Tag: Thanksgiving

Posted on by

A Turkey For Thanksgiving: Activities For Kids


I love when stories have surprise endings! Especially when it comes to holiday stories where you think you know how the traditional tale will go. But then the author provides a clever twist. 

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

A Turkey For Thanksgiving, by Eve Bunting

The picture book A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting provides this delightful surprise ending reading experience. Just like everyone else, the Moose family wants to celebrate Thanksgiving with all the proper trimmings, which of course must include a real turkey. 

So Mr. Moose sets off to find Mrs. Moose a real turkey. He’s joined by all his woodland friends. The story continues in hilarious fashion as the group hunt for a turkey. Eve Bunting fills the pages with delightful word play. And the illustrations by Diane de Groat assist in keeping the reader in suspense as well. 

Did they ever find their Thanksgiving turkey? They sure did – but I won’t spoil HOW it happens.  You’ll just have to read the book yourself! It’s definitely a must-read for Thanksgiving time. 

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Fun Extension Activities For A Turkey For Thanksgiving

I’ve always loved having Thanksgiving activities for my boys during November. We’ve done the handprint turkey, and the Gratitude Tree (get a free leaf printable here!) and various Thanksgiving-themed activities and craft kits. 

So this year, add in a fresh extension to your Thanksgiving reading by completing a few chalk pastel video art lessons to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving homeschool art lessons

Thanksgiving Turkey Art Lesson

First the boys painted a fanciful Thanksgiving turkey on orange construction paper, which my youngest said he loved because it was very colorful and made him think about Thanksgiving. 

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.
Turkey homeschool art lesson

This larger-than-life turkey art lesson is accessible even for the youngest artists, because it is a simple painting focused on large shape elements like curves and circles. Kids will learn to “scumble” as a method of filling in large areas of their painting. They’ll find room for creativity when it comes to adding color to the turkey tail feathers. 

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Turkey Nature Walk Lesson

Next, we followed the Turkey Nature Walk lesson from Nana to draw a few wild turkeys out in a field. This lesson could be more challenging for younger artists because the turkeys are a little smaller with more detail. My ten-year-old enjoyed this challenge and said he liked drawing a more realistic turkey. My oldest said he thought turkeys were fun to draw because they have lots of details he could fill in. The boys later embellished their paintings with some hunters after Nana’s lesson! 

You might also like these Turkey Homeschool Nature Study Activities for November at our sister site, Homeschool Nature Study.

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.
Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.
Turkey homeschool nature walk

Each of these lessons can be an exciting way to illustrate the A Turkey for Thanksgiving book. Or, you could use them as starting points for a study on Thanksgiving traditions, such as why we have turkey at Thanksgiving. Perhaps even a mini unit study on turkey habitats and characteristics would be fitting.

Careful though, my oldest said all these Thanksgiving art lessons got him started thinking about delicious Thanksgiving foods, and made him hungry!

Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.
Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with the clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Looking For More Thanksgiving Activities?

Don’t stop with the traditional turkey art lesson! Nana’s lessons offer children so many glimpses into what makes Thanksgiving meaningful, unique, and fun as an American holiday. There are many ways to bring art and Thanksgiving celebrations together!

Celebrate friendships and family gatherings by reading and painting Mr. Whiskers from Cranberry Thanksgiving. Here’s a whole blog post of ideas to go along with the Cranberry Thanksgiving book!

Map the First Thanksgiving Voyage to begin a discussion on why we even celebrate Thanksgiving in the first place. Explore how you can Draw Your Way Through the Thanksgiving story with tall sailing ships, mapping the voyage, pilgrims, native Americans and more! Members also enjoy an I Drew It Then I Knew It Thanksgiving Guide with fun facts, books lists, history topics and more.

But how did Thanksgiving because a regular and national holiday? Complete the Abraham Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation to add historical context to this year’s celebration. Find Abraham Lincoln and more in Nana’s Presidents series of lessons which includes an I Drew It Then I Knew It Companion Guide as well.

A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here are Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities You’ll Be Grateful For!

by Erin Vincent in Nana’s Norman Rockwell Famous Artist lesson and podcast

Draw on (pun intended!) famous artists like Norman Rockwell’s Thanksgiving to depict a classic look at Thanksgiving dinners of years past. 

Check out the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Homeschool Art Activities to add in a pop cultural Thanksgiving reference.

And of course, nothing is more anticipated than the huge Thanksgiving Day Parade inflatable turkey in New York City! In preparation for this classic holiday moment, have your kids do this colorful art lesson during Thanksgiving week. 

Turkeys, turkeys, turkeys! Who knew these gangly and somewhat awkward looking birds would steal the show at Thanksgiving, right? 

All of these exciting Turkey lessons are available in the Thanksgiving Clubhouse series available with the You ARE an Artist Clubhouse Membership. What our family loves best about the Clubhouse membership is having a range of art lessons we can enjoy for various holidays and themes throughout the year. It’s certainly going to be a very colorful Thanksgiving filled with turkeys, food, and art in our house!

