Author: Brent F.

Classroom Activities, Holidays, Teacher Resources

Giving Thanks: An Easy Classroom Craft

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Thanksgiving provides us with a great excuse to sit on the couch all day, overeat, and maybe catch a game or two (or a parade!), but it’s also the perfect time to stop and reflect on the things in our lives that we’re most thankful for.  

As much as I enjoy the holiday, our house never gets the attention it deserves for Thanksgiving.  We’re usually too exhausted from taking down the Halloween decorations and busy making plans and space for the soon-to-be Christmas explosion that besieges our house annually.  We do, however, have a couple of turkey-themed decorations that make it onto our walls and shelves in November; and our hands-down favorite is a turkey our daughter made in the first grade.  She’s off at college now, but her “Giving Thanks” Turkey still lives at home on our mantle above the fireplace.  It’s not a complicated craft, or even all that original, but it’s a reminder to all of us to stop and be thankful for the blessings in our lives.  Like my daughter almost 14 years ago, I’m very grateful for my family, my health, my friends, ice cream, and my toys.

I encourage you to create your own “Giving Thanks” Turkey with your students.  It’s a fun snapshot of a moment in time, and hopefully something that will find a place on a shelf in their own home one day.

This craft only requires a few materials (shown above):

Materials

  • precut “feathers” made from construction paper of various colors
  • paper plates (orange plates look great, or you can use white and have students color them any color they want)
  • toilet paper rolls 
  • googly eyes
  • small plastic or paper cups (3-ounce cups work great)
  • construction paper scraps for beaks and wattles

Procedure

  1. I always think it’s best to start an activity like this with a group discussion about what it means to be thankful and why we should be thankful for certain things and people in our lives.  It’s surprising how many young students have never been asked to stop and reflect on this.
  2. Often, it helps to create a classroom list of all the suggestions.  A list will help to get the wheels turning and help with spelling.
  3. Allow each student to choose nine feathers.  On each feather they should write one thing that they are thankful for.
  4. Demonstrate how to attach the feathers to the “top” of a paper plate (the final turkey will have the bottom of the plate facing forward).  Start with the top feather (in the 12:00 position).  Glue works best, but a stapler could be used.  Add two more feathers (in the 11:00 and 1:00 positions) so that the turkey looks even and balanced.  Continue to add the remaining 6 feathers, taking care to leave the bottom third of the plate featherless.  
  5. If necessary, color the toilet paper roll, and then glue it to the bottom of the plate.  If you’re able to fit a stapler inside the toilet paper roll, a staple or two really helps to secure the two pieces together.  The turkey should now be able to stand on its own.

Cut out a beak and wattle and, along with two googly eyes, glue everything in place.  Add the cup to the turkey’s head for the final pièce de résistance.  You can also make the hat out of construction paper if you’re feeling extra crafty.

We have found that we sometimes need to place a little tape on the back of the turkey to keep it from leaping off our mantle, but attaching a weight inside the base of the toilet paper roll would more than likely produce similar results. 

Happy crafting.  We hope this activity generates some important conversations in your classroom and some fun “Giving Thanks” Turkeys for your students to share with their families.  

Happy Thanksgiving.

Classroom Management, Teacher Resources

5 Tips for Establishing Strong Parent-Teacher Relationships

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Teacher Created Resources Blog

Building a strong relationship with parents is one of the most important steps a teacher can take towards establishing a productive and rewarding school year.  As a teacher and a parent, I have learned to appreciate the value of a strong home–school relationship and the positive impact it can have on a child’s educational experience.  Below are just a few tips for simple things you can do to help build a relationship with parents.

1)     Daily Classroom Updates – A quick email to parents at the end of the day can be one of your most powerful tools for getting families involved.  In your email, highlight the major accomplishments of the day, new concepts learned, and maybe some areas that may need some extra attention at home.  Include a few questions about the day parents might ask.  Don’t make the questions too difficult.  Your goal should be to generate conversations at home, not frustration.

2)     Weekly Newsletter – If a daily email sounds too ambitious (It’s actually easy, I promise!), or if you try to spend as little time behind a computer as possible, a weekly newsletter (printed or digital) is a great tool for keeping parents updated and informed.  Similar to daily email updates, a weekly newsletter can include an overview of what’s being covered in class, follow-up questions for parents, and any relevant news (such as important dates, upcoming events, etc.).

3)     Be a Strong Communicator – During the first few weeks of school, request as much contact information as you feel you need.  I recommend collecting at least two phone numbers, a mailing address, and an email address from each family.  In return, make sure to share your contact information as well, including times when parents can drop in unannounced, or an email address where they can expect a quick response.  (Check your email daily!  Before school and early evening are optimal times.)

4)     Use the Contact Information! – Now that you have phone numbers and email addresses, reach out and get to know the parents.  Do your best to learn their names and faces.  During your first contact with the parents, share something positive about their child.  It’s amazing how powerful a two-minute call can be.

5)     Invite Parents into the Classroom – Make parents feel welcome by inviting them to volunteer in the classroom or participate in special events.  Additionally, give parents an opportunity to voice their input and help be a part of classroom decisions.

This is far from a complete list, but implementing even a few of these tips early in the school year should help to foster a stronger parent-teacher relationship. Find more teacher management resources here.