Thanksgiving Day 2009 Resources for Parents & Teachers

Plan ahead by using these 13 sources of Thanksgiving crafts, activities, lesson plans, and educational tools. Make this a memorable Thanksgiving Day 2009.

"O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness". William Shakespeare

Holidays like Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, so today is the right time to get a head start on planning lessons, recitals, activities, and just plain fun. Here is a baker's dozen resource list to the best websites for all things pertaining to Thanksgiving for 2009.

Scholastic has incredible free resources for educators, homeschooling parents, and others interested in instructing children about why we observe a Thanksgiving Day celebration. The read-along pages with audio links are superior for strengthening and improving literary skills. Choose from the First Thanksgiving, Mayflower Voyage, and many more.

Poem Source is a comprehensive go-to site for prayers, table graces, poems, and verses that are age appropriate for most children.

Looking for finger plays, or piggy-back songs (songs using familiar tunes to teach new concepts)? Try the variety at Alphabet-Soup for starters.

If you need to produce a drama for older elementary-aged students, Thanksgiving for Silas is a free production for age's eight - 12 teaching about gratitude. Glad I'm not a Turkey is a puppet play easily adapted for preschoolers, or used in its original form for kindergartners to third graders. Make turkey puppets out of cardboard, mount them on paint sticks, and watch the delighted parents' faces as their youngsters' parade around waving turkeys.

Love to Learn Place has arts and crafts, puzzles, re-enactments, coloring pages -too much to list, but all worth discovering.

Planning a Thanksgiving party or celebration? Annies Home Page has everything needed for a fun Thanksgiving Day like party favors, place settings, table graces, and games.

Lesson plans, placemats, reading lists and other Thanksgiving resources are on Education-World.

Looking for different lesson ideas like word searches or mazes relating to Thanksgiving? Find all these as well as flash cards and coloring sheets at MES English.

Are you smarter than a turkey? Try to beat the turkey at interactive turk-tac-toe ; warning: it is harder than you think!

Imagine teaching math while letting students pretend to buy food for Thanksgiving Day 2009 - it might be the right hook to get those reluctant learners interested in math.

For Thanksgiving related printables with religious themes, the free resources at Sunday School Kids are superb. Unusual crafts like a 3D turkey, Thanksgiving wreaths or placemats for kids to color are just a fraction of the available activities.

Wondering what to do while waiting for the meal to be ready? Try some cool games like Pass the Thankerchief, Turkey Hunt, or Cornucopia! Telling jokes, singing, or reading poetry is amusing, and there are numerous ideas and suggestions for keeping everyone entertained at Thanksgiving World.

Thanksgiving facts, proclamations, and interesting details amassed on Thanksgivingnovember. From the original proclamation in 1676 to Thanksgiving turkey trivia, it can be discovered here. Impress everyone with the depth of your Thanksgiving Day 2009 knowledge and expertise.