Join the You ARE an ARTIST Complete Clubhouse for Access to ALL of Nana’s Art Lessons!
Add some fun to Thanksgiving reading with these kids activities to go along with Eve Bunting's clever tale of A Turkey for Thanksgiving.
Posted on by

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Homeschool Art Activities

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

I am a big fan of tradition, and there are some that I want to pass down to my children. I recall watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as a child so many times. It became a tradition to watch the beloved special each holiday season. 

As with many favorite family movies and t.v. shows, I still think I spot something new each time I watch. And I treasure the excitement that it brings my children to know we are carrying on the same traditions that made me smile as a child. 

But this year, I got an opportunity to kick it up a notch! Thanks to Nana, you can create an entire experience around A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving! This is one your kids will remember too. 

If you love A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, you will love adding these art activities as a new tradition in your homeschool too. #charliebrown #thanksgiving #homeschoolart #homeschoolartactivities

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: A Holiday Classic

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a holiday classic, like so many other wonderful movies. It is almost a childhood rite of passage to view the Thanksgiving special at least once. But, let’s face it, nobody watches it just once. Over the years, I have purchased all of the Charlie Brown classics on DVD. That way, we can watch them at our convenience, and we don’t have to wait for the cable viewings. 

If you have never watched before, the Charlie Brown special reels us in with its comical storyline, Linus’s Thanksgiving history overview, and that infamous Thanksgiving menu. Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. Of course, in regular Charlie Brown fashion, he stresses over the event! 

The menu that they put together for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is probably the most memorable part. So, we had to recreate it for the full effect. And oh my goodness, my kids loved it! I know yours will too. Plus, it’s incredibly simple to put together. 

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

Items needed to create your own Thanksgiving menu to accompany Nana’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving art lesson:

  • Buttered Toast
  • Pink Pudding
  • Jelly Beans
  • Pretzel Sticks
  • Popcorn
  • Pumpkin Pie (optional)

I know, so simple to do. Now, onto the best part…art!

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Coloring Activities With Art Lessons

We decided to do both of Nana’s Charlie Brown Thanksgiving art lessons. Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving Dinner is one that you have to do with this fun menu! I prefer to watch the movie and do the Thanksgiving art activities afterward, but plan it however it works best for your family. 

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

Another Charlie Brown Thanksgiving art lesson you will want to include is the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This one is of Snoopy and Charlie, and both art lessons are easy enough for your younger children. 

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

If you are a Charlie Brown fan, you will want to check out the Charlie Brown Christmas art lessons from YOU ARE AN ARTiST too!

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

More Thanksgiving Themed Learning Resources

In addition to the classic Charlie Brown special, there is also a book. So, if you prefer to read the story instead of watching the movie, you can, or, do both! We read it and watched it. 

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

Another great resource that you will want to add to these exciting art activities is the Thanksgiving Companion Workbook. We had so much fun reading the 5 Fast Facts for both Charlie Brown Thanksgiving art lessons. You will be surprised by some of the fun information you will learn about A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving Dinner. 

You can also enjoy the entire Thanksgiving Course packed with art lessons like:

Besides the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving art activities, if you grab the Thanksgiving Companion Workbook, you can utilize the fast fact sheets for each lesson, overviews, Thanksgiving planners, gratitude journal prompts, and a recommended Thanksgiving book list. You could even draw your way through the Thanksgiving story!

Year-Round Holiday Lessons For Your Homeschool

We love using our YOU ARE AN ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership to celebrate our homeschool holidays all year long. If you don’t have a membership yet, I encourage you to look into one. A membership would make a wonderful gift for your children and your homeschool. 

We use our membership to incorporate learning about various holidays in our homeschool. It’s educational, and it breaks up the mundane. I have learned that adding fun, hands-on experiences in my homeschool keeps my kids happier and more eager to homeschool. Not all learning has to come from a textbook or should feel boring all the time. 

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Art Activities

With a membership, you can include holidays (and special days) in your homeschool like:

YOU ARE AN ARTiST has helped my children understand that learning can be fun. I can’t imagine celebrating holidays without them. Consider a membership if you would like to tap into the rich educational resources here at YOU ARE AN ARTiST too! 

GRAB A YOU ARE AN ARTiST MEMBERSHIP TODAY!
Fall homeschool education and gratitude bundle

Fall Homeschool Education and Gratitude Bundle

We love these resources for your fall homeschool gathered by Courtney of Homeschool Mastery Academy and Tricia of You ARE an ARTiST!

