Monday we’ll be making ‘Thanksgiving soup’… I’m always impressed with how well the children eat soup once it’s serve community style.
I invite all children to bring in a vegetable for the soup Monday morning. It can be anything from a handful of green beans, an onion, a few carrots, a few ribs of celery, some potatoes, a can of beans… Just see what you have… it will be a potluck soup.
We will prepare the soup in the morning and eat it on Tuesday morning (accompanied by some pasta with Extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan).
Our November Theme has included Squirrels, Turkeys, Food, the color brown, fall leaves, and North American animals. On the back deck children play with corn, containers, and more miniature woodland animals.
Books like “Today is Monday” by Eric Carle show all kinds of food, and we sing: “All you hungry children, come and eat it up”. We have miniature kitchen tools in the mystery bag. Fruit and vegetable cards help us sing the Thanksgiving song.
Little leaves on the shelf are for matching and for singing the new songs while twirling around.
November offers a myriad of some of my favorite songs of the year:
(Tune: Frere Jaques)
Thanksgiving, thanksgiving,
Here it comes (2X)
_________ on the table, (mention a favorite food)
_________on the table, (mention another favorite food)
Yum, yum, yum (2X)
Like a leaf or a feather, in windy, windy weather,
Twirl around, twirl around, and all fall down together.
Five little leaves so bright and gay,
Were dancing about a tree one day,
The wind came blowing through the town,
and one little leaf came tumbling down.
Four little leaves….
Autumn leaves are falling, floating, softly to the ground (3X)
Orange, red, brown, yellow, orange, tumbling to the ground (2X)
Earth, my body, (pat the ground)
Water, my blood, (make waves with your arm)
Air my breath, (lift hands in front of diaphragm to indicate breathing)
and Fire (Clap hands to create a ‘spark’) my spirit!
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel, swish your bushy tail,
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel, swish your bushy tail,
Crinkle up your little nose, put a nut between your toes,
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel, swish your bushy tail,
A turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble,
And he only says ONE word,
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.
Earth who gives to us this food,
Sun that makes it ripe and good,
Dear, Earth, Dear Sun,
By you we live,
Our loving thanks to you we give.
I’m a little busy squirrel, looking all around,
looking for a nut that’s nowhere to be found,
Did I put it in my pocket? No. No.
Did I put it in the ground? No. No.
Did I put it in the my back pack? No. No.
Did I put it in the ground? Yes. Yes.
I’m a little busy squirrel, digging in the ground.
Digging, digging, digging, look what I found!
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel, swish your bushy tail (2X)
Crinkle up your little nose, put a nut between your toes,
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel, swish your bushy tail!
Hop old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Hop old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Hop old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Hop old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Dig old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Dig old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Dig old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Dig old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Climb old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Climb old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Climb old squirrel, eideldum, eideldum,
Climb old squirrel, eideldum, dee.
Fill in your own movements.
Down is the earth, up is the sky,
Here are my friends and here am I.
