Thanksgiving Unit Study

We’re focusing on American history this year in our homeschool.

I don’t waste my kids’ time forcing them to write gratitude journals or notebooking through thankfulness lists. We practice being thankful all the time. I write Scripture each month with the handy calendars from Sweet Blessings. We read the Bible together every evening and my kids do morning devotions and Bible workbooks together every day. So, I think I’ve got all that covered and don’t feel the need to squeeze anymore in for the month of November.

We live far from family, so we don’t really look forward to a huge meal and football with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. We used to spend Thanksgiving at church – a huge potluck dinner. Now, we tend to travel over the long Thanksgiving weekend. We often have turkey and fixings during Rosh Hashanah. The last couple years, we’ve traveled to Prague and Porto and Venice. Since Aaron is deployed, we might just eat ham and play games together during the quiet long weekend.

We like to learn about the reasons Europeans colonized the Americas.

It wasn’t all a pleasant experience during that time of history. We also learn about the tensions between colonists and natives with lots of books and documentaries.

Americans celebrate our national day of Thanksgiving with turkey and football, but millions of people were and are being treated so poorly around the world. I want my kids to understand real history and not some whitewashed version written by people who consider themselves the winners.

November is also Native American month, so we learn about the tribes who inhabited the land and area we now call home.

We snuggle up on the sofa and read together in the mornings and evenings. Hygge. With candles and kitties.

We get through these cold, dreary days when it gets dark at 4 PM with warm tea and cider, baking delicious cinnamon-scented goodies – like pumpkin scones, trying new soup concoctions, diffusing essential oils, and wearing fuzzy slippers. We take our cod liver oil and have on our happy light at least 20 minutes every day.

Books we Love:

I go to the library and request all the books I can on our topics of study.

Here is a list of our favorite Thanksgiving books!

Resources:

• FREE Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages
• Makahiki – Thanksgiving in Hawaii
• Favorite Thanksgiving Books
• Countdown to Thanksgiving eBook from Amy Peutz
• Redhead Mom Thanksgiving and Pilgrims Unit
• Early Elementary Unit from Ed Snapshots
• The Homeschool Mom Thanksgiving Resources
• Amanda Bennett Unit Study
• Thanksgiving Lessons from Meet Penny
• Thanksgiving Activities from Joy-Filled Life
• Real Life at Home PreK and K Thanksgiving Unit
• The History of Thanksgiving for Little Ones from The Modest Mom
• Pilgrim Unit Study from In All You Do
• First Thanksgiving Unit Plans from Scholastic
• Harrington Harmonies Colonial Unit Study
• Blessed Beyond a Doubt Cultivating Thankful Hearts Unit Study
• Thanksgiving Build-a-Unit from Homeschooling in Detroit
• Oklahoma Homeschool Pilgrim/Thanksgiving Unit
• Hubbard’s Cupboard The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving
• Moms with a Blog The Night Before Thanksgiving
• Just Mommies Pilgrims Unit Study
• Thanksgiving Turkey Unit Study by The Homeschool Scientist
• Give Thanks! A Unit Study About Gratefulness from Crosswalk
• Fields of Daisies Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

Videos:

We used to do fun crafts and activities when the kids were younger, but now that they’re older and no longer interested, we often just read and discuss and bake and watch movies together.

We practice being grateful and content in all circumstances.