Get your:

Plus, these homeschool resources:

  • Ox-Cart Man book by Donald Hall
  • Pumpkin Patch Parable book by Liz Curtis Higgs
  • It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schultz
  • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M. Schultz
  • A Turkey for Thanksgiving book by Eve Bunting
  • Cranberry Thanksgiving book by Wende Devlin
  • PaperMate Gel Pens, assorted colors, 14 count
  • Prismacolor NuPastels color sticks, 12 count
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Courtney is a Jesus-pursuing, native Texan, homeschool mom of three, and she believes homeschooling can be a peaceful and productive rhythm. At Grace, Grow & Edify she helps families create peaceful homeschooling atmospheres through faith, organizational strategies, and cultivating strong roots at home. She is also the founder of Homeschool Mastery Academy.

Posted on by

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons: Draw Your Way Through The Story

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

The story of Thanksgiving is one of my favorites to cover every year in our homeschool. Our home’s tradition is to revisit the Thanksgiving story with art, books, and activities inspiring gratitude. I mix it up a little differently each year to keep my kids engaged and excited. 

We Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday each year. But there is much more to Thanksgiving than just eating turkey with your family. The Thanksgiving story is rich in history, traditions, and there are so many reasons to remain thankful. 

Here are some ideas and resources to help you plan some time to dive all into learning about Thanksgiving and creating your own homeschool traditions. 

Let us inspire you to include our homeschool lessons as you draw your way through the story of Thanksgiving with chalk pastels! #homeschoolart #thanksgivingactivities #chalkpastels #artcurriculum

Homeschool Activities Your Family Will Love In November

Every November, some activities that have become traditions for us are thankful pumpkins or trees, using a fall bucket list, gratitude journals, and art with Nana. Oh, and pumpkin pie! No Thanksgiving activities are complete without pumpkin pie. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons with companion curriculum and pumpkin pie!

The thankful pumpkin or tree can be as simple as writing one thing each child is grateful for each homeschool day until your tree or pumpkin is complete. 

A gratitude journal or prompts are always included in our homeschool November. Luckily, this year you can snag thankful journal prompts inside of the I Drew It Then I Knew It Thanksgiving Companion Workbook too. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

You will also find a printable fall bucket list inside the workbook! I print it out at the beginning of fall and check off different activities to ensure we got as many in as the season allows. Each year varies a bit, but I try to do all of the fun and traditional activities. I sprinkle them in here and there and do as many as we have time for without stressing about it. If we don’t do everything we want to do this year, there is always the next. It’s more important that we are enjoying our time together and have peace above all else. 

Fall Fun bucket list printable

And that brings me to art with Nana, the best part of all!

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

Thanksgiving Homeschool Art Lessons For The Entire Family

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

Voyage of Mayflower Map – This Thanksgiving homeschool art lesson is perfect for drawing your way through the story. It also helps children visualize the journey and retain the information even better by creating this map. 

The Mayflower art lesson for Thanksgiving homeschool
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

Columbus Tall Ship for the Mayflower – We needed an excuse to draw this ship! I have to admit that I have wanted to enjoy this Columbus Ship art lesson for a while, and I thought it would align perfectly with our draw your way through the Thanksgiving story plans. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

Pilgrims – You can’t draw your way through the Thanksgiving story without the pilgrims. Plus, there is an overview inside the Thanksgiving Companion Workbook covering the colonial people that you can read before or after this homeschool art lesson. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons

Indian Headdresses – Yes, of course, we had to discuss the Indians too! We all learned so much about the Indian Headdresses in the Thanksgiving Companion Workbook, and it is a great resource to have handy as you work through the story of the first Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving hymns art lessons

We Gather Together – I love adding hymns! And you can also print out the full version of the hymn from the Thanksgiving Companion Workbook. This one is a beautiful hymn to learn more about and listen to as well while you paint. 

Tip: Remember not to get overwhelmed. Plan your Thanksgiving studies according to your homeschool and your family. There is no right or wrong way to do this, but peace and enjoyment are essential! You can spread your Thanksgiving homeschool art lessons throughout November or draw them all in one memorable day.

Here is a list of other Thanksgiving homeschool art lessons that you may want to consider adding to your lineup this year:

If you have preschool-level kiddos or early learners, you might like the apple, pumpkin, or leaves art lessons. I usually start with the easier art lessons for the youngest because they tire out sooner. Then I am usually left at the table with my oldest. We will linger longer with the more challenging art lessons and hot tea.

Exciting Resources To Learn The Thanksgiving Story

One new resource I am super excited to share with you is our I Drew It Then I Knew It Thanksgiving Companion Workbook! This companion workbook includes Thanksgiving planning printables, gratitude prompts, and a great book list! 

The Thanksgiving Companion Workbook has printable copies of hymns, the Thanksgiving Proclamation, and the Early Colonists and Native American Headdress overviews. In addition to that, it comes complete with five fast facts for each Thanksgiving homeschool art lesson. You could create an entire Thanksgiving unit study using the companion workbook and booklist as you draw your way through the Thanksgiving story. 

Thanksgiving books for your homeschool

We also love learning with various books, and I have some of our favorites pictured here; I encourage you to grab our Thanksgiving book list inside the companion workbook. It will help you save time looking for books. 

