Great Gobblers!

We used our gobblers as a writing prompt, gluing them above our responses to "Save a turkey, eat more ______________!"

Cupcakes, chicken nuggets, candy, and even pudding were suggested as suitable replacements for the traditional turkey dinner.

:)

Gobble gobble!

The Hand

My mother sent this to me over Thanksgiving last year.


Of course, it gave me another reason to appreciate my decision to wear waterproof mascara that day.


Have some tissue ready:


  THE HAND


                Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun
                assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.


                Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still
                many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies
                of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of
                her student's art. And they were.


                But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind
                of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As
                other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her
                side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.


                Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something
                for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand.


                His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could
                it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise
                turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and
                care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds
                us. And so the discussion went -- until the teacher almost forgot the young
                artist himself.


                When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas'
                desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was.


                The little boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."


                She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or
                there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take my hand,
                Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil."
                Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's
                hand.


                Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.


                The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about teachers
                teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much
                it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks.
                But they'll remember the hand that reaches out.


                -- Author Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving, dear teachers.

Veterans, We Love You

As my Super Stars were deciding what "thankful" meant, one of them asked "Mrs. Sommerville, what's that holiday after Halloween, but before Thanksgiving?  The one for Army guys like my dad?"

Veterans Day, perhaps not the holiday that many students of civilian parents would group together with the usual Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas trio, but one that we as teachers on a military post observe with respect, not only for our nation's Armed Forces past and present, but for their families and children as well.

After we identified who veterans were and are, and agreed that veterans not only gave us our freedom but continue to protect it as well, I asked what kind of art project we should make for our hallway display.  Our shared kindergarten wavelength being what it is, one student began "Veterans gave us our freedom..." and a second student finished the thought with "We give veterans our hearts.  Mrs. Sommerville!  We should make hearts!"

Of course I teared up.

And then got to work.

I traced a large open heart onto white tagboard:



...asked our aide to punch out red and blue stars (each student used six or seven of each, depending on how far apart they spaced them onto the heart):



After students affixed the stars around the heart in an AB pattern, they glued it onto purple backing paper (yes, one of my student's fathers is a Purple Heart recipient):



Students then wrote "Thank you Veterans.  We love you." on handwriting paper and glued it onto the heart (apologies for the grainy photo):



Silver glitter glue was swirled onto stars for some added sparkle, and the hearts framed our bulletin board turkey character:



Student-inspired displays are the best, don't you agree?