Thankful for you
Practice: Get ready for some activities.
Activities are designed to be parent- or teacher-supervised.
Activity 1
Step 1
Why Community Matters (Remind the students that the 13 colonies were separate but came together to unite, fight for freedom, and stay free to become the “United States of America.” They needed each other, and so do we!).Step 2
Make a “Thank you” poster for a community helper because we need each other.Step 3
Think of a community helper you are thankful for. For example: I am thankful for our community trash collectors because we need them! Without a trash truck, we would have trash everywhere. It would be a real problem!Step 4
Use a pencil to write words of gratitude: “Thanks for all you do day after day!” “We appreciate you!” “We are so thankful for you!” Or be clever and creative.Step 5
If possible, deliver to the community member with students, or an adult delivers and takes a photo to share with students.Step 6
Notes: Create a class poster in teams of 3-5 or individually if time allows. Students could also include something with the poster, like a song, a cheer, or a small gift like candy or a gift card.
Activity 2
Watch the video and pay attention to the materials and supplies you will need.
If you and your students are interested, enjoy some of the extra activities below!
Why we need rules and laws
Remind the students that the 13 colonies had to fight in a war to gain freedom, and they won, but they needed to write down laws and rules to stay safe and free.
Step 1
Bring a stuffed animal to school and teach them the rules and why they are important.
Step 2
Invite students to bring their favorite stuffed animal to school.
Step 3
Before transitions to each part of the day, ask your students to teach their animal how to follow the rules in the classroom, the playground, the hall, etc. (Do not take the animals to the lunchroom, bathroom, or specials for safety reasons).
Step 4
Notes: teachers could do a whole group lesson with the stuffed animals lined up to “listen” and allow the children to take turns explaining rules. The children explaining could be individuals taking turns or divided into teams of 3-5, so it’s easy to listen and take turns.
Why we write rules down with careful words
Remind students that James Madison was the Father of the Constitution, and he took precious time to help write down the laws to help Americans protect their freedom.
Step 1
Special treat to eat—but you have to obey the rule!
Step 2
Bring a special treat to allow the children to eat (popcorn, popsicles, etc.).
Step 3
Create a funny rule like “No touching” and then talks about why this is a good rule while you’re waiting to eat it, but if you hand them the treat, the rule is “no touching,” so they can never enjoy the treat.
Step 4
Have them come up with a better rule like: “Wait for your turn to get a treat.”
Step 5
Then allow them to enjoy the treat!
Step 6
Notes: Ask the kids to come up with a few funny rules before they create a carefully worded rule (Example of funny rules: “Eat with a blindfold” and “Eat with no hand.” Then come up with a better-worded rule that makes sense.