Thanksgiving Menu

Let your kids create a menu for Thanksgiving! Tell them what you'll be serving and have them describe the food items or write what process they think you need to go through to prepare the food. (Younger children have funny ideas about how long to cook things, for example. These could become wonderful reminders of how innocent our children are!) I made one with cooking directions for three of my favorite menu items. You can also write your feelings about the holiday, make a list of people who will attend, and list the activities planned for the day. I used a Pages template to create this menu. Parents can laminate these and use them as place-mats for the meal!

1/2 Hour Activities

With Thanksgiving coming, here's an idea if you're looking for an educational project to do with the Holiday. One Thanksgiving tradition in my house has been watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My favorite part of the parade is the numbers from shows on Broadway. I also like seeing the huge helium balloons float down the streets of New York. Take this link to the tourist site about the Thanksgiving Parade and have the kids do some research on their favorite parts of the parade. What is required for the balloons to be in the parade? How much helium does it take to fill them? How many people are required to handle the balloons? Do a short research project and have the kids answer some questions about their favorite parade elements.

Today in the lab...

We discussed Internet Safety in Mrs. Tripp's class. Check out the activities on Netsmart. I added another link to the November links about the bad guys to avoid on the Internet. Check it out and go over these important rules with your child! Keep our kids safe!

Sensational Student Writing

Last month in Mrs. Haynes and Mrs. Smith's fifth grade class, we finished up the stories we worked on through September. I'm thrilled to include the best from those stories. Thank you, Erika, for your creativity and your hard work! Get a load of the fun first line, word choices like "blurted" and details like speaking through a mouth full of bread. Notice the character progression as she overcomes her fears. Keep it up!



Reader, if you don't want to read about Alex and her CRAZY Uncle Bertha, you don't have to, but your missing out! (No, it's not "Her CRAZY Aunt Bertha." It's uncle, all right?)

Now Alex is just a eight year old city girl who is terribly afraid of bugs, ball sports and math.. Here's her story.

"Alex you'll be late for school!" called Alex's Mom.

"I'm still eating!" shouted Alex froma mouthful of bread.

"Well bring your toast to into the car!"

Alex hated being rushed. she picked up her backpack and ran out the door.

"Finally home again" thought Alex.

"Aleeeeeeeex!" shouted Mom. "I need to talk to you!"

Alex walked into the kitchen.

"AlexdadandIaregoingtoEuropeforavacation.Soyouaregoingto staywithyour.......UNCLEBERTHA!!!!" blurted mom.

Alex couldn't believe it, who was Uncle Bertha?

Here we are at uncle bertha's barn. Thought Alex.

"Hi want to see my bug collection!!!!!!!"

"Yuck" said Alex when she saw the bugs.

A month later..."Alex!!! Where are you?"

Alex was on the ground playing with the bugs.

"I love 'em!!!"

1/2 hour Activities

Here's a fun link for some daily activities. A click on "National Geographic Photo of the Day" could open a great discussion on current events. On "This Day in History", students can read articles about events throughout history that happened on today's date. Not only a good brush up on history, but a unifier that illustrates the human condition. Teachers can brush up their own skills with "Braindrops", or "The Official SAT Question of the Day". I especially liked "Game a Day" and "Astronomy Picture of the Day". Enjoy!

Internet Safety Month

Actually, Internet Safety Month was October, but I missed it. So, here are a few great links to help teach your children how to be safe on the Internet. With all the accessibility to information, it's important our children learn these skills.

Netsmartzkids This site has games the kids can play that teach kids how to stay safe.

WiredSafety has all kinds of resources to teach parents/teachers about the dangers to watch for in cyberspace. This is especially helpful for parents who are technologically challenged and aren't familiar with the various websites kids use.

Disney also has a web safety site. This is a good one to sit down with your kids and talk about cyber bullies, viruses, and Internet predators.

The key to Internet safety is PARENT INVOLVEMENT. Know the sites your kids go to. Know their online friends. Get on their friend lists and know their passwords. Use parental controls. Keep your children safe!