We sure do hope that this inspires you to include some hands-on learning at home as you draw your way through the story of Thanksgiving with chalk pastels! 

Grab a YOU ARE AN ARTiST Membership Today!

Courtney is a Jesus-pursuing, native Texan, homeschool mom of three, and she believes homeschooling can be a peaceful and productive rhythm. At Grace, Grow & Edify she helps families create peaceful homeschooling atmospheres through faith, organizational strategies, and cultivating strong roots at home. She is also the founder of Homeschool Mastery Academy.

Posted on by

A Cranberry Thanksgiving Book Study For Your Homeschool

Here are just a few ways you can enjoy a Cranberry Thanksgiving book study in your fall homeschool plans – with art, activities, baking and more! Don’t miss Nana’s Mr. Whiskers homeschool art lesson at the end.

With the arrival of fall, our family dives into “baking” season. Maybe it’s the harvest time of year when fresh fruits are abundant. Or maybe it’s the crisp fall air that brings on those “comfort food” cravings. Either way, I find myself bringing out the old 1961 Betty Crocker cookbook and working through several well-loved recipes. 

As a New England family, the humble cranberry prevails during the fall season. Besides apple pie, what’s better than the tart flavor of cranberries to say “Thanksgiving is here!”?

Here are just a few ways you can enjoy a Cranberry Thanksgiving book study in your fall homeschool plans – with art, activities, baking and more!

A Cranberry Thanksgiving Book Study For Your Homeschool

And besides food, what captures the holiday mood better than reading a beloved story? We have quite a few on our list, but Cranberry Thanksgiving is a gem! We can thank Nana for helping us discover this fabulous read-aloud several years ago when I searched Thanksgiving lessons in my ChalkPastel.com membership. 

I went directly to our local library for a copy and was charmed by the delightful storytelling. Now we read this picture book every year!

Why Cranberry Thanksgiving Is a Wonderful Resource For Holiday Homeschooling

More books for your Cranberry Thanksgiving book study for your homeschool.

The scene opens on Thanksgiving Day with young Maggie collecting firewood with a friend, Mr. Whiskers, at the edge of a cold and lonely cranberry bog. The setting is a unique place, as probably most kids have never been to a cranberry bog before. (Years ago, the boys and I got to wade through a replica cranberry bog in New York City, and learning about cranberries was so interesting!). 

The illustrations convey the brisk, chilly winds of November in Maggie’s red cheeks coming in from the cold. You can almost smell the warm aromas of Thanksgiving dinner as she carries the turkey to the table. 

Grandmother, who closely guards her cranberry bread recipe, is unhappy to offer hospitality to the scruffy Mr. Whiskers, Maggie’s guest. Suspicious, she hides her recipe in the fireplace. 

As the story unfolds, you’ll have a wonderful opportunity to help your children compare and contrast both Maggie and Grandmother and their guests, Mr. Whiskers and Mr. Horace. 

The plot has some laughs and an important message. The moral of “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” lingers and the characters show mercy and forgiveness. This story opens the door to discussions of friendship and hospitality, which is the perfect theme for a Thanksgiving unit study. 

If you love Cranberry Thanksgiving as much as our family, you’ll want to get these companion book suggestions as well: Cranberry Autumn and Cranberry Christmas!

Cranberry Thanksgiving Art and Baking Homeschool Activities

Reading Cranberry Thanksgiving is a great jumping-off point for a homeschool unit study. As I mentioned, the story is rich with opportunity for discussion of plot, character, setting, and moral. The book also includes a recipe for Grandmother’s Famous Cranberry Bread! 

Cranberries are amazing fruits, and well-worth a deep dive for your Cranberry Thanksgiving book study, because they are not just rich with flavor for baking, they have an interesting history and provide vibrant color for fall art projects!

Baking with cranberries for Cranberry Thanksgiving homeschool study

Naturally, we took to the kitchen for a baking activity to go with our Cranberry Thanksgiving book study. We compared Grandmother’s recipe to the one we use and were delighted to see they are similar. So we blended the recipes to accommodate for the ingredients we had on hand. The boys decided to make muffins instead of a bread loaf, because they are more fun to eat, they said. 

Baking offers an opportunity to use math concepts like measuring, multiplication (if you’re doubling), as well as reinforce reading skills like following directions. Plus, baking as part of learning comes with a built-in reward system: warm cranberry muffins to eat!

While we waited for our muffins to bake, we created our own Cranberry Thanksgiving artwork. We chose art lessons that helped my boys explore both the characters and setting of our reading. 

Painting Mr. Whiskers from Cranberry Thanksgiving at You ARE an ARTiST. Here are just a few ways you can enjoy a Cranberry Thanksgiving book study in your fall homeschool plans – with art, activities, baking and more!
Mr. Whiskers Art Tutorial for your Cranberry Thanksgiving Book Study for homeschool.

