Keeping Them Curious: Thanksgiving Edition

(This Thanksgiving facts email was sent on November 13, 2023.)

Good morning! With Thanksgiving on the way, this week’s edition of the  “Keeping Them Curious” series is all about our Turkey Day traditions. (Those of you who aren’t in the United States, thanks for bearing with me!)

Talking turkey? Find the Keeping Them Curious Turkey Edition right here!

My goal with this email series is to help you with thematic teaching by giving you fascinating facts to share with your students, along with links to relevant resources from my site and across the web.

Holidays are an exciting time in the primary grades. I hope these Thanksgiving facts and resources help you build on your students’ natural enthusiasm, keeping them curious and eager to learn more!

You can find the previous editions all in one spot over here so you can refer back as needed!

Keeping Them Curious is an email series for teachers who are passionate about actively engaging students in thematic learning. I’m posting the email content here for those who might like to have a place to revisit each theme. If you would like to receive this content by email, please let me know below!

Did You Know? Thanksgiving Facts for Your Class

I’ll start with some interesting Thanksgiving facts you can share with your little turkeys this week!

🍽️ That Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the United States, we owe a debt of gratitude to Sarah Hale, the woman who, among many other things, wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Read more about the history of Thanksgiving (and watch a short video) in this article from history.com.

🍽️ Green bean casserole often holds a place on the Thanksgiving table. In 2019, Green Giant broke their own world record by making a green bean casserole that weighed more than 1,000 pounds! See a video of the process here.

🍽️ Sweet potatoes also often make their way into Turkey Day recipes. Many Americans use the terms “sweet potatoes” and “yams” interchangeably, but they are actually very different vegetables. Sweet potatoes, with their orange flesh, are native to Central and South America, while yams, with cream-colored insides, originated in Africa and Asia.

🍽️ What’s your favorite Thanksgiving pie? If it’s pumpkin, this world record-breaker might have you drooling! In 2010, a group in Ohio made a pumpkin pie that was 20 feet across and took over 12 hours to bake in a specially-made oven!

🍽️ Many countries throughout the world have holidays and festivals to celebrate the harvest or to set aside time for gratitude. One of these is called Pongal and is celebrated in parts of India. Here’s a kid-friendly website with more information about this four-day celebration of harvest and thanks.

Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving! It also makes a nice bridge between our October pumpkin themes and the season of holiday feasting. Here’s a post with a few fun pumpkin pie activities and freebies.

I have a new Thanksgiving post full of age-appropriate Thanksgiving videos. (And you can find a similar post filled with turkey videos here.)

Looking to save time? I also have some ready-to-go Thanksgiving resources in my store. 

🍽️ Thanksgiving Placemat   TPT | Website Shop

🦃 Turkey Unit   TPT | Website Shop

💻 Digital Activities   TPT | Website Shop

✂️ Turkey Math Craft   TPT | Website Shop

💰 Money-Saving Bundle   TPT | Website Shop

And in case you missed it last week, here’s another Thanksgiving post with a free activity that goes along with the adorable book, Five Little Thank-Yous.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Thanksgiving facts and resources in this edition of the “Keeping Them Curious” series! I’m looking forward to continuing this series with more exciting themes. What topics do you have coming up? As always, please feel free to comment below or send me an email—I’d love to hear from you!

Find more “Keeping Them Curious” posts here!