Toddler Fun, (Shortened) Week 14: Letter T, Number 4, and Turkeys

Okay, so this week was a shortened one, for obvious reasons.

We didn't spend a lot of time on "school", because we were with family we don't see often enough, but I still wanted to make sure we at least covered the basics.

Week 14:

Letter: T

Number: 4

Animal: Turkey

Activities

1. "Flying"

Some people think that wild turkeys can't fly. Although, they're not great at it, they DO!  So, while we were flying, we talked about things like wind, take-off, wings, landing, etc.  We are so lucky that Aidan loves  to fly, and has never had any problems with it, so that makes it easier!

2. Turkey Dinner

Aidan "helped" our Uncle Magic prep the turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Gobble, gobble!

3. Turkey Feather Number Matching

I found this fun, free Turkey activity, here.  I printed it out (at 95%, because it cut off a little of the edge), cut out the feathers, and then Aidan matched them.  There's a matching one, and a one-to-one correspondence one. 

Snacks

1. Turkey Shaped Sandwich

For this sandwich art, I made a chicken and havarti sandwich, which I cut into a circle, and an oval, cut up some apple slices and carrots, and used two orange segments.  Then I just put it all together, and voila!

2. Turkey Cookies

One of my Aunt Temple's friends made us each individual turkey cookies with our names on them for place cards.  They were super adorable, even if Aidan did keep calling them "chickens".

Crafts

1. Turkey Foam Craft

I found these cute turkey craft sets at Michaels.  I was a little disappointed in the Thanksgiving options, honestly.  It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and all there was, was a tiny clearance section.  Also, there were no instructions in the box, and it seemed like it was missing a piece.  So I made due with a coffee filter, which thankfully was brown. :)  So we made 14.  It's not easy keeping a toddler busy that long, and he wasn't engaged the entire time, but he did place all the eyes, and take off the backs of the stickers.

2. T is for Turkey

For this craft, as always, I cut out all the pieces, and then helped Aidan put it all together.  We talked about patterns for the feathers. 

Books and Media

We Read:

1. Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving by James Dean

I love lift-the-flap books!  They're interactive, they're fun, build suspense, and they are good for practicing fine motor skills.  This one is about Pete the Cat (a favorite of ours), who is in a school play about the first Thanksgiving.

2. P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet by Carol Crane

I really enjoy this alphabet series! Our library had a sale a couple months ago, and this was one of the great finds!  It has short descriptions on each page for young readers, but also longer ones for older readers.

3. Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson

I learned so much from this book!  There is a new emphasis on girls having strong female role-models, which is great, but I think it's also important for boys to see determined and strong women.  I'm praying my son marries one someday!  Anyway, I learned a lot about Sarah Hale, a woman who advocated for Thanksgiving, and never gave up!


4. Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

This is a sweet story I used to read to my class, and now read to Aidan.  It's a great tale about a bear who learns to give thanks, and let his friends help him out in the process.  It's also great for talking about hibernation, and forest animals.

We Watched:

1. The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Of course, this is a classic, and doesn't have anything to do with turkeys, but you still have to watch it!

2. Wild Kratts. Season 2 Episode 5: Happy Turkey Day - This is a fun episode, where we learn about wild turkeys (where I learned they can fly).  You can find the full episode on Dailymotion.