Thanksgiving Fun Facts!

24 11 2009

 

The first traditional Thanksgiving between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans occured in 1621. That’s over three centuries ago! But did you know there were other feasts similar to that one too? Previously, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his group of Spanish colonists landed in Florida where they held a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate their safe arrival. Near El Paso, Spaniard Don Juan de Oñate decided to give his expedition party a rest and throw a Thanksgiving celebration.

Other interesting facts about Thanksgiving are…

…although today’s Thanksgiving meal usually features turkey and pumpkin pie, the pilgrims and Native Americans actually didn’t eat these! Instead of turkey, they ate  lobster, deer meat, and duck. Also there were no ovens to bake any pumpkin pies, though some historians believe pumpkins and squash were present—just not in pie form!

…the pilgrims and natives had different eating habits. While the colonists ate breakfast, dinner, and supper, the Native Americans just ate whenever they were hungry and often had pots cooking throughout the day.

…the reason the holiday is called Thanksgiving is because the colonists wanted to express gratitude for surviving the journey from England to the New Land. Native Americans already had a long history of harvest festivals and ceremonial dances to give thanks for a successful crop.

…Thanksgiving is also a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the colonists and Native Americans. There was a lot of tension when the colonists arrived because the Native Americans were already there living their lives. This was one of the few moments of peaceful interaction between the two groups.

Want to learn more about the history of Thanksgiving? Visit History.com – The First Thanksgiving, which is where I found a lot of these interesting facts.


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Learn

Gobble, gobble! Turkey snacks & sweets!

23 11 2009

Disney’s Family Fun web site has this great idea to make your regular lunchtime sandwiches more exciting.  Not only are these turkey-shaped sandwiches fun to make, they’re healthy too! Click on the photo to learn how to make this turkey snack!

Afterward, satisfy your sweet tooth with these turkey sugar cookies!

All you need is a sugar cookie recipe, different colored icing, candy corn, and candy for the eyes. I think mini M&Ms make good turkey eyes. You can also use a small bit of red licorice for the turkey’s waddle. 

For one recipe, check out the Pillsbury web site by clicking on the photo.

These turkey-themed snacks are making me even more excited about Thanksgiving! What are some of your family’s Thanksgiving traditions? What food do you look forward to eating?


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook

Colorful turkey hands

17 11 2009

Making turkey hands is an easy and classic Thanksgiving art craft!

First, trace your hand on a sheet of paper and use the outline of your hand as the body of the turkey. Then there are lots of different ways you can decorate your turkey.

I painted one of my turkeys with watercolor paint—it dries quickly! For my second turkey, I used markers to write things I’m thankful for in the “feathers.”

Other creative ways to decorate and use your turkey hands:

-Glue on corn kernels, rice grains or other seeds to give your turkey texture

-Cut your turkey out and tape it on your window to make a window cling

-Or, cut out multiple turkeys and write the names of all your family members to make Thanksgiving dinner table place cards

-Tear or cut pieces of magazines and glue them inside your turkey to make a turkey-shaped collage

What are some other things you can do with your turkey hands?


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Categories : 5 years & under, Craft

Origami Thankfulness Box

6 11 2009

Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are coming up, so everyone is in the giving mood! Maybe you would like to show someone why you’re thankful to know him or her. Or maybe you want to keep track of the things you are thankful for in a Thankfulness Box.

origami masu boxes

Either way, origami—the Japanese art of paper folding—is a great way to get crafty!

This box is called the masu box. A long time ago, people in Japan used to store their rice in wooden masu boxes. You don’t have to store rice in these paper boxes, but you can keep other keepsakes in it. I think these are great for holding candy, erasers, or buttons!

Here’s an idea: since Thanksgiving is coming up, why not start writing down on little slips of paper the things you are thankful for in life? Try coming up with one each day until Thanksgiving—it sounds like a lot, but there are a lot of things to be thankful for in this world!

