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Thanksgiving Curriculum Ideas

Written by iamhomeschooling on Wednesday,November 16, 2011. Posted in Curriculum Planning and Resources

Every fourth Thursday in November since 1941, an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, Americans have been celebrating Thanksgiving with warm food and warm hearts. If you're looking for some themed ideas to incorporate this annual tradition into your child's curriculum, check out these awesome free resources. These websites will help you teach—and your children learn—the history behind Thanksgiving.

Frances_Brundage_Thanksgiving

Top Free Resources for Parents:

The First Thanksgiving by Scholastic and Plimoth Plantation: Bring the real story of Thanksgiving to life with three virtual field trips to Plimoth Plantation. You'll also find lesson plans, resources, and printables to help incorporate Thanksgiving into your curriculum. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm
Thanksgiving at Teachinghistory.org: You'll find learning resources for students and teaching resources for parents. Explore what's known about early contact, adopt strategies for analyzing the holiday, and test your Thanksgiving knowledge! http://teachinghistory.org/spotlight/thanksgiving
Thanksgiving at History.com: Explore the history of Thanksgiving, a U.S. holiday that dates back to colonial times. Learn about the first Thanksgiving feast, traditions and more. http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Top Free Resources for Students:

First Thanksgiving at National Geographic Kids: Learn about the harvest feast known that became the Thanksgiving holiday. Find lots of related stories, activities, and online games. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/
Happy Thanksgiving by Homeschooled Kids:Homespun Thanksgiving Celebration brimming over with activities, crafts, recipes, games for kids and so much more! http://www.homeschooled-kids.com/allaboutthanksgiving.html
Thanksgiving Games for Kids by Kaboose: Put the turkey aside and train your brain with fun online Thanksgiving games! You'll also find links to Thanksgiving clip art, Thanksgiving printables, and Thanksgiving coloring pages. http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-games.html

Non-Free Resources:

Thanksgiving by Amanda Bennett

History will come alive as the story of the Pilgrims and Native Americans unfolds before you. Come relive the adventures of the Pilgrims, and learn more about their commitment, determination, and deep faith in God. Through Internet links, students will visit the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. They will read journal entries of William Bradford, take a virtual tour of a Wampanoag home site, and enjoy Thanksgiving projects for kids of all ages.

Thanksgiving Thematic Unit by Teacher Created Resources

Thanksgiving Thematic Unit is based on the following pieces of literature: A Turkey for Thanksgiving, Silly Tilly's Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons'. This reproducible resource is filled with ready-to-use lessons and cross-curricular activities. Also included are management ideas, creative suggestions for the classroom, and a bibliography.

You can also find Thanksgiving unit studies, audio books, lap books, games, and other resources on Currclick, your one-stop shop for homeschool downloads.

How do you incorporate Thanksgiving into your homeschool?

Tags: curriculum, free, history, seasonal

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