Kids often have a difficult time drawing faces and people. The Cranberry Thanksgiving Chalk Art Tutorial with Nana feels so satisfying, because the features of Mr. Whiskers are large and simple. And it’s nearly impossible to make a mistake when you’re drawing overgrown whiskers! 

Painting Mr. Whiskers with Nana is extra fun, because the boys love the character so much, and delighted in giving their drawings extra-bristly whiskers, rosier cheeks, and the hairiest eyebrows possible.

Here are just a few ways you can enjoy a Cranberry Thanksgiving book study in your fall homeschool plans – with art, activities, baking and more!
Here are just a few ways you can enjoy a Cranberry Thanksgiving book study in your fall homeschool plans – with art, activities, baking and more!

Mr. Whiskers Homeschool Art Lesson

Suggested supplies: Construction paper, chalk pastels. Baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up.

If you enjoy this art lesson, please be sure to share on social media and tag us. Nana would love to see your paintings and to comment!

To go along with the Mr. Whiskers character, the boys also painted the setting of the cranberry bog. This lesson gives beginners a chance to practice perspective and blending. 

Learn to paint a cranberry bog for your Cranberry Thanksgiving homeschool unit study.

If you have an artist ready for more (like my 11-year-old who adores all things art), have them try the Cranberry Thanksgiving chalk art tutorial of sketched silhouettes from Chalk Pastel’s sister site HodgePodge. It’s the cozy fireplace scene from the book! 

Younger artists can create a similar scene of the simple fireplace. I love that a You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership gives parents a range of levels so the whole family can create art at just the right level for each learner. I also enjoy the shorter, simpler art lessons for days when we don’t have a lot of time, but I still want to make room for art.

Once we were done drawing, we settled in for muffins, books, and enjoying our creativity!

cranberry muffins, Mr. Whiskers art, cranberry bog art, chalk pastels and Cranberry Thanksgiving books study for your homeschool.

More Thanksgiving Themed Learning Resources

Cranberry Thanksgiving homeschool book study.

Take a day or two and add in some art lessons and a couple books about cranberries and you have all the makings of a cozy homeschool unit study! 

If your kids want to learn more about cranberries, visit the Ocean Spray Cranberries in the Classroom website. There are dozens of printable resources and ideas about cranberry history, growing, harvesting, and traditions. 

Did you know cranberries only grow in five states in the country? Maybe you live in one of these cranberry-growing states!

Another fun fact: Cranberries are grown in bogs near wetlands. Most kids probably don’t live near a cranberry bog, but they may be familiar with similar wetland areas that can help them imagine this type of ecosystem.

Make a cranberry bog in a cup craft!

Join my kids in creating a “Cranberry Bog in a Cup” craft, where we learn about the various elements that make up a cranberry bog, providing important nutrients and protections for the cranberry vines. 

We also had fun “flooding” a mini bog of cranberries on our kitchen counter to observe how cranberries float because of the four air pockets inside the berry!

If the tart, red cranberry isn’t to your taste (or not available in your area just yet), try swapping out some of these activities for apple activities: 

  • Field Trip: Enjoy the tastes and colors of fall by going apple picking at a local orchard! 
  • Read-Aloud: Gather your favorite books about apples at the library.
  • Home Ec: Bake Nana’s Apple Pie Recipe. (Get the FREE recipe download! It’s a good one and great for framing as decor for the holidays!)
  • Art: Paint an Apple Pie with Nana. 
  • Celebrate: Enjoy that pie (or your cranberry bread/muffins!) together – the fruits of your labor!
Eat cranberry bread, paint a Mr. Whiskers painting, make a cranberry bog craft and read Cranberry Thanksgiving with your book study in your homeschool.

Year Round Holiday Lessons For Your Homeschool

Learn to paint a cranberry bog!

I’ve been so grateful that every season and every holiday, the lessons from Nana and Tricia at ChalkPastel.com are a perfect fit for any theme or lesson we’re doing in our homeschool. 

We’ll continue to extend our Cranberry Thanksgiving book study theme with even more of Nana’s Thanksgiving lessons as we move into the Thanksgiving season. 

Here are just a few more ideas for how you can use the Thanksgiving art tutorials that come included with your Thanksgiving Clubhouse Edition membership: 

Leading up to Thanksgiving:  

Quote: "Drawing with Nana is so satisfying... and it's nearly impossible to make a mistake when drawing overgrown whiskers!" - Julie Kieras at YouAREanARTiST.com

On Thanksgiving Day while kids wait for dinner: 

  • Paint the Thanksgiving Parade and then be sure to watch it live on Thanksgiving Day
  • Paint Thanksgiving Turkeys – cover with clear contact paper and use as Thanksgiving placemats for the kids!

Teaching my kids through art, reading, and hands-on study has been one of the biggest blessings of my homeschool mom life. Hands-on studies like this Cranberry Thanksgiving themed unit helps my kids engage willingly with the learning. (Because there’s food!). 

