On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England to go to the new world! While looking for information about their preparation and journey, I found some interesting facts. Share these fun facts with your students and then check out the activity sheet link below. The Mayflower originally set sail with a second…
“Over the river and through the wood, to Grandfather’s house we go.” Those are the first two lines of the traditional Thanksgiving poem titled “The New-England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day.” That was back in 1844. Over the years the poem was set to music. The title was changed. The destination became Grandmother’s house. Oh,…
When it comes to Thanksgiving Day–themed activities for the classroom, most of the ideas you find have to do with turkeys and Pilgrims. Now there’s nothing wrong with turkeys and Pilgrims, but it’s certainly important for all of us to remember that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. It’s said that showing gratitude makes us healthier…
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that can easily get smothered with football, parades, gravy, and the anticipation of Christmas—so much so that I sometimes go through Thanksgiving without really thinking about what I’m thankful for. This year I’m thankful for my health, my family, and a good iced vanilla latte! Get your students thinking about…
Well, it’s that time of year again—the time when one of my local radio stations begins playing all Christmas music. And every time I accidentally click on the station, I yell, “No, no, no!” and frantically punch the buttons. Why? Because it isn’t time for Christmas yet. It’s not. We have Thanksgiving Day first. Sometimes…
It’s November! Gobble, gobble. It’s the first Friday of November! Gobble, gobble. It’s time for a giveaway! Gobble! So how can you enter this month’s fine-feathered giveaway? Simply tell us one skill you’re introducing to your students this November. Leave your comment on the blog before midnight, Wednesday, November 12, and you’ll be entered to…
So Thanksgiving is now nipping at the heels of Black Friday for the title of Biggest Shopping Day of the Year. What a shame. Many stores were playing holiday music to lull shoppers into a gift-buying mood when they were shopping for back-to-school, which itself now seems to begin sometime in late April. And I…
This grinning gobbler can hold a dinner napkin or student writing—a list of thankful thoughts, a story of thankfulness, or a Thanksgiving Day poem—to be shared at mealtime. In either case, the tiny turkey makes a supercute and thoughtful addition to a Thanksgiving Day table! Have older students measure and cut the needed paper strips…
So I tend to get songs stuck in my head, and once there, they cycle around and around until I want to scream. Lately, the song featured in my head is “What Does the Fox Say?” by Ylvis. I like the song, but it’s ridiculously catchy. A friend of mine forced it out of my…
Over at our Be The Difference blog, my colleague Diane is running her Gobble, Gobble Giveaway—contribute an idea that saves time during the school day and be entered for a chance to win a book of your choice from The Mailbox. Before you go rushing over to Diane’s blog (and I encourage you to do…