Thursday, November 13, 2014

Teaching The Meaning Of Thanksgiving

Goddess with our Turkey 2011


For my kids the meaning of Thanksgiving is a lot more food than is ever on our table, football and getting together with their extended family.

This year I really want to focus on the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

  • I want to explain and discuss the meaning of origin of the day. Ask them why we celebrate the day. I found this site that discusses the first celebration and the first Thanksgiving
  • We can also discuss that one aspect of Thanksgiving is being grateful for the food you are going to eat and how there are children who will not be celebrating and why we should donate to our food pantry. We can bring a bag down together so they can see where our towns is.  I wish they had a soup kitchen in my town so we could volunteer. 
  • We could also talk about why turkey has become the symbol of Thanksgiving. Well, Turkeys are very large, can feed a crowd and don't serve a utilitarian purpose like laying eggs. 
  •  Let your children help with preparations for your Thanksgiving meal, and encourage them to make appropriate decorations.
Visit the History Channel website for some great information and videos on Thanksgiving that is where I got most of my information 

1 comment:

  1. Your town doesn't have a soup kitchen to volunteer at, but does it have a humane society? My oldest has volunteered at our local animal shelter in the past and absolutely loved it. She read books to the cats (they loved listening to her voice,) and brushed and played with them. We are going to take food, toys, and cleaning supplies in soon for a Thanksgiving/Christmas treat. I feel it teaches the spirit of giving joyfully, and promotes empathy for those in need. And it is a really fun way to teach about volunteering. Great for kids!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments. Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to talk to you further