Writing Prompts

If you would like to add some writing to your Thanksgiving activities, this collection of Thanksgiving Writing Prompts includes something that will interest every child.

Thanksgiving Story Sequence Chart

Read a favorite Thanksgiving story or select a new one. After reading the story, take a large sheet of paper and divide it into four sections by drawing a vertical line and a horizontal line. In the four sections, retell the highlights of the story by writing a sentence and drawing a picture. This is also a great way to practice sequence (first, next, next, last).

You can see all of my Thanksgiving-themed printables and worksheets here.

Thanksgiving Read Aloud Books

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks!The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving Cranberry Thanksgiving The Squirrel’s Thanksgiving Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story The Story of the Pilgrims Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl . . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Simple Thanksgiving Learning Projects

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July 2, 2021 | Sallie Borrink
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There are so many ways to celebrate the true meaning and blessings of Thanksgiving. This list of simple Thanksgiving learning projects varies widely in grade level, although many can be adapted to make them appropriate for a variety of ages.

As a general rule, these Thanksgiving learning projects can be completed with simple supplies you probably already have in your home. There are short projects and longer projects. Some are creative and some are more academic. There should be a project for every kind of learner in your home.

Let’s see what fun you can have learning about Thanksgiving this year!

Thanksgiving Reading & Writing Projects

Thanksgiving offers some great topics for reading and writing projects. Here are a few that will meet the need with a variety of learners.

Write a “Mayflower Times” or “Plymouth Herald” newspaper.
Pretend you are a Pilgrim child. Write a letter to a friend back home and tell her about your voyage and first year in America.
Write a Pilgrim biography.
Chose a favorite Thanksgiving book and write a letter to a friend, telling him about why he should buy the book and read it.
Write a poem about the first Thanksgiving.
Make an acrostic for Thanksgiving Day. For each letter, think of a word or phrase related to Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Arts & Crafts Projects

Need an easy Thanksgiving arts and craft project? Here are a few that will work well!

Illustrate a drawing of the Mayflower.
Make a Thanksgiving diorama.
Draw a comic strip.
Make Pilgrims and Indians out of toilet paper tubes.
Make a flannel board story.
Design a cross stitch or needlepoint sampler.
Draw a poster advertising traveling to America on the Mayflower.
Make placemats for Thanksgiving dinner.
Make a mobile out of a hanger.
Make a banner.

Thanksgiving Gift Projects

Design a Thanksgiving card.
Create a bookmark favor for your Thanksgiving guests.

Thanksgiving Creative Fun Projects

Create a Thanksgiving board game.
Make a Thanksgiving puppet.
Write a Thanksgiving Day skit.
Make a card game.
Make a word search.
Make a crossword puzzle.
How many words can you make using the letters in “Happy Thanksgiving Day!”

Thanksgiving Printables & Worksheets

If you would like a wide variety of printables and worksheets, check out the Thanksgiving category in my shop. I have many fun Thanksgiving themed learning activities that are ready to purchase and download instantly. These products include math, reading, writing prompts, fun fact cards, copywork, and more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving Learning Ideas, Books, & Printables

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October 1, 2020 | Sallie Borrink
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Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that points us once again to the things that truly matter – God, family, and friends. It’s a fun time of year to explore the Pilgrims, traditions, and food with children. I hope these posts, printables, and books about Thanksgiving will give you lots of ideas as you prepare your Thanksgiving learning plans.

Thanksgiving Inspiration for Families

I believe keeping things simple is often the best choice for families. The ideas I share in these posts focus on keeping things simple, using materials you probably already have in your house, and focusing on the important aspects of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving Printables & Worksheets

There are many fun learning materials in my shop with Thanksgiving, Pilgrim, and November themes. Here is a sampling of those products.

Thanksgiving Fun Fact Cards

Use these fun fact cards to learn interesting facts about Thanksgiving both the past and present.

Thanksgiving Copywork

This Thanksgiving copywork features interesting facts about Thanksgiving. It includes both print and cursive in one pack.

Thanksgiving Reading, Writing, & Math Activity Pack

There are many fun Thanksgiving printables in my shop for your Thanksgiving learning time. Here is a pack full of over 30 activities.

November & Thanksgiving Writing Pages

These writing pages include a variety of November and Thanksgiving themes in both primary and elementary lines.

Thanksgiving Handwriting & Coloring Pages

Your learners will enjoy these Thanksgiving themed print and cursive handwriting practice and coloring pages.

Thanksgiving Books

There are so many wonderful Thanksgiving books to share with your learners. I’ve selected a few here and grouped by topic.

Picture Books About the Pilgrims

Learn about the Pilgrims and the life they built in the New World.

