The tod squad love to participate in a creative experience and these activities had them manipulating lots of gooey sticky glue. The materials used to include different shades of brown paper, feathers, glue, popsicle sticks, paper shaped beaks, and googly eyes for them to create their very own turkeys! First the toddlers were encouraged to pick their colour of paper, and then place their hands onto the paper for the educators to trace. They would then use their pincer grasp to manipulate the popsicle sticks by spreading the glue on their paper hands and then adding some feathers to their hand print turkey creations. Some of the toddlers chose to use their motor skills by adding the final touches to their turkeys, with a beak, feet and eyes. As the toddlers were creating we had pictures on display of real turkeys, so they were able to see the visual representation. They also had the opportunity to take part in another activity that not only had them focused on developing their fine motor, eye hand coordination and memory skills but also represented that identified pictures symbolizing people and things that they love and are thankful for, such as our families, pets, yummy food and places we call our homes, through a collaborative group collage. As they created with a sense of belonging, we reflected on the upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations as the educators shared their feelings of thankfulness, appreciation and love for their families and the tod squad. This activity gave us the opportunity to give thanks for all the good things that we have. To end our festive fall celebrations, we also sat together for our Thanksgiving lunch. Eating some glazed ham, peas, pumpkin tarts and mashed potatoes all while enjoying one another’s company and happy smiles. A big thank you to Cori for preparing our delicious lunch and wishing everyone a healthy thanksgiving.
