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Thanksgiving Games, Party Ideas, Movies and Recipes

As a girl scout leader for many years and a homeroom parent for both of my children I have planned many Thanksgiving Parties and I have hosted many Thanksgiving dinners.  You will find some great games, recipes,  movies, crafts and decorating ideas for kids parties and your Thanksgiving holiday dinner listed below.
 

THANKSGIVING GAMES FOR KIDS

Taking a trip by car for Thanksgiving?  Check out our Kids Car Games Page!!

Create a Word Write the word thanksgiving on paper and see how many words the kids can make out of it in 5 minutes.

Hot Pumpkin A spin on the classic "Hot Potato" game, kids sit in a circle and pass the mini pumpkin while the music is playing. When the music stops, the person holding a pumpkin goes out of the game and receives a small prize.

Balloon Bust Divide the group into two teams.  Blow up AUTUMN color balloons and tie one to everyone's ankles. Say "go" and watch the teams trying to burst the other team's balloons first. The team with the last balloon wins. As your balloon is burst you withdraw from the game. Thanksgiving Air Balloons Keep the balloons floating in the air while thinking and saying words about Thanksgiving To begin get everyone into a circle and start the balloon going around from player to player keeping the balloon in the air at all times. The catch however is before he can bat the balloon each player must call out a word (no repetitions, please) to fit a Thanksgiving theme. For example turkey, mashed potatoes, Mayflower, Pilgrims, Indians etc...
Candy Ring Game Drop a plastic table cloth on the floor (preferably Autumn color).  Cover it with candy and trinkets such as toys, , pencils etc.   Have the children stand a distance from the table cloth and toss one or two rings.  Whatever their ring encompasses they get to keep.  Be sure to have goodie bags available.  This game has always been a great hit with the kids.	Pumpkin Pumpkin Arrange players in a circle. Pass  a Pumpkin around and have everyone recite the following poem: Pumpkin, Pumpkin around you go --  Where you'll stop, nobody knows. But when you do, someone must say, What they are thankful for today. The player holding the pumpkin at the end of the poem must say one thing for which they are thankful and step out of the circle.   This continues until everyone has had a turn.
Words of Thanks   Thank You for the world so sweet, Thank You for the food we eat, Thank You for the birds that sing, Thank You, God, for everything! Amen.   God is great God is good We thank him for the food we eat Amen

 Thanksgiving Party Decorating Ideas

Decorate by filling vases with dried flowers, and Autumn leaves. Tie a festive colored ribbon and bow around each centerpiece and place around the room.

Use mini ears of Indian corn, mini pumpkins and gourds to embellish your holiday table.   Use a Autumn colored table cloth and napkins.

Create a Pilgrim Hat Centerpiece.

Compliments of Familyfun.go.com

Items Needed:
Craft Materials
Black Felt, square yard
Terra-cotta pot
Permanent red marker
Black poster board
Carpet tape
Yellow poster board

1. Tape a square yard of black felt to your work surface and set a terra-cotta pot (ours is 7 inches tall and 7 1/2 inches across) on its side at one edge of the felt, as shown. Roll the pot, tracing along the top and bottom edges with a permanent red marker as you go, then cut out the felt arc.

2. Next, cut two 15-inch circles, one from black poster board, the other from the remaining black felt. Set the pot upside down in the center of the poster board circle, trace around its rim, then cut out the inner circle to create a large ring. Now trace the rim of the pot in the center of the felt circle and cut an asterisk in the center, as specified.

3. Tape the felt circle atop the poster board ring. Set the bottom of the pot on the asterisk and slide the brim up to the rim of the pot. Attach strips of carpet tape to the outside of the pot, then tape one end of the felt arc to the side and wrap the arc around the pot, sticking it to the tape.

4. Trim away any excess felt. For the finishing touch, tape on a buckle cut from yellow poster board.

 

Thanksgiving Crafts

Apron Of Thanks

Take a plain white apron and be creative.  The idea is present it to the host of your Thanksgiving dinner so you may want to do it in advance. 

Some decorating ideas include:  Handprints of the "young" guest and then use permanent markers to make them look like turkeys.  Stencil or sponge paint pumpkins or leaves. 

Remember to use Autumn colors for the paint. 

If you do it in advance you can use puffy paint to outline all figures. 

Most importantly, include what they are thankful for in general or why you are grateful to have the person you are presenting it to. Include this under the leaf or handprint your child made.  Be sure to include their name.

This is guaranteed to be a hit with the hostess!

Indian Vase

To make an Indian vase you fill a glass bud vase with dried beans or dried corn. Glue a small gourd or a large wooden bead on the top of the vase (this will be the head). Use black yarn to make hair for the Indian. Small colorful beads can be strung on thin leather strings to make headbands and necklaces for the Indian vase. The kids can paint faces on the Indian and can add assorted feathers as decoration.

Carving a Roast Turkey
compliments of http://www.apples4theteacher.com

Turkeys should be carefully trussed. The wings and thighs should be brought close to the body and kept in position by skewers. The ends of the drumsticks may be drawn into the body or crossed over the tail and tied firmly.

After cooking, free the ends of the drumsticks from the body and trim them with a paper ruffle. This will enable the carver to touch them if necessary without soiling his hands. Place the turkey on the platter with the head at the left. Unless the platter be very large, provide an extra dish, also a fork for serving.