Books About Squanto

Squanto was a special gift from God to the Pilgrims. Learn more about this amazing man with these books.

Books About the First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving was a special event. Learn more about it!

More Thanksgiving Books

There are so many great Thanksgiving books to choose from. Here are a few to consider adding to your family library, including one of my favorites – Cranberry Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Unit Study

Do you want a fun unit study to use with your learners this month? Click the image below to jump to the Let’s Learn About Thanksgiving here on my site.

Category: Homeschooling - Unit Study IdeasTag: Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas1 Comment

Thanksgiving Unit Study

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October 4, 2018 | Sallie Borrink
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This collection of Thanksgiving activities will make it easy for you to put together a fun and educational Thanksgiving themed unit. I’ve included all kinds of ideas related to Pilgrims, the First Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving traditions. The resources include videos, printables, books, play, and more.

If learning with themes is new to you, check out my post on How to Easily Create a Unit Study.

If you want to explore the printables I have for this theme, you can see the topics of Thanksgiving and Pilgrims. There are many more printables in my shop than I can include in this post!

Planning A Thanksgiving Theme

Theme Planner: As you read through the ideas below, use a Unit Study Planning Page to organize your Thanksgiving learning plans.

Thanksgiving KWL: A KWL is a great way to start any unit study and document your child’s learning. KWL stands for Know, Want to know, and Learned. Your learner lets you know what she already knows about the topic, what she wants to know, and what she has learned (at the end).

I have three cute options in my shop.

Thanksgiving Spelling and Vocabulary

Choose the spelling words most appropriate for your child’s level.

celebrate
corn
cornucopia
deer
feast
hardship
Indians
Mayflower
Native Americans
ocean
Pilgrims
Plymouth
Squanto
Thanksgiving
turkey
voyage
winter

You can also use the list of spelling words to create a word search using the Word Search Template.

Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Take the time to print and read a copy of Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation and discuss it with your child.

Thanksgiving Books

There are many great books about the Pilgrims, the first Thanksgiving, Squanto, and more. Here are some to add to your family library.

Pilgrims: Learn about the Pilgrims and the life they built in the New World.

Squanto: Squanto was a special gift from God to the Pilgrims. Learn more about this amazing man with these books.

First Thanksgiving: The First Thanksgiving was a special event. Read more about it.

Thanksgiving: More fun Thanksgiving themed books for your family to enjoy each year.

Thanksgiving Fun Fact Cards

Thanksgiving Fun Fact Cards is one of the most popular products in my shop. So many fun facts your learners will discover about Thanksgiving! Click the cover to see much more about them.

Poetry: “Thanksgiving” by Henry Coyle

Print a copy of “Thanksgiving” by Henry Coyle to enjoy with your family.

Copywork, Handwriting & Writing Activities

Thanksgiving Copywork: It’s easy to continue practicing handwriting during Thanksgiving with copywork. These Thanksgiving copywork pages combine the fun of my fun fact cards with handwriting practice. Kids absolutely love them!

Thanksgiving Handwriting & Coloring: This fun pack includes Thanksgiving themed handwriting and coloring pages in both print and cursive. It’s available in my shop to download and go.

Thanksgiving Writing Pages: Thanksgiving Writing Pages provides 48 Thanksgiving themed pages that will add something special to your unit study writing, notebooking, etc.

Creative Learning Activities

Write a Letter: Write a letter from a Pilgrim to a friend back in England, telling about the journey, the first year, or the first Thanksgiving. You can use one of the Write a Letter Worksheets.

Postage Stamp: Design a postage stamp to commemorate the first Thanksgiving using Design a Postage Stamp Worksheets.

Venn Diagram: A Venn diagram is a wonderful way to compare. You can use it to compare Thanksgiving topics such as:

Pilgrims and Indians
First Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving celebrations today
Being a Pilgrim child and being a child today
Food at the first Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving food

Biography: Choose a person from the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving to learn more about. Then write a short biography about him or her. Use the Write a Biography (Early Elementary) Worksheets or the Write a Biography (Upper Grades) Worksheets.

List It: This is a great activity to either use as an ongoing activity or a culminating activity at the end of the study. Your learners can either keep a list and add to it throughout the unit study or compile a list at the end. Find this list it in the Unit Study Activity Pack.

Thanksgiving Videos

History of the First Thanksgiving Video: This short video points out some important facts often left out or gotten wrong when we discuss the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Use this video to compare and contrast what is in this video with the stories we typically hear. You can also discuss with your learners how to find the truth about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving and why people might tell different stories.

Pilgrim Life: Learn about life for Pilgrim girls and boys and then use costumes to do role play. If your learners especially enjoy role playing, have them write a brief play about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving to perform for family and friends.