This week we had a wonderful time preparing for
Thanksgiving!
One way we did that was by measuring and mixing up the ingredients
for our own loaf of pumpkin bread!
Enjoy our slide show, and see what with did with the bread after it was baked!
Let's Celebrate Thanksgiving! on PhotoPeach
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In addition to creating clever turkey disguises for our
loaves, we read and learned quite a bit about turkeys, both real
and make-believe!
Since they do not have teeth, turkeys have gizzards.
Do you remember what these are for?
 |
| Male wild turkeys |
 |
| Female wild turkey and her poults |
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The other story Mrs. Ranney shared with us was a clever Thanksgiving fable about
Thomas T. Turkey.
He had quite a dilemma to solve!
In
the story, Thomas was invited to not one, not two, but three
Thanksgiving dinners. Benjamin Bobcat, Fanny Fox, and Henry Hawk all
told him they wanted to have him for Thanksgiving dinner and that it
just wouldn't be the same without him!
In the end, Thomas decided he did not
want to hurt anyone's feelings,
so he declined all the invitations!
He ended up staying home alone
for Thanksgiving dinner.
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After listening to this hilarious and clever story, we just had to write one of our own!
November 16, 2012
Dear Thomas T. Turkey,
We would love to have you for dinner on Thanksgiving Day,
November 22nd. Please come early, so you can help us get dinner
ready! You can even work the barbecue!
Please come dressed
and ready for a our annual, delicious feast!
By the time you are done, you will be full of stuffing!
It just wouldn’t be a great Thanksgiving without YOU!
Warmly,
Bob and Betty Bear (Mrs. Ranney's students ;-)
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There are many options for a comment on this post!
What did you learn and enjoy when participating in
the pumpkin bread project?
Will you and your family be enjoying turkey on Thanksgiving?
What other dishes are your personal Thanksgiving favorites?
Do you know any other turkey facts to share?
(Remember to put the facts into your own words.)
How about making up your own clever invitation for Thomas T. Turkey! Be sure to include some word play and sign off as an animal from the forest. Be sure to use alliteration!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Dear Mrs. Ranney and class,
ReplyDeleteYour Thanksgiving post is fascinating. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia but I do know a little about the holiday.
Some British students I have contacted through their blogs have talked about harvest festival celebrations. I know there were traditional days of fasting and days of thanksgiving in England. It seems some of these celebrations were carried to America with them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
What seems a little strange to me is thanksgiving celebrations didn't seem to take hold here in Australia. I have never been to a harvest festival or thanksgiving celebration.
Having seen your pumpkin bread preparation, I was wishing we could post the smells of the baking bread. Wouldn't that be something?
The fable of Thomas T. Turkey was fun. It seems he avoided accepting offers to Thanksgiving dinner. I wonder if he knew what they meant when they invited him to dinner? Perhaps it was Thomas's wish not to hurt feelings that saved him. Your invitation is so well written, perhaps Thomas might have accepted yours.
I see in the end Thomas had Thanksgiving alone. I don't think turkey would be on his menu. :)
Turkeys are available here in Australia but we are more likely to see them at Christmas. It has always seemed a little strange to prepare a hot meal for Christmas here in Australia. I can remember Christmas Days when we sat down to a hot meal when the temperature was over 100F outside. I have never seen a white Christmas. We are more likely to go to the beach or for a swim in the river.
In some places in Australia, they celebrate Yulefest, mostly in the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney. It’s a special Christmas-like celebration taking place in the middle of the year. I was at a teaching conference many years back in the Blue Mountains a week before Yulefest. Christmas decorations and a Christmas tree were set up. Because the middle of year is winter in Australia, I have heard they sometimes have snow. While I have never seen a white Christmas in Australia, I might be able to see a white Yulefest.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. :)
@RossMannell
Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThese are some facts about turkeys that I found on World Book Online and in today's newspaper.
Turkeys are birds that are related to chickens. Wild turkeys stay in small groups called flocks. They can fly and run. Male turkeys that are adults are about 4 feet. Wild turkeys can run up to 25 miles per hour, which is faster then the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who is one of the fastest men.
A long time ago, the American Indians began using turkeys for food. The turkeys that have been raised to be food are called domestic turkeys and they can’t fly.
Traditionally, some people in the United States and Canada eat turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Does anybody else have any other facts?
Cheers,
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
DeleteI enjoyed your comment a lot. I was especially amazed that wild turkeys are faster than people. I wonder if that is true.
Did you know that Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world? At the Summer 2012 London Olympics, he ran the 100 meter dash in 9.58 seconds and won a gold medal!
If Usain Bolt raced a wild turkey, who do you think would win?
Cheers,
Alex
Dear Alex,
DeleteIt is great that you know who Usain Bolt is and that you were interested in my facts.
I know that Usain is slower than wild turkeys. Wild turkeys can run up to 25 mph and Usain can run up to 23.35 mph. So if they raced, the wild turkey would probably win, if it is in good shape.
Best wishes,
Alexandra
Dear Mrs.Ranney
ReplyDeleteI had a great Thanksgiving. I ate all my Tia Dolly's ham. I also played video games on my cousin's WII.
Best Wishes,
Aiden R.