A Month of Thanksgiving and Praise!

The American holiday of Thanksgiving may only be a day, but we love to spend the whole month focused on giving thanks and praising God for all he has done for us. We started last week by writing down something we are thankful for each night and placing it in our scarecrow container on the kitchen table. On Thanksgiving morning, we will gather around the table for brunch and read them aloud. We hope this will encourage a mindset of thankfulness all month long.

Thanksgiving Books

We have switched out our fall book display for one that focuses on Thanksgiving books. Some of these books focus on the historical significance of the holiday, while others generally focus on giving thanks.  We will read many of them together over the course of the month, but the very first one will be Cranberry Thanksgiving.

It has become a favorite and a family tradition to read the book and bake cranberry bread from the recipe included at the end of the book. While it is a picture book, even my older children enjoy gathering around with a warm cup of apple cider to listen to me read it.  I’ve shared a list of our Thanksgiving books at the end of this post, and I would love to hear your favorites.

Showing Gratitude

We love to make sure that people know how thankful we are for them, especially this time of year. We send cards to friends and family members that we think might could use a bit of encouragement.

While the holidays are my favorite time of year, it can be a lonely time for widows or shut-ins, and a fun card from the children can brighten their day. We also like to put together goody bags for people that serve us, such as the men that pick up our recycling or the people at the grocery store.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving day is a day full of fun and tradition for our family. On Thanksgiving evening we always go ‘home’ and have a big Thanksgiving dinner with my family. The cousins all sit around and talk and look through the sales papers while the little ones play.

My daughter loves to make Thanksgiving-themed appetizers for that event, such as a turkey-shaped cheese ball or tray.  My son bakes either candy roaster or sweet potato pies to bring. I just added that recipe to the Free Resource Library!

Since we do that in the evening and did not want two big turkey meals on the same day, we created a different holiday tradition for our immediate family. Each Thanksgiving, I make a big brunch and we watch the Macy’s Christmas Parade.  Sometimes it is just my immediate family, and sometimes, we have friends or family that join us.

Thanksgiving Brunch

We keep it simple and tasty with cranberry stuffed french toast, sausage or bacon, and egg casserole.  We finish that off with some hot apple cider, cocoa, or eggnog to make for a simple but memorable Thanksgiving brunch. You can download my cranberry french toast recipe free on our homeschool in the kitchen page.

Our hymn study this month is also related to Thanksgiving. We are focusing on the hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ through listening, study, and copywork. I encourage you to check out that post for a couple of free downloads to assist your study and a list of other songs that can encourage you as your give thanks this month and every month.

Thanksgiving Book List:

Cranberry Thanksgiving

The Very First Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks

Arthur’s Thanksgiving

The Squirrels’ Thanksgiving

Oh, What a Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving on Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library, you will get a link and password to the library. We are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you updated on what we have going on.

Resource Library 

This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always, I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in, and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Deals and Freebies!

Free I”m Thankful For…. Book from Amazon! (Always check prices as they are subject to change)

Kiwi Crate Deal:

 Get 50% Off your First Month with code: SPOOKY

FREE Fall in Love with Science e-book from Apologia

The World of Peter Rabbit and His Friends Only .99 on Kindle! We love Beatrix Potter’s stories and this one includes her original illustrations.

Sunny Under the Sea  Free (always double check because Amazon changes prices regularly!)

Wind in the Willows on Audio for only $2.95

Alice in Wonderland on Audible for less than $1!!

FREE: Check out this great new FREE resource for classical and Charlotte Mason education! Classical Christian Education & Charlotte Mason. Great for folks already homeschooling or if you have friends that are looking into it!