So much to be thankful for!

Today I will celebrate Thanksgiving with my kindergarten class since tomorrow is a parent-teacher conference day.  In my class we read several versions of The Little Red Hen and we talk about how the children help thier families with chores.  They also have a great sense of what is fair and are just fine with the fact that the animals who say "Not I!" don't get to share the bread in the end of the story.  Of course there are a few who would share with them anyway and I truly believe they would.  So sweet and generous some little kiddos are! We sequenced the story with a worksheet that I have used for years.  They do a great job and I saw some of their best coloring!  Today we will bake pumpkin muffins as a class.  One of my wonderful parent volunteers will be in to help and of course all of the children will get a turn to mix and help with the cooking.  I move the tables into one long row and cover them with paper and a sprinkling of fall leaves and turkeys.  They each painted a turkey placemat too!  I will have the students sit at the table and take a turn around the table saying that they are thankful for the person sitting next to them.  We will then enjoy our muffins and juice.  It will be a fun day!

Earlier in the day we will be with our Big Buddies and we will do the bead bracelet from Dr. Jean that Fran Kramer mentioned.  I am really excited to do this with them and then I will take photos of the Buddies for an "I'm thankful for my Buddy" page in our memory book.

So... Here is a list of some of the things I am thankful for today:

*My 25 beautiful kindergarten children and their families
*My super school staff and kindergarten team
*My wonderful blogging friends and followers
*My Buddy class and their teacher who is a long time friend
*My health and energy so I can do this wonderful job!
*My family who supports me and is patient as I spend so much time on my passion.
*My God who gave me the gift and desire for working with children and their families

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of your students and families!