Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to teach or remind your kids to be thankful for their family, health, friends, pets, etc. If they are young, let them be thankful for that game system or Barbie doll. Just remind them about the other things they should be thankful for.

Here's an activity that will help you and your kids see what everybody in the family is thankful for:

The Family Cornucopia*

Material

Horn-shaped basket - If you can't find one, use a bowl and decorate it with your kids to make it special for Thanksgiving.

Instructions: First, inform everyone who will be coming to Thanksgiving dinner to write down what they are thankful for. It can be one thing or many things. If the person is too young to really write something, then an adult can write it, or better yet, have the child draw a picture of it. I love when my sons draw pictures and tell me about them. It's one of those special ways kids use their imagination.

When everyone shows up, have them put their message into the horn or bowl. Over dessert, one person or everyone can read the messages out loud. In the case of a picture, let the one who drew it tell what it "says". It will mean a lot to them and everyone else.

For Thanksgiving, my family all took part in the preparation of dinner. From setting the table to putting the food on the table, we all had jobs to do, and our "jobs" were geared to our ages. I made the pies, my sister helped with the lasagna (even though she didn't eat it), and my brothers helped stuff the turkey with their hands. It was gooey and messy and Oh, sooo much fun!

As we got older, our jobs advanced, until my Mom was told to go relax and we took care of the feast. Now, I let my sons and nephews help with the little things, and I look forward to the time when I'll be able to teach them to do more.

Here's an activity that has the potential to be gooey and messy and Oh, soooo much fun!

Handprint Turkey Table Toppers

Material

Washable markers, Non-toxic paints, Construction paper, Kid scissors, Non-toxic glue (Elmer's is best), Popsicle sticks, Styrofoam squares (3x3x1) - (green if possible)

Instructions: First, cover your work area with a newspaper, tarp, or drop cloth so you won't get spilled paint everywhere. Or, you can take your project outside if the weather permits.

Part 1 (Method 1): Take the construction paper and have your child outline their hand with a marker. Then, have them draw in the eyes. Next, cut out the "turkey" and, using markers, color in the tail feathers and the body. Cut out feet and glue to the bottom of the turkey.

Part 1 (Method 2): If using paint, pour some paint into a plastic coated paper plate or a tin pie plate. Have them dip their hand in with the flat of their hand and fingers spread and place it on the paper. Let dry. Cut out the turkey. Draw in the eyes. Cut out feet and glue to the bottom of the turkey.

Regardless of which method you choose, these are the beginning of their turkey.

Part 2: Glue the turkey to a popsicle stick and let dry. Then push the popsicle stick into the center of the styrofoam square. Now, you have a cute little table decoration your child can be proud of when guests arrive.

Extra Fun: For a more creative look, you can use scrap pieces of paper, cloth, buttons, etc. for the tail feathers. You can also type up place cards, use toothpicks as posts and stick them into the styrofoam base to make place settings.

*Crafty Word of the Month: Cornucopia As we help inspire our children's creativity each month, let's also empower their word knowledge. Grab a dictionary, sit down with the kids and discover together the meaning of this month's word as well as how its been used over the years. You can also make a game out of it. Have the kids find words that rhyme with this month's word or see how many other words they can make using the letters from this month's word.

Thanksgiving is a great time to show your kids about being thankful while showing them that their help in the preparation of this day is both appreciated and thanked. Enjoy each other and have fun!