Book: The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli (alternatives: Thank You Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson or Thanksgiving at the Tappletons by Eileen Spilnelli or other book and song ideas here: School Age Storytime: Thanksgiving and Immigration)
Towel folding story: The Case of the Missing Thanksgiving Turkey -- Rhonda Turley (text and technique at http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-storytimes-preschool-and.html )
Book: How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting (some groups) (A family fleeing an unnamed country (likely Cuba) finds sanctuary on American shores on Thanksgiving Day.)
Glove Puppets : Uno, Dos, Tres Amigos (reinforces idea that we all have come from different places but celebrate together; enumeration practice, learn/reinforce Spanish language numbers)
Diez Amigos "10 Friends" (glove puppets)Tune: “10 Little Indians”
Uno, dos, tres amigos,
Quatro, cinco, seis amigos,
Siete, Ocho, Nueve amigos,
Diez amigos son.
One, two, three friends,
Four, five, six friends,
Seven, Eight, Nine friends,
Ten friends are we.
Pop Up Book/Song: America the Beautiful by Robert Sabuda (extraordinary pop up cut outs of iconic American icons from the Golden Gate Bridge to Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty)
Song/Prop: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie (based on the book by Alison Jackson – cut out mounted woman below)
Book(some groups – especially younger): Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa
Song: The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven (words: Jack Prelutsky, chorus: Cathy Darby)Tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” Lyrics below and here: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-storytimes-preschool-and.html Check it out on Youtube, subtitled in Chinese!
Craft: Make your own hungry old lady, handprint turkey scene, or pop-up version of the Prelutsky kitchen disaster! (Baker & Taylor 12x18” cardboards, paper template old lady & food, markers or crayons, scissors, tape, and ziploc sandwich bags)
2017: Van Holten, Milltown, Adamsville afterschool
11.18 Bedm School (K-1):
Book/Song: One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims – B.G.Hennessy (point out what they are doing in the pictures – that the Wampanoag’s help enabled the Pilgrims to get the food they needed to survive – no Shoprite or Costco!)
Song/flannel: Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day (Kdg)
Book: Duck for Turkey Day – Jacqueline Jules
Discussion: who came from a different country? parents? grandparents? – all of us came to this country at some time unless we are Native Americans)
Song/Glove: "Uno Dos Tres Amigos" (sang in other languages students knew)
Book: Over the River and Through the Wood – Lydia Maria Child/Westcott illustrations
Song/food pieces, Old Lady I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie
Flannel/Song (Kdg) “The Turkey Ran Away”
Storytelling: Towel Folding Turkey Story (directions above)
Action song: Turkey Trot (Hokey Pokey)
Book: How Many Days to America by Eve Bunting (1st Grade)
Book: The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli (Kdg);
Song: The Turkey Shot out of the Oven – based on the poem by Jack Prelutsky (above)
Additional possibilities – didn’t arrive in time this year: Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli or This is the Feast by Diane Shore or This is Me: A Story of Who We Are & Where We Came From – Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell (many families came to America with only the clothes on their backs and perhaps a small suitcase. If they were coming, what would they bring? what would they have to leave behind?)
