A Savvy Auntie Thanksgiving
Gobble, Gobble! Thanksgiving, is already well on her way. This year, the holiday falls on Thursday, November 27. This is a wonderful holiday for Savvy Aunties to celebrate with their nieces and nephews with seasonal fun and that incorporates the theme of pilgrims, indians, and the bountiful feast.
Check out these activities and get together ideas for Thanksgiving!
Harvest Necklace: Make a Harvest Necklace with your school-aged nieces and nephews. With the help of a needle (and your grown-up eye), string together popcorn, cranberries, and dried fruit to create a festive necklace. Tie it off for your nieces to wear on Thanksgiving Day.
Story Time: Ask your nieces and nephews to recreate the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians. Tell the story in narrative fashion, and have the kids re-enact their own first Thanksgiving tale. Make sure to have platters of bounty to share for the kids to bring forth during the re-enactment.
Play Trivia: Play a trivia game around the first Thanksgiving and traditions that have evolved over time. Play it in Jeopardy fashion, having the kids state the answers as questions!
If it is a crisp, sunny day, have some fun relay races with Pilgrims and Indians. As examples:
Have them carry a Platter of Bounty from one end of the yard and back again without spilling anything off of the plate. First team done wins!
Place a dollop of cranberry sauce and cream on a large spoon and give it to the kids to carry from one end and back without it falling off the spoon. The kids must eat it at the end and then the next person takes a turn.
Hold a Popcorn Race. Give your nieces and nephews popcorn that they must run and deposit into an empty bowl. First team to fill the bowl wins!
Play Cornucopia: Have your nieces and nephews sit on chairs forming a circle with one leader in the middle. The leader points to each of the other players to give them a Thanksgiving name, such as “Turkey.” The leader then calls out two name “Turkey and Sweet Potato.” Those two players must quickly switch places. The leader keeps calling at a quick pace, until suddenly she says “The cornucopia has tipped over!” Everyone, including the leader, then scrambles for a new place. The player without a seat is the new leader.
Hide Mr. Turkey: (stuffed turkey or decoration) in the party room or outside in the yard. Your nieces and nephews must try and find Mr. Turkey. You can play this with several turkeys being hidden in the yard and everyone finds them, or play the game with one kid looking for Mr. Turkey and the rest of the group helping him find the guy. They can yell out “Hotter, Colder” to help Mr. Turkey be found!
Looking for some festive fare to serve? Mini-turkey pot pies, sweet potato fries, corn muffins, and baked beans are good bets. Alternatively, serve turkey sandwiches, cut into turkey shapes using a cookie cutter, or turkey nuggets with different dipping sauces. Make it festive, but easy as well. Cranberry juice would be a good drink to serve.