gobble gobble.

Does anyone have all of next week off for Thanksgiving?  Or are you all with me in a super short week?  We're in session on Monday and Tuesday so I'll be posting later about our upcoming {theme days!}  For now, here are some of my favorite turkey ideas to help you count down to holiday break!

{pattern turkeys}

I found this turkey online somewhere {not my creation!} and made it into a double page for the kids to show 2 different types of patterns.  They still don't understand that they only have to write the rule once, but as long as the letters are right, I don't really put up a fuss about it.  :)

The cut-out turkeys are also a coloring sheet that I had the kids use in a pattern center to create another type of turkey pattern to decorate our cubbies.

We also created Surrounding Patterns {from the inside out} by putting feathers on a turkey body.  We glued down diecut pattern blocks but you could also used colored pasta or just draw the shapes.  P.S. If you really want to give your kids a giggle, tell them they have to help the turkeys so they're not naked!  Click for your very own {naked turkey}.  Disclaimer: not my creation, just a coloring page with erased feathers!

{turkey recipe}

I attempted writing a recipe for turkeys but have to honestly say that this activity is a little complex for most kindergarteners even when given the choice to write about any Thanksgiving food...since mashed potatoes, stuffing or pumpkin pie would require a larger choice of ingredients and cooking steps.  I realized that a few years ago when I first tried it but after seeing Erica Bohrer's cute turkey recipe card I thought I'd try it again.  {Note to self: use only as a challenge activity for a few kids next year!!}  Oh well.  Here it is if you're brave enough.  ;)

{turkey crowns}

Our cafeteria manager puts on a fabulous Thanksgiving luncheon every year for parents and the community to come attend and I figure if the school's all turkey'd out, we should be too!  My favorite turkey headbands:

{cut out 4-6 feathers of your color choice.  glue to the back of a sentence strip.}

 {flip the sentence strip over so the feathers stick out the back.}

 {glue a brown circle for the head}

 {fold over the tab of each wing and only glue down that section}

 {add a beak, eyes & snood}

 I didn't get a picture without faces in it so here's one of me from a few years ago.

{display turkeys with a touch of teaching}

I've always made these turkeys just to display and be festive but I'm really trying to focus on everything having an educational purpose so this year they received a make-over!

My highest kids created rhyming turkeys.  I was hoping they'd be able to come up with 6 real words but that was difficult for some of their words {their choice} so if we exhausted our minds and no one in the group {including me!} could come up with another real word I let them finish with nonsense.  The funniest part about that was seeing what pictures they came up with!

My middle groups created initial sound turkeys with 6 different words on the feathers.  I only accepted real words {and classmate names} for these because this is a skill we're really working on in both reading and writing.  They had to give me at least 3 examples before I wrote their letter.  If they couldn't, they had to think of a different letter before they began.

My lower group also created initial sound turkeys but only had to think of one or two words for each instead of trying to come up with 6 examples.  They were encouraged to use the pictorial alphabet on the word wall and I also had letter posters available for reference if they got stuck.

These are the letter posters our awesome EC teacher {Sara} made that the kids used for reference.  At first I was afraid that would make it too difficult but they had to tell me the word before adding it so that made them think and listen for the right sound.  {ex: on the Ss poster there was a smile and one of my girls had to work through and tell me why it had to be called smile and not mouth before she could add it.}

You could also make math turkeys with a number in the body and different ways to show the number on each feather...picture, number word, addition or subtraction equation, etc!

{cornucopia writing}

Okay, so I know this isn't a turkey but it is an awesome way to update a coloring page...so I'm pretty sure you won't mind!  Instead of listing things we're thankful for, color fruits or vegetables to be put in a cornucopia.  Cut them out and fold back the top of each fruit {I help with this} then glue down only that part to create a lift-the-flap type of picture.

 After they're glued down, the children write one thing they're thankful for under each fruit.

 Hang to display for an interactive bulletin board!  :)

Pilgrim & Native American activities will be posted tomorrow!!