*Note! Any literature before 2000 will have these tools and so it's importance to help children make the connections.
Sing this traditional song and then compare it with the contemporary version.
Over the River (Traditional Tune – Happy Everything CD)
Over the river and through the woods
(Pretend to hold reins of a sleigh as you bounce up and down.)
To grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the woods,
Oh, how the wind does blow.
(Wrap arms around self and shiver.)
It stings your toes and bites your nose
(Touch nose and point to toes.)
As over the ground we go.
Through the country and cities far
(Pretend to drive a car.)
In sun or wind or rain.
We might go by train
We might take a plane.
(Fly hand like a plane in the air.)
Or maybe a bus or car.
Through low valleys and mountains high
(Look down low and then up.)
Now, grandmother’s house I spy. (Hand over eyes.)
Hurrah, for the fun! (Fist in the air.)
Is the turkey done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
Comparisons
Use a Venn diagram to compare what it would be like to visit grandmother a long time ago and how we visit now. How are things the same?
Graphs
Make a graph of how they will travel to their Thanksgiving dinner. Car? Plane? Train? Bus? Boat? Stay at home!
Interviews
Have children interview their grandparents to see what Thanksgiving was like when they were a child.
Thankful Books
Give each child 2 paper plates. Use the plates as a pattern to cut circular pages for the book. Children can draw, write, or cut out pictures of things they are thankful for on the blank paper. Insert their pages between the paper plates, punch a hole at the top, and use a ribbon or a piece of a pipe cleaner to bind the book.
Purchase seasonal napkins at a dollar store. Cut blank paper the size of the napkin and insert inside. Staple at the top and the children will be ready to write or draw in their book.