After you write it down, fold it up and store it in your masu box. You can get your family to try this too! Then on Thanksgiving, sit down with your  family and all of you can share what’s inside your Thankfulness Boxes.

thankfulness box

Another thing you can do is think of someone who means a lot to you in life, such as a grandparent, teacher, or best friend. Write a  note about why you are thankful to have this person in your life. Put it inside the origami box along with a momento, such as a photograph or friendship bracelet. Surprise that person with your giftbox!

I think the web site Paper Crane gives clear instructions and good illustrations on how to fold the masu box . Click here to see them.

The Netflix Origami website also shows you a cool way to recycle “junk paper” and make a masu box with a lid! It has a lot of helpful pictures that make it easy to follow as well. Check it out here!

To whom do you plan on giving your super neat giftbox? What are you thankful for this year?


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Categories : 5 years & up, Cool stuff on the web, Craft

Make a Paper Cornucopia for Thanksgiving!

25 11 2008

When I think of Thanksgiving, the first thing I think of is delicious food and turkeys! Another important part of Thanksgiving that is easily overlooked though is simply getting together with family and friends to share thanks. Flipflops and Applesauce has an easy craft for kids that will remind everyone of thankfulness- paper cornucopias full of thankful thoughts!

 cornucopia

Materials:

  • 8 inch square sheet of paper
  • Double-sided tape or glue
  • Scissors
  • Markers, Crayons, Stickers or other decorations for the cornucopia
  • Popsicle sticks or slips of paper

Directions:

  1. Roll the square sheet of paper into a cone and secure it with tape or glue.
  2. Decorate the cornucopia to give it a personal touch.
  3. Have everyone write down something that they are thankful for on a popsicle stick or on a slip of paper and put the thoughts in the cornucopia.
  4. Share everyone’s thankful thoughts over Thanksgiving dinner! This cornucopia makes a great table centerpiece!

From everyone at the Austin Children’s Museum, we wish you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Craft

Cereal Box Turkeys

24 11 2008

Recently, we talked about the benefits of reusing items instead of just throwing them away in our post, Rainbow Crayons. Megan from Plum Pudding thought of a great Thanksgiving craft that is not only colorful, but is a great way to help the environment. Instead of throwing away your old cereal boxes, use them to make Cereal Box Turkeys!

cerealboxturkeys

Materials:

  • scissors
  • glue or tape
  • empty cereal boxes
  • markers (optional)
  • popsicle sticks (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut out various sized circles from your cereal boxes.
  2. Experiment with ways to layer your circles in order to create your turkey. Would you like your turkey to be all the same color or different colors? Do you want to use bigger circles or smaller circles?
  3. Take your largest circle, which will go in the very back, and cut slits on the top half of the circle to give the appearance of feathers.
  4. Use smaller circles for the turkey’s body.
  5. Cut one circle in half for the turkey’s wings.
  6. The two smallest circle will be the head and wattle.
  7. Draw or cut little eyes and a beak for the face.
  8. Glue or tape your layered turkey together.
  9. If you would like to use your turkey as a puppet, a planter, or a centerpiece, attach a popsicle stick to the back of your turkey.

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Bubble Wrap Corn for Thanksgiving!

18 11 2008

To get you in the Thanksgiving spirit, we found a creative craft for kids on the blog No Time for Flash Cards- it is age appropriate even for toddlers! Kids will have a fun time making this Indian corn by using bubble wrap! Also, even though this craft is perfect for Thanksgiving, No Time for Flash Cards explains that it is a great craft for kids who are learning about nutrition or gardening, too!

bubblewrapcorn

Materials:

  • 2 pieces of paper
  • A writing utensil
  • Paint
  • A paint brush
  • A plate or container to put paint in
  • A piece of bubble wrap
  • Scissors

Directions:

  1. On one sheet of paper draw an ear of corn. On the second piece of paper draw husks for your corn.
  2. Squirt some orange/yellow paint in a plate. Help your child press the bubble wrap in the paint and then help them press it onto the paper with the outlined drawing of corn.
  3. Have your child paint the drawing of the corn husks with brown paint.
  4. Once the paint has dried, cut out the corn and the corn husks.
  5. Glue the husks to the top of the corn.

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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Craft