Plus, as a mom, I get to be actively involved, not just doling out assignments. Baking and doing art with my boys allows me to teach and learn right alongside them, and for that I am so grateful!

Teaching my kids through art, reading, and hands-on study has been one of the biggest blessings of my homeschool mom life. Hands-on studies like this Cranberry Thanksgiving themed unit helps my kids engage willingly with the learning. (Because there’s food!)

I hope you find some of these ideas help you come alongside your children in their learning, and discover the simple joys of reading, painting, and baking together—any time of year!

Be Sure to Grab a You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse Membership Today!

Julie is a teacher, writer and homeschool mom. Her blog Happy Strong Home shares encouragement for cherishing children, enjoying motherhood, and growing strong families. Discover homeschool resources, natural living tips, and family activity ideas. Julie has been featured on Million Praying Moms, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, and the Melissa and Doug blog. She offers writing workshops and a “homeschool neighborhood” community to support parents in their homeschool adventures. Find Julie on Instagram to be the first to know when new workshops and community events are available. 

Posted on by

Thanksgiving Hymn Favorites: Learning Activities For Your Homeschool

A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I’ve included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.

These Thanksgiving hymn learning activities are a favorite for celebrating during this time of Thanksgiving. A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I've included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Hymns

A few of our family favorites include:

We Gather Together

Count Your Blessings

Come Ye Thankful People Come

Doxology

Give Thanks

One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I've included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.
Photo by Amy Law

Thanksgiving Art and Music Activities for Your Homeschool

This year we are excited to be studying Come Thou Fount as we prepare for Thanksgiving. It is a beautiful, timeless hymn written by Robert Robinson in 1757 and later altered by Martin Madan.

Robinson was apprenticed to be a barber and did not have a lot of formal education. During his apprenticeship, he was living a rough life and was not on a good path. However, Robinson was touched by preaching that he heard during this time, which changed his life. He eventually became a preacher, even though he had very little formal education. Robert Robinson spent many years preaching and writing books. He also wrote several hymns, but “Come, Thou Fount” is his most famous hymn.

“Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it
mount of God’s redeeming love.”

Hymn study can take many forms. However, we like to look at its origins and the story behind the lyrics and then listen to the hymn sung in various styles. I love how different a song can sound when done by a choir versus a children’s performance. A cappella versions are another great way to listen. We have included a variety of styles in the list below.

Come Thou Fount hymn lyrics and Thanksgiving hymn art lesson for homeschool at You ARE an ARTiST

Thanksgiving Hymn Learning Activities: Come Thou Fount

Next, we love to incorporate art into our hymn study for a hands-on component. Nana has created a beautiful waterfall lesson to accompany “Come Thou Fount.” It is a great visual to help students have that image of a waterfall or fount of blessings. Adding art is helpful for students who are visual learners. This lesson is a beautiful representation of the abundant blessings of God’s love.

Thanksgiving hymn favorites with art lessons!

Finally, if you have musical students, they could learn to play it on their instrument of choice or use their voices for singing. My daughter loves to perform the hymns we are studying on her violin. In learning to play it, they often really internalize the song. Keep in mind that it does not need to be complicated or perfect.

More Thanksgiving Homeschool Resources

There are so many options and different hymns that you could use. You could focus on one for the month or try a new one each week! If you aren’t familiar with using art in your hymn study or hymn studies with your art, be sure to check out The Art of Hymn Study post for more ideas.

You can check out this beautiful art lesson to accompany We Gather Together and other great homeschool ideas for Thanksgiving.

Study more about Thanksgiving with the history of Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving Day parade in the Thanksgiving course. There is even a lesson to go along with my all-time favorite Thanksgiving book, Cranberry Thanksgiving.

“How Great Thou Art” is another song that does a great job of helping us to express praise to God for his goodness.

If you want to mix your art projects up a bit, you can try the fun mixed media collage that accompanies the Count Your Many Blessings hymn. Guest artist Rebecca Parsons created this fun sunflower lesson.

More ways to celebrate the holidays in your homeschool with hymn studies.

Year-Round Holiday Activities For Your Homeschool

The fun of combining art, music, and holidays does not have to end at Thanksgiving hymn favorites! There are many great lessons for Christmas, Easter, even Independence Day.

Christmas hymns have to be my favorite, and there are so many great lessons! We love the “Away in a Manger” art lesson and like to pair it with a hymn study. The video accompanying “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” makes a beautiful painting perfect for gifting.

In addition to hymns, there are many fun Christmas art lessons, including a great one for the Charlie Brown fans in your home!

As we move into springtime and Easter, the Easter course is full of great Easter lessons, and there are a variety of appropriate hymn-themed paintings in the Hymns course. The “Low in the Grave He Lay” lesson is a powerful hymn paired with a beautiful image.

When summertime and Independence Day roll around, you can do a lesson on America the Beautiful or My Country Tis of Thee.

