A Thankful and Joyful Thanksgiving Week at Little Squirrels!

Nov 30

3 min read

Thanksgiving at Little Squirrels was nothing short of magical! From engaging storytime adventures to creative crafts and delightfully messy sensory play, our little ones had a week full of giggles, learning, and memories that we’re so thankful for.

Stories That Sparked Imagination

We kicked off each day with some truly delightful Thanksgiving-themed stories:

• “How to Catch a Turkey” had everyone giggling as we followed a turkey’s hilarious attempts to escape.

• “One is a Feast for Mouse” taught us the beauty of gratitude—even in the tiniest of things.

• “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” had us laughing and singing as we wondered, “What will she swallow next?!”

• And on Muffin Monday, “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” inspired curiosity and creativity as we imagined just how much fun a moose could have with a muffin (or two!).

Crafts That Brought Turkeys to Life

Our little artists took center stage this week, and the results were as adorable as they were unique:

• Feather Painting Turkeys: The children dipped feathers into paint and used them in place of a paintbrush creating a beautiful array of feathers for their turkeys. Unfortunately I wasn’t thinking and put out green instead of brown paint so they may have ended up looking more like peacocks, but the kids poured their hearts into these vibrant creations!

• Sticky Turkey Fun: I added some sticky contact paper with a big turkey on our back door, and gave the kids a big bucket of feathers to stick on. This quickly became a favorite activity in addition to the styrofoam turkey from last week that the kids were still enjoying right up until closing on Wednesday night. Who knew simple feathers could bring so much joy.

• Turkey Handprint Keepsakes: No Thanksgiving is complete without these timeless treasures—tiny hands making big memories.

Turkey-Themed Learning Through Play

Circle time this week was full of engaging turkey-themed games that secretly doubled as learning opportunities:

• Counting feathers and matching numbers.

• Adding a few more letters to our turkey alphabet on the fridge.

• Practicing shapes with a fun turkey themed shape matching puzzle.

Working on color recognition and some fine motor with our big plump turkey color matching.

A Sensory Feast: Making Pumpkin Pies

The grand finale of our week? A sensory adventure that had everyone rolling up their sleeves and diving into the fun! The kids mixed flour, pumpkin, and whipped cream with their hands to “bake” their own pumpkin pies. It was messy, squishy, and an absolute blast. (And yes, we might still be finding bits of flour and pumpkin here and there, but it was worth every moment!)

Discovering the Wonders of the Changing Season

As the weather turned colder, we bundled up and headed outside to explore the magic of late autumn/early winter. The kids were fascinated to discover how water in our favorite puddles had frozen into ice, making the rocks we love to toss suddenly stay on top instead of sinking. This led to curious questions and a little science lesson about freezing and melting, and the kids enjoyed grabbing sheets of ice out of the puddles to investigate and break.

Learning didn’t stop there—our little squirrels have been hard at work mastering the art of putting on their own coats, boots, gloves, and hats. The new season may bring a chill, but it also brings opportunities for independence and growth, and im so proud of how these kiddos are tackling it all with enthusiasm and determination.

Gratitude for Our Little Squirrels

As we wrapped up our Thanksgiving week, I couldn’t help but reflect on how grateful I am for this amazing community of curious, creative, and kind-hearted children. Watching their joy and wonder fills my hearts every day, and I am so thankful to have each of you as part of our Little Squirrels community.

Stay tuned for even more adventures as we head into the most magical time of the year! Next up, all things Gingerbread.

Warmly,

Ms Sarah

May the world be filled with beautiful, peaceful little children.