Mandy's Krafty Exploits: Thanksgiving Countdown for Kids

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is coming up! With the help of Stephanie at Somewhat Simple, I've "krafted" a fun countdown to Turkey Day! Not only is this fun for kids to do, but gives them opportunity to show their thankfulness and makes them aware of why they should be thankful.

Since the latest Thanksgiving can be is November 28, I went ahead and did 28 pieces on my craft.

Let's get the tutorial started!

Here's what you'll need:

- Scrapbook paper

- Laminate (this isn't necessary, but with kids and using the countdown more than once, I figured it would be good to use it)

- Ribbon (or a container to put activities in)
- Small clothespins (if using a container - you won't need these)

- Paint or decorations for the clothespins (optional)

Here's how:

After borrowing some topics and ideas from Somewhat Simple, along with creating some of my own, I printed out these fun things to do: (Please feel free to borrow any of these that you would like!)

ANIMALS VOLUNTEER AT THE HUMANE SOCIETY	CHURCH HELP CLEAN THE CHURCH	MY MOM WRITE MOM A NOTE AND BUY FLOWERS FOR HER	OUR CAR HELP CLEAN UP THE CAR AND FILL IT UP WITH GAS
FIREFIGHTERS TAKE TREATS AND A THANK YOU CARD TO THE FIRE STATION	POLICEMEN TAKE TREATS AND A THANK YOU CARD TO THE POLICE STATION	MY HOUSE HELP CLEAN UP A ROOM AND KEEP IT CLEAN FOR A WEEK	CLOTHES GIVE AN OUTFIT TO SOMEONE IN NEED
FOOD MAKE SUPPER TONIGHT AS A FAMILY	PASTOR WRITE A NOTE TO HIM AND DELIVER IT WITH A TREAT	MY NOSE BUY SOME FLOWERS AND PLANT THEM	BOOKS GO TO THE LIBRARY AND PICK OUT SOME THANKSGIVING BOOKS
COUSINS WRITE A LETTER TO ONE OF YOUR COUSINS	SCRIPTURE MAKE A POSTER OF YOUR FAVORITE VERSE AND HANG IT IN YOUR ROOM	TOYS GIVE SOME OF YOUR TOYS TO ANOTHER CHILD	NATURE GO ON A WALK AS A FAMILY
MY TEACHERS MAKE A PLATE OF COOKIES AND A CARD FOR YOUR TEACHERS AT CHURCH	NEIGHBORS RAKE THE LEAVES FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR	MY FAMILY PLAY A GAME TOGETHER, INSIDE OR OUTSIDE	MUSIC MAKE UP A SONG – EITHER WORDS OR TUNE
MY DAD MAKE YOUR DAD AN ICE CREAM TREAT	GRANDPARENTS CALL AND TELL THEM “I LOVE YOU. I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU”	FRIENDS INVITE SOME OVER TO PLAY	PRAYERS SAY A “THANKFUL PRAYER” & DON’T ASK FOR ANYTHING
MY EYES WATCH A MOVIE WITH YOUR FAMILY	DOCTORS WRITE A NOTE TO YOUR DOCTOR THANKING HIM FOR HELPING TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY	MISSIONARIES SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO A MISSIONARY	MAKE YOUR OWN COME UP WITH A REASON WHY YOU ARE THANKFUL AND AN ACTIVITY TO GO WITH IT

I printed them on the white side of the scrapbook paper and cut them in 1.5"w x 2.5"h pieces. Then I laminated them.

For the clothes pins, I used the extra paper. I just decoupaged the clothespin, put the paper on, let it dry and then did one more layer of decoupage. I added a button with some fabric glue I had leftover from my canvas box. Some of them received a little glitter, too.

After decorating the clothes pins, I hung up each piece onto the ribbon and put the ribbon on the wall. (Oh how I miss having a mantle!!!)

Simply have the kids pick one a day until Thanksgiving and follow the instructions on the paper! I will just leave the completed ones turned over and maybe after Thanksgiving, we can look back on what we've done and share what we learned from doing some of them.