Monday, October 15, 2012

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.





You could put numbers on them too, but kids like to pick them, so I opted for no numbers. 

Mandy
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