Insert the carving-fork across the middle of the breast-bone. Cut through the skin between the breast and the thigh. Bend the leg over, and cut off close to the body and through the joint. Cut through the top of the shoulder down through the wing-joint. Shave off the breast in thin slices, slanting from the front of the breast-bone down toward the wing-joint.

If the family is small and the turkey is to be served for a second dinner, carve only from the side nearest you. Tip the bird over slightly, and with the point of the knife remove the oyster and the small dark portion found on the side-bone. Then remove the fork from the breast and divide the leg and wing. Cut through the skin between the body and breast, and with a spoon remove a portion of the stuffing. Serve light or dark meat and stuffing, as preferred. If carved in this way, the turkey will be left with one half entire, and if placed on a clean platter with the cut side nearest the carver, and garnished with parsley, will present nearly as fine an appearance, to all but the carver, as when first served.

When there are many to be served, take off the leg and wing from each side and slice the whole of the breast before removing the fork; then divide as required.

It is not often necessary to cut up the whole body of the turkey; but where every scrap of the meat will be needed, or you wish to exercise your skill, proceed to carve in this manner.

Put the fork in firmly across the middle of the breast-bone. Cut through the skin between the leg and body. Bend the leg over and cut off at the joint. If the turkey be very tender or overcooked, the side-bone will separate from the back and come away with the second joint, making it more difficult to separate the thigh from the side-bone. Cut through the top of the shoulder and separate the wing at the joint. Cut off the leg and wing from the other side. Carve the breast on each side, in thin slices, slanting slightly toward the wing. Be careful to take a portion of crisp outside with each slice. Shave off the crisp skin near the neck, in order to reach the stuffing. Insert the point of the knife at the front of the breast-bone, turn back the wish-bone and separate it. Cut through the cartilage on each side, separating the collar-bones from the breast. Tip the body slightly over and slip the knife under the end of the shoulder-blade; turn it over toward the wing. Repeat this process on the opposite side. Cut through the cartilage which divides the ribs, separating the breast-bone from the back. Lay the breast one side and remove the fork from it. Take the stuffing from the back. Turn the back over, place the knife midway just below the ribs, and with the fork lift up the tail end, separating the back from the body. Place the fork in the middle of the backbone, and cut close to the backbone from one end to the other, on each side, freeing the side-bone. Then divide the legs and wings at the joints. The joint in the leg is not quite in the middle of the bend, but a trifle nearer the thigh. It requires some practice to strike these joints in the right spot. Cut off the meat from each side of the bone in the second joint and leg, as these when large are more than one person requires, and it is inconvenient to have so large bones on one's plate.

It is easier to finish the carving before beginning to serve. An expert carver will have the whole bird disjointed and literally in pieces with a very few strokes of the knife.

 Thanksgiving Movies and Books For Kids

Movies

Winnie the Pooh - Seasons of Giving  -- A collection of Winnie the Pooh's memorable holiday adventures, as Winnie, Piglet, Rabbit, and Tigger set out to find the right ingredients for Winter, they learn how to manage a festive Thanksgiving dinner.

Mouse on the Mayflower - This Thanksgiving tale, that tells the story of a brave little mouse, on a musical voyage to America.

Garfield: Holiday Celebrations - Three cartoons featuring the holiday adventures of the Garfield. The first is a Halloween adventure where Garfield gets stuck in a haunted house populated by spectral pirates.  The second, "A Garfield Christmas" features Garfield and Odie home alone while Jon visits Grandma on the farm.  The third, is a Thanksgiving tale where Jon has a hot date for Thanksgiving dinner.

Miracle on 34th Street - Kris Kringle is hired to play himself at Macy's Department Store in New York City. He finds himself in a situation where he must convince an unbelieving little girl, and others, that he is the real Santa. As the film begins with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it is perfect to watch on Thanksgiving Day.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Charlie Brown is in charge of the Thanksgiving dinner where Peppermint Patty and pals drop by unexpectedly and expect food.

Caillou: Caillou's Holidays - Caillou loves the holidays - and Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are his favorites!

Hoboken Chicken Emergency - When Mr. & Mrs. Bobowicz send their son Arthur to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving, they aren't expecting him to bring home a 266 pound live chicken named Henrietta

A Rugrats Thanksgiving - Determined to protect Mr. Turkey from the serving platter, the Rugrats uncover the real meaning of the first American holiday.  

Books

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland and Sonja Lamut

10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston and Richard F. Deas

Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27) by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca

Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving by Ann Mcgovern and Elroy Freem

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Peanuts

  Thanksgiving Links

Create custom bingo cards for any activity or event 

 THANKSGIVING PARTY/DINNER RECIPES

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Pretzel Rods
3 or more bags of melting chocolate
(depends on the number of kids)
Autumn Sprinkles
Wax Paper

Melt chocolate in crock pot on high stirring occasionally.  Once chocolate is melted have kids dip the pretzel into the chocolate and then into the sprinkles.  Give them a piece of wax paper to put it on to dry

Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats Compliments familyfun.go.com

24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies

Turkey Bread

Author unknown

Cut the top off a round loaf of bread, hollow out the center, and fill with store-bought dip. Slice the loaf top in half for the bird's wings and attach them with toothpicks.

To make the head, cut an X in a roll and insert a carrot tip for the nose with a red pepper wattle. Use toothpicks to attach the head and raisin eyes.

For "feathers," slice a zucchini, summer squash, and carrot lengthwise into 1/4-inch slabs and push into bamboo skewers. For a feathery look, jag the edges, then stick into the bread.