Thanksgiving

It's a month late but here is our Thanksgiving unit study. We also completed Autumn.

Every morning Joe reads a chapter of the Magic Tree House series to Benjamin. I had them skip ahead to number 27 to read Thanksgiving on Thursday together.
Benjamin loves these books. The characters, Jack and Annie, disvcover a magic tree house filled with books. When they they point to a picture in a book and wish to go there, the tree house magically transports them there. They learn all about different times and cultures. While they are gone no time passes back at home, it is very appealing to Benjamin.

Front cover with the beautiful Michigan leaves (courtesy of my Aunt Brenda and my dad) we used to make leaf rubbings and to talk about the changing colors of autumn. We don't get to see fall colors where we live so it was nice to have a visual.


I put the lapbook in the inside flap of our notebook.


Inside flaps.


Pilgrim and Wampanoag puppets.


Count your blessings cards.


Thank you God book and I am thankful for book.


Give thanks flaps.



Children then and now book.



Five senses book.


His leaf book.


Many of his notebook pages.










Back cover.


Book List:

Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne
Thanksgiving Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer


Resources:

The thanksgiving maze and coloring pageschoolexpress

ideas fromhomeschoolshare

turkey handprint page and count your blessings pocketlulu

many sources from this site with a long list of free Thanksgiving printablessquidoo

many sources abcteach including the first Thanksgiving book

I got the mazes and paper dolls fromactivityvillage

and more from the Thanksgiving lapbook fromlive&learn

Creation Week

All about God's beautiful Creation!


Benjamin included his family, pets, and self as part of God's Creation. One of our cats wouldn't stay out of the photo and her tail is partially on the page.


Some Creation mini books.


He made a page for each day of Creation.


Our favorite song about Creation:

Day one, Day one
God made light when there was none.
(repeat)

Day two, Day two
God made clouds and skies of blue
(repeat)

Day three, Day three
God made flowers plants and trees
(repeat)

Day four, Day four
God made sun and moon and stars galore
(repeat)

Day five, Day five
God made fish and birds alive
(repeat)

Sixth day, sixth day
God made animals and man that day
(repeat)

Day seven, Day seven
God was resting in His Heaven
(repeat)

I used a lot of things from the Creation lapbook fromlapbook lessons.

America Week

We studied America and elections. I took Benjamin to the polls with me so he could watch the process of voting.







Here is our America lapbook:

I just made the title and Googled USA maps.


We talked about how our state is one of fifty.


I used this minibook.


We included an Electoral College map that he colored and a local voters guide. We talked about how the people in the guide were trying to get jobs and we were voting for the ones that we thought were best for those jobs.


Benjamin was very interested in the presidents, so we went a little further with that than I had originally anticipated. I was reading through a list of their names and he became very excited by all the 'Thomas', 'Adams', and the 'Benjamin' names. He then began to repeat me as I said a name. He asked me to read through them several times. By the time I had said them through three times, he was telling me most of their last names once I said the first name.

I used this link for parts of the presidents page.



This is the reading list:

Presidents by James Barber
America Votes: How Our President is Elected by Linda Granfield
The Train of States by Peter Sis


Here are some sites I used a lot:

whitehouse.gov
bensguide.gpo.gov

INTRODUCING.....

CLIFFORD!!!

He is one of Santa's elves. He has come to stay with us for the holiday season. Every night we get Clifford ready for bed by tucking him into his bag. He sleeps on the kitchen counter and drinks water and eats crackers. We sprinkle him with magic North Pole Snowflakes too. The snowflakes give him the ability to come to life at night.


The very moment Benjamin falls asleep Clifford wakes up and begins his magic. Sometimes Clifford's magic gets him into mischief (like making messes). Every morning, the moment Benjamin wakes up, Clifford turns back into a doll and he is stuck where ever he was playing at. It is then Benjamin's job to get up and find him! Clifford brings excitement for Benjamin every single morning.


This is what he has been up to so far.


The first morning Benjamin found Clifford had gotten into his DVDs and picked out his favorite to watch with Benjamin.


Silly Elf.


The next morning we found him playing with the tracks that he had set up.


After that, we found Clifford in the playroom with a tent he had made in the night.


A BIG Tent.


The next morning Benjamin discovered that Clifford had set up his marble game and had been playing with it.


Next Benjamin found Clifford in the playroom again. This time he had pulled out some games and a puzzle to play.


He was very close to finishing the puzzle, so Benjamin helped him out with the rest of it.


One morning we found Clifford working on a Christmas activity book.


The next day we saw that he had been busy building Lincoln Logs.

Oops, looks like he got a little carried away!


The following morning we found a trail...


leading to the Thomas tent that was set up!


Inside the tent Clifford was hiding with a DVD to watch, a conductor's hat, and a comfy chair.


He also set up some tracks, had a model train magazine turned to the Thomas page, and a good book to read.


Benjamin loves Clifford's magical surprises.


One morning he had stacked up some books real high.


And he was ready for a game of checkers.


I wonder what he will do next?

This is where you can find Clifford's friends:
elf-magic