The Pumpkin Runner took a bit longer to complete, so we only had about one and a half weeks to row a Thanksgiving book. I chose to row Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard this Thanksgiving, because I thought it would tie in nicely with Parker’s U.S. social studies lessons.
Though this was a mini unit, it’s very hard to stop after just one week. We needed a second week to wrap up our Thanksgiving activities. There was just so much to glean.
READY TO ROW:
Story Disk:
Bub colored the story disk and placed it on our map.
Cover Art:
The boys created cover art for this row. They looked beautiful with all the different colors.
BIBLE:
My daughter Haley, (13 years old) created artwork for me to use in our Bible verse printable.
You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store. There’s a FREEbie tracer in the Preview!
The boys traced their Bible verse. Later, we added it to their FIAR notebooks.
Gratitude Lessons:
I decided to do the Kids of Integrity Thanksgiving lesson.
We dusted off our scarecrow, who helps us scare away “satitudes” and reminds us to be grateful. We also made manna and transformed our apple tasting tree into a thanksgiving tree.
Gratefulness Stones:
In our Thanksgiving lessons, we learned how the Israelites failed to remember all that God did for them. He instructed them to build an altar from the stones of the Jordan River.
The kids painted their rocks and set them aside to dry.
The kids wrote things they were thankful for. We talked about the ways God helped us through our quarantine.
During this lesson, we thought about all the blessings God gave us during the epidemic. Our gratefulness stones would act as a visual memory.
Thanksgiving Books.
We read several books about being thankful.
I snuck in a reading of Runaway Thanksgiving. It’s been on my Thanksgiving bucket list since we rowed Cranberry Thanksgiving. It was one of the suggested books we never got to. It fit fabulously with this row too!
We even made little “Moses” turkey treats with hot cocoa! Such a sweet story!
We continued to add leaves of gratitude on our Thanksgiving tree.
We read many wonderful Thanksgiving books during this row.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Native American History:
We read about the various tribes within each region of the United States.
We read The Very First Americans and excerpts from North American Indians. We read this book, in its entirety, last year.
Jordan put the Native American relocation history facts cards (Twinkl) in order using our pocket chart.
We read We Are Grateful Otsaliheliga and I brought out a Native American craft.
We hung it up near the door when he finished it.
Native American Heritage:
First, I presented the boys with the FIAR U.S. map and instructed them to color the states with Native American names.
The boys guessed which states had Native American names and colored them in on their map.
Using our felt united states map, the boys put a marker on all states with Native American names.
I read through the state names and they added a sticker on the states with a name of Native American origin.
Homes:
I brought out our Native American Homes cards (Montessori For Everyone).
We reviewed the different types of homes that Native American lived in and the boys began building a wigwam.
Trail of Tears:
Both boys read The Trail of Tears independently. It’s a sad part of our American history, but it’s essential that we know the good and bad. It helps us understand why certain people groups are still unsettled today.
The kids also mapped out the trail of tears using the FIAR (Indian relocation) map worksheet.
Bread:
God created such a diverse and beautiful world. We are such a diverse people, but despite our differences, we can still find common ground. Though the recipe may differ, bread is a staple found in just about every culture.
Jordan and I read Everybody Bakes Bread together. He loved this book. It includes a recipe for each type of bread mentioned in the story.
We also read Sharing the Bread An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving together.
Given a little more time, I could have added a science unit in, “from flour to bread”. There’s just never enough time. Parker did use the Hen as inspiration for his creative writing assignment.
The First Thanksgiving:
We read The First Thanksgiving and focused our attention on Squanto.
The kids ate their “Squanto snack”, a doughnut with candy corn and gummy fish “planted” in the center. This was a tribute to the way Squanto taught the pilgrims how to plant corn. I also read about Squanto in our Everyday Graces.
MATH:
Calendar Work:
I printed copies of our November Calendar worksheets for the kids.
You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store.
The kids added dates, holidays and birthdays.
Parker and I read In November, a wonderful picture book to celebrate this month.
Modeling Process – Wampum Belts:
I found a great Wampum Belt worksheet online (Mailbox.com). This was a great way to introduce our applied math lesson on modeling.
We discussed brainstorming an idea rather than just starting a project. We also discussed the value of modeling. It’s always better to plan and prepare, because you often think through the entire process.
This reminded us of our soap whittling project. If you don’t think about what you want to make and just start whittling, you’ll end up with soap flakes!
LANGUAGE ARTS:
Grammar Lapbook:
We completed two Grammar Ace lapbook entries while rowing this book.
Antonyms & Synonyms:
This week, I designed a Fry Bread inspired lapbook layout.
I set out our lapbook elements for Parker to glue in his lapbook.
Parker added the sticker title and matched the grammar elements to the “in a nutshell” definitions.
It looked so pretty when he finished.
Predicates:
I created a fun turkey themed page since this was the second week as we wrapped up our Thanksgiving row.
I laid out Parker’s lapbook components.
He added the sticker title and matched the “in a nutshell” terms with the corresponding definitions. We also added little wormie examples.
Our little turkey page turned out bright, colorful, and packed with information!
SCIENCE:
Maillard Reaction:
For our discussion on the Maillard reaction, I baked marshmallows and presented them on our FIAR worksheet.
I instructed the kids to taste the non-baked marshmallows and record their data. Then I had them taste the baked marshmallows and record that data.
The kids enjoyed this activity, especially since it involved eating marshmallows.
ARTS, CRAFTS, & MORE:
Fry Bread:
We couldn’t row Fry Bread without making fry bread.
Using the recipe in the book, Parker and I started with the cornmeal. We set it aside to cool.
Bub helped mix the rest of the ingredients together. Then we set it aside to rise.
It doubled into a big bowl of sticky goodness.
After frying the dough, I dusted them with powdered sugar and served them with dipping sauces (salted caramel, honey, and chocolate sauce).
Wampum Belts:
With their wampum belts designed, the kids thought it would be fin to use Perler Beads to make them.
Using their template, they created their Perler Bead Wampum belts.
Their models looked just like their templates! Later we added their templates in the FIAR notebook. This was a great little project.
Sugar Cone Teepees:
I’ve wanted to make sugar cone teepees ever since I saw them online.
I set out our sugar cones, frosting, and decorations.
The kids made their own chocolate-dipped teepees and decorated them with candy and sprinkles.
Thanksgiving:
We had an old fashioned Thanksgiving at home. We cooked a turkey, prepared side dishes, and baked pies.
After eating, we sat at the table and played several rounds of bingo.
After we cleaned up, we sat down together and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Pinterest Board:
You can find most of the activities, ideas, and printables from this post on our Fry Bread Pinterest Board.
Youtube Playlist:
As with our other rows, we created a Fry Bread Playlist with read-alouds, music, science, and other clips.