That is just scratching the surface of all the fun lessons to combine art, hymns, and your favorite holidays!

Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family.

Posted on by

Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities You’ll Be Grateful For!

Thanksgiving Homeschool

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to create learning experiences that blend family and fun. These are thanksgiving homeschool activities you’ll be grateful for!

Thanksgiving Homeschool

Years ago, I used to be so busy checking off homeschool lesson boxes that I missed the true meaning of homeschooling. Holidays would pass me by because we were so caught up with staying on track with our curriculum. 

I am beyond grateful that these days are quite the opposite! I take pleasure in slowing down and savoring the sweet moments without sacrificing education. 

It did take me a few years to figure out how to blend learning, family, and fun creatively. But once you learn how to make it all come together, you can have the most magical time learning together. 

Thanksgiving and Fall are some of the best opportunities to create these types of learning experiences too! 

Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities

For the record, we don’t do this on the daily. I would never want you to look at some of our best times and think this is what our homeschool looks like every day. But, I do try to make something special happen at least once every two weeks or so. I find it helps to keep our homeschool fun, and my kids enjoy looking forward to our next special homeschool occasion. 

For this particular experience, we chose to get some mileage out of our You ARE an Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership at ChalkPastel.com. Our homeschool has been so blessed by our membership that I can’t stress enough how much you need one too!

The membership does more than just add art to your homeschool. A membership with You ARE An Artist enhances the learning that is already going on in your homeschool. Think of it as upsizing your homeschool! 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

Homeschool Resources For Every Day Of The Year

•Plan art into practically any homeschool lesson.

•Enjoy tea times with art. 

•Use a daily clickable calendar with art prompts.

•Utilize resources like the Curriculum Match-Up Checklist and add art to all of your homeschool history and science lessons. 

•Never miss celebrating a holiday or season in your homeschool with art. 

•Say goodbye to dull homeschool days. 

•Create custom unit studies – here is a wonderful example of our day filled with Johnny Appleseed activities.

 •Incorporate the entire family. (I love family-style homeschooling opportunities!) 

You really can look like the fun mom with a Clubhouse Membership, especially if you struggle with adding excitement to your homeschool days! I speak from personal experience. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

Our Thanksgiving Homeschool Lesson Plans

I plan to share with you all of the resources we used and hope you are inspired to plan a day unique to your homeschool. It’s an example of an easy way to make a simple unit study. We are incorporating an excellent array of fall nature, Thanksgiving, and history. 

Usually, I will block out the entire day to have fun around these themed type homeschool lessons. It gives us plenty of time to bake because you have to have treats, right? And the baking allows for some hands-on fun too! So it’s fitting that the featured treat for this day should be pumpkin pie. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

We are currently exploring the season with a nature journal that’s perfect for autumn. The journal is packed full of information, including seeds, migration, autumn, and nature tracking. It also has hands-on ideas, writing prompts, and so much more. These fall art lessons pair so well with what we are learning through our informative nature journal.  

I love including all of my children on days like these. So I try to mix a balances blend of things they can all do together, along with a few more advanced things for my oldest and more age-appropriate activities for the younger ones. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

With that said, we are using the Fall Leaves art tutorial for early learners and the Acorn and Wind in the Tree art lessons that are a bit more challenging. These all blend nicely with our nature journal activities and what we have been learning. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

You could also add The Voyage of the First Thanksgiving art lesson because it’s a perfect match for early American History. Long gone are the days of boring mapping lessons in your homeschool. You ARE An Artist takes mapping to a whole other level! Your kids are guaranteed to love this one. It’s a must-add to your Thanksgiving homeschool lessons. 

And with saving the best for last, we are forever grateful because of HIM. Our homeschool keeps God at the center, and I love old hymns. I had to include the We Gather Together art tutorial; it helped tie everything together with thankfulness and gratitude. 

We did our art lesson as we listened to various versions of the hymn We Gather Together. The hymn is a fantastic reminder about bringing family and friends together to give thanks to God. 

Thanksgiving Homeschool

I encourage you to introduce this hymn to your children. You ARE An Artist also included a link to a hymn study on the song if your kids want to research the history behind the hymn too. If you are anything like me, I find such value in these little additions to our learning. 

Don’t forget to pull out some of your favorite read alouds to enjoy too!

Resources For Your Own Thanksgiving Homeschool Experience

Here is a quick recap of everything we used and a few others you may want to incorporate too! 

The Voyage of the First Thanksgiving Art Tutorial from the Maps Clubhouse Complete Exclusive

Preschool Fall Leaves Art Tutorial from the Preschool Fall Video Art Lessons Clubhouse Edition

Wind in the Tree and Acorn Art Tutorials from the Fall Video Chalk Art Lessons Clubhouse Edition

We Gather Together Art Tutorial from the Hymns Clubhouse Edition

Thanksgiving Homeschool

A few other art tutorials that you might want to include in your Thanksgiving unit study:

Pumpkin

Thankful for Art Resources

Norman Rockwell 

Acrylics Fall Tree Reflection

Thanksgiving Homeschool

Quick Tips: Don’t feel like you have to squeeze it all in one day. Spread these lessons out over a week or a month, but don’t rush them! Enjoy this time with your family, learning and creating together, savor these sweet moments. 

