Kindergarten Harvest Lesson Plans: Turkeys I

This portion of the lesson plans for Thanksgiving is so broad that it needs to be broken into smaller sections. For this particular lesson plan, the class will be learning about turkeys. Here are some of the things that you will need for the presentation of the lesson:

Colored photos of turkeys--male, female and young turkeys

Turkey calls (can be found in the hunting section of sporting good stores)

Paper plates

Washable brown paint

Colorful craft feathers

Brown construction paper

Red construction paper

Small tubs or containers (one for each child)

Colored tiles

Teach turkey vocabulary: tom- a male turkey, hen- a female turkey, and poult- a baby turkey.

Demonstrate the different sounds of a turkey by using the turkey calls.

**Do not allow children to try the turkey calls, due to the fact that germs can easily inhabit the calls**

Read the book, A Turkey For Thanksgiving by, Eve Bunting

Discuss the events in the story.

Turkey Platter

Instruct the children to paint the underside of the paper plate brown.

Allow children to choose the feathers that they wish to put on their turkey.

Fold plate in half, brown side facing out.

Use hot glue to adhere the feathers to the rim of the paper plate. Place dots of glue randomly around the opening of the plate, instruct children to hold plate firmly together until dry.

** To avoid burns- do not allow children to use the hot glue themselves**

Cut out the shape of a turkey's head from the brown construction paper. A turkey's head should look like a small peanut.

Cut out a triangle and a small peanut shape from red construction paper. This will be the beak and the gobbler of the turkey.

Tub Manipulative's-patterns of 10

Colored tiles, in this math skill, are reminiscent of the colorful feathers of the turkey.

Give students small tubs or dishes

Fill each dish with colored tiles.

Children should arrange colored tiles in patterns of 10.

Teach children to count by tens.

Creative Writing

T-H-A-N-S-G-I-V-I-N-G

Write the word Thanksgiving, vertically on a chart.

Ask the children to think of a word or words describing Thanksgiving by using the letters of the word.

Over The River and Through The Woods by Lydia Maria Child

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles Shultz