Here we go for another round of Thanksgiving prep!  Confession time- I’m not like a real adult, I have never made the Thanksgiving feast.  I take charge of one dish and one dish only.  Candied yams.  No one else really likes them, but they are my FAVORITE!  It was my Grandma’s thing and this year that’s extra special because this will be our first Thanksgiving without her.  Looking back, I think I’ve spent far more Thanksgivings in my life WITH her than without.  Between losing my Grandma earlier this year and some other trials we’ve faced this year I’m holding on to Thanksgiving and focusing on blessings to help give me a pick me up to get me through.

1. Day of the Dead- I love learning about different cultures and teaching my kids about how other people celebrate.  I think it’s really important to help them understand and respect diversity.  Watch Coco!  Here’s some free and simple masks to color and cut out!  Then take some time to talk about your ancestors and why we are grateful for them.  Tell stories, maybe make some foods that they liked (I’ll hold off on the candied yams until it’s actually Thanksgiving, but might have to make some Root Beer floats in honor of my other Grandma- and yes I did say with her Southern Utah accent!)
2. Find a pumpkin patch/ corn maze or farmer’s market.  In Arizona I really like Tolmachoff Farms for the North Phoenix area, and Schnepf Farms for the opposite side of the Valley.  Talk about where our food comes from and how grateful we are to farmers who grow food for us.  Have fun and buy some farm fresh items!
3. We are grateful for the Pilgrims who came to America for Religious Freedom.  Attend church.
4. Teach more about the pilgrims.  Make some pilgrim hats and either make a Mayflower boat or just sail a toy boat around in the bath tub, sink, or water table.  Perk for living in AZ- it’s still warm enough to use an outdoor water table in November (downside- we had to get through summer to get to this point!)
5. We are thankful for the sunshine!  Get outside and get some sun.  We’ll be going to play at the park!
6. We are thankful for animals- zoo trip
7. We are thankful for our home- do some extra chores to show respect to your home
8.  Hand Turkeys
9.  We are thankful for our potential to change and grow- We’ve got tickets to Butterfly Wonderland, so we’ll be heading there, but you could also just talk about and read books about butterflies and talk about how we can make changes and grow into spectacular things
10.  We are thankful for Jesus Christ- discuss the Sacrament or Communion before, during, and after church
11.  We are thankful for veterans- Color pictures/ write notes for Operation Gratitude
12.  Beautiful World action poem
13.  We are grateful for Daddy’s job- visit daddy at work for lunch
14.  We are thankful for our food- share with others by donating to a food drive or provide a meal through Gathering Humanity
15.  We are thankful for the temple- walk around the temple
16.  We are thankful for cousins- color pictures to mail
17.  We are thankful for friends- make a treat to take to a friend
18.  We are thankful for our access to food- color pictures for the cashier
19.  We are thankful for school- color pictures for teachers
20.  We are thankful for our minds and our imagination- Children’s museum
21. We can show our gratitude for the earth by picking up trash- go for a walk and find some trash to pick up
22.  We are thankful for those who keep us safe- drop off treats to the police or firefighters (or both!)
23.  We are thankful for Primary/Nursery- color pictures for teachers
24.  Thankful tree
25.  We are thankful for our bodies- go for a walk
26.  We are thankful for Grandparents- color pictures for them
27.  We are grateful for our toys- clean them up and choose a few to donate to a charity (get things cleared out and ready for Christmas!)
28.  Thanksgiving feast!  Try to let the kids help make something
29.  Visit Native American ruins- explain how the Native Americans assisted the Pilgrims

Image by Biljana Jovanovic from Pixabay