Thanksgiving Placemat 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4 (ESV).

Begin lesson time by discussing what it means to be thankful. Invite children to think of and talk about the people and things, "blessings," for which they are thankful. Spend a few minutes saying Psalm 100:4. You might make up hand motions too. We also talked about turkeys, their beautiful feathers, and how they are a common food served at Thanksgiving dinners. (You could also read a book or watch an educational video about turkeys.)

As shown in picture: Cut one small circle in a light shade of brown and one larger circle in a darker shade of brown. Glue the lighter colored circle onto the darker one. Glue both to a large sheet of white cardstock paper or foam sheet (12" x 18"). 

Use permanent markers to draw the turkey's feet, beak, gobbler, and eyes, (or glue-on wiggley eyes). Press child's hand in different colors of non-toxic paint and press around larger circle for the feathers. When the paint is dry, have children (or teacher) write words of thanksgiving on the feathers, which was previously discussed. Make sure to write Happy Thanksgiving and child's name and year. Laminate it for use as a placemat. 

Sent in by Dana Gaynor