And if you don’t fit it all in, there is always next year! Homeschooling isn’t a race; it’s a journey. 

I hope that this gives you some ideas to expand on and plan around. Our plans were simple yet packed full of goodness and education. 

You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members enjoy a Thanksgiving companion workbook with Fast Facts, Overviews, Gratitude Prompts, a Thanksgiving Planner and MORE!

Grab Your Homeschool Lessons Here and Start Planning Today! 

Courtney is a Jesus-pursuing, native Texan, homeschool mom of three, and she believes homeschooling can be a peaceful and productive rhythm. At Grace, Grow & Edify she helps families create peaceful homeschooling atmospheres through faith, organizational strategies, and cultivating strong roots at home. She is also the founder of Homeschool Mastery Academy.

Posted on by

Famous Artist Norman Rockwell

How would you like to visit with famous artist Norman Rockwell, known as “America’s Artist” while he paints one of his most iconic scenes from the “Four Freedoms” series: Freedom from Want! Yep, you will sit at a festive Thanksgiving table, set with the best china, the best dinner guests and have a happy time? Come on, that turkey leg looks like it is all yours! 

Famous Artist Norman Rockwell Show Notes

You might also like:

Listen to Nana’s Normal Rockwell Podcast on YouTube

Nana is passionate about helping you realize you ARE an artist! Not only an artist with chalk pastels but with homeschooling, creative spaces, favorite family recipes and more. Nana also enjoys chatting – especially about art. If you have followed along with any of her You ARE an Artist video art lessons, you know that. She also enjoys sharing photos and thoughts on topics while she is being creative in her studio space on her back porch. That is where she will be chatting with you – from her back porch. It’s Nana’s You ARE an Artist Podcast!

How would you like to visit with Famous Artist Norman Rockwell, known as “America’s Artist” while he paints one of his most iconic scenes from the “Four Freedoms” series: Freedom from Want! Yep, you will sit at a festive Thanksgiving table, set with the best china, the best dinner guests and have a happy time? Come on, that turkey leg looks like it is all yours! From Nana's Back Porch Podcast.

-Special thanks to Erin Vincent and her artists for the beautiful photos. Visit her at Nourishing My Scholar.

Posted on by

Thankful for Art in Our Homeschool This Thanksgiving

Let’s be thankful for art this Thanksgiving! Nana has all sorts of Thanksgiving homeschool lessons to fill the whole month. Abraham Lincoln, Aaron Copland, pilgrims, the Mayflower voyage, a map of the very first Thanksgiving, Cranberry Thanksgiving and more!Listen to this! In November, how would you like to have dinner with beloved American artist Norman Rockwell, listen to a famous composer’s music while painting a pastel of the man who inspired him...these are a few clues and a tiny preview of Thankful for Art in the You ARE an Artist Clubhouse! Such rich lessons to complement the learning already happening in your home.

“Listen to this! In November, how would you like to have dinner with beloved American artist Norman Rockwell, listen to a famous composer’s music while painting a pastel of the man who inspired him…these are a few clues and a tiny preview of Thankful for Art in the You ARE an Artist Clubhouse! Such rich lessons to complement the learning already happening in your home.” – Nana

Thankful for Art in Our Homeschool This Thanksgiving

Turkey Walk with Chalk Art Lesson with Nana - Thankful for Art in Our Homeschool This Thanksgiving!

Turkey Walk with Chalk Art Lesson with Nana

Join Nana for a Turkey Walk with Chalk! “Hello there my artist friends…and you ARE my friends. And friends can take walks in the woods to see the glorious colors the Divine Artist has used for the leaves, crystal skies and the air so clean. Let’s lace up some sturdy shoes, get a jacket…how about a walking stick…Come on, let’s wander down that interesting path over there. And, just maybe, if we are very quiet…did you hear a gobble, gobble? Shhhhhh! Let’s go see what it was….” ❤️Nana

Suggested supplies: yellow construction paper. Black, brown, orange, red, yellow, green, white and blue chalk pastels. Baby wipes or a damp paper towel for easy clean up.

Thanksgiving Homeschool Lessons: Draw Your Way Through the Story by Courtney

Thankful for Art Books to Match Nana’s Lessons

Our members enjoy a special Thanksgiving curriculum that includes a Thanksgiving book list, gratitude journal prompts, Fast Facts and an overview to match each art lesson (history on the Pilgrims and more!), recipes, planners and more. Find out more here.

Join the You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse with Nana Today!
Cranberry Thanksgiving Unit Study with Art - Thankful for Art

You might also like:

Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodge and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of The Curriculum Choice.