The month of gratitude has arrived. Make sure your family knows how thankful you are for each member of the family with words of affirmation this month and lots of quality time spent together. Celebrate the blessing of family with some of these silly holidays and enjoy the beauty of the season.
National Gratitude Month – As a family, talk throughout the month about gratitude. Pick a meal each day you dine together, like dinner or breakfast, and encourage each person to share grateful thoughts for the day. Make a list of things the family is most grateful for; encourage kids to include non-material items to put on the list as well as tangible items. Take a family shopping trip and pick some of the purchasable items from your gratitude list. Add them to your cart and then deliver the gifts to someone in need or donate to a food bank or church pantry.
Tongue Twister Day – Everybody’s heard of Peter Piper, Fuzzy Wuzzy, a lumberjack woodchuck, and a gal who sells seashells by the seashore. But a quick search online for “tongue twisters for kids” reveals tons of tricky twisters to trill your tongue. Print out a selection of twisters and take turns reading them aloud to celebrate the day. Then for extra fun, let each person create their own tongue twister with words that start with the same letter as their first name and includes their name, too.
National Bison Day – Locate documentaries online from public broadcasting stations and learn the history of the magnificent buffalo, once millions strong. Then check out some of these books to learn more about the mighty mammal. Look for these and others at the library or bookstore: Bryson the Brave Bison by Nate Davenport; The Buffalo are Back by Jean Craighead George; Buddy Bison’s Yellowstone Adventure by Ilona E. Holland; Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb; Brave Like the Buffalo; and Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums by Audrey Vernick.
Thanksgiving – Make a turkey craft to decorate the table. Cut an empty paper towel roll in half. Use one half for each turkey. Paint the roll with brown paint. When the paint is dry, add googly eyes near the top of the painted roll. Use and cut construction paper shapes to add a yellow triangle beak and red oblong wattle. Paint a paper plate orange. When the paint is dry, glue the back of the turkey’s “head” to the orange plate “body” such that the turkey will stand upright with the paper roll as a base. Cut feather shapes from different colors of construction paper and glue the feathers in place around the orange paper plate “body.” Use the turkeys as table centerpieces for the family Thanksgiving meal.
National Mason Jar Day – Work together as a family to make a recipe of potato soup to share with neighbors. Once the soup is prepared and cooled, fill mason jars with scoops of soup and seal the lid tight. Wrap ribbon around the top of the jar and attach a note that says, “We’re grateful you’re our neighbor.” Follow this recipe or choose a family favorite: In a large pot, saute one tablespoon of diced onion and one tablespoon of minced garlic in one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add 30 ounces of shredded hash browns, one quart chicken broth, and one cup heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to let soup simmer for 20 minutes. Add three cups of shredded cheese and stir until cheese melts.
Count your blessings this month and count family members as extra-special blessings. Gobble up goodies on Thanksgiving and create lasting memories throughout the month with the ones you love best.
Statesboro native Julie Lavender, along with her hubby David, just launched their newest book, “Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime” in time for the holidays. Check it out wherever books are sold.