7 Festive Fun Thanksgiving Traditions to Cultivate Gratitude

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 20, 2023 by Laura Leave a Comment

7 Festive Fun Thanksgiving Traditions to Cultivate Gratitude

In “7 Festive Fun Thanksgiving Traditions to Cultivate Gratitude,” episode #198, Meredith Curtis inspires homeschooling families with meaningful ways to give thanks this year. God has been good to us this year and Thanksgiving is a great day to let Him and each other know how thankful we are! Traditions include Praise Breakfast, Gratitude Guessing Game, Thankful Tree, Blessing Place cards, Pass the Praise, Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing, and Thankful Poster. Try one this year and watch gratitude grow in every heart.

Powerline Productions, Inc.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

Show Notes

God is good. His goodness is everywhere but we often focus on what we don’t have rather than our blessings. These traditions are easy and fun, yet they truly cultivate gratitude!

Praise Breakfast

Supplies needed: yummy breakfast food, instrument (guitar or keys), or online music, and words to songs.

Gratitude Guessing Game

Supplies needed: very small whiteboard, dry erase markers, and notebook paper for each family member.

Thankful Tree

Supplies needed: poster board, markers, and brown/orange/yellow/red construction paper.

Blessing Place Cards & Scripture Cards

Supplies needed: cardstock, markers, and Bible.

Pass the Praise

Supplies needed: basket of candy corn.

Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing

Supplies needed: hymnal and instrument (piano, guitar) or online music.

Thankful Poster

Supplies needed: poster board and colorful markers.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Resources

Celebrate holidays with these festive, fun books and unit studies:

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Finish Well Tagged With: celebrating thanksgiving, Christian, Christianity, family, Finish Well, gratitude, holiday, homeschool, homeschooling, Laura Nolette, Meredith Curtis, Parent, thanksgiving

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions | Replay

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 20, 2023 by Gina Steffy Leave a Comment

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions!

Today I am joined by guest Meredith Curtis, a fellow podcaster on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network and a teacher at True North Homeschool Academy. Today we are talking about How to Create Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions! Check out the fun and doable list of activities that you can implement today to enrich and preserve wonderful Thanksgiving memories!

Thanksgiving can definitely be a time of sharing great food, but it’s also a wonderful time to engage with each other in meaningful ways. We all have so much to be thankful for!

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions; it’s can be simple as:

Bring people home to celebrate and eat with your family- invite people over!
Pass out kernels of corn and then everyone share something they are thankful for for each kernel of corn they took.
Have a special Thanksgiving Tablecloth and have everyone sign it.
Decorate for Thanksgiving with guards and fall décor – create a cornucopia as a centerpiece.
Create a “Thankful Tree”
Create posters where people can write in what they are thankful for
Eat and share good food
Host a Pie Breakfast Open House
Play board games
Have a time of worship and testimony together
Sing old Hymns together. Check out CrossSeven for some great ones!
Watch or play football
Play cornhole, volley ball or croquet
Take an after dinner/ before desert walk
Watch a parade
Honor relatives you only see on holidays and record family stories

Resources:

Celebrate Thanksgiving by Meredith Curtis
Celebrate Sukkot by Lisa Nehring
Of Plimouth Plantation by William Bradford
PollyAnna by Elinor Portor
Squanto Focus on the Family Radio Theater

Find Meredith at Powerline Prod

We love coming alongside fellow homeschoolers to ensure your academic and future success at True North Homeschool Academy! Sign up for our weekly email for support, class and clubs sales and specials and encouragement on your homeschooling journey!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO Life Skills 101 VIA COMPUTER

Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
Click SUBSCRIBE.
Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
Tap *Subscribe*
Please tap *Ratings and Review*

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: Soft Skills 101 Tagged With: celebrating thanksgiving, handmade holidays, holiday traditions, Pilgrims, thanksgiving

Hope and Thanksgiving, A Step in Faith

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 13, 2023 by Gina Steffy Leave a Comment

Let’s Talk About Hope and Thanksgiving with Felice Gerwitz

Is there hope when you are devastated or have a loss? There is hope and thanksgiving joy, but it takes a choice. Have you felt like things were hopeless? Is there a time when you felt like the Lord was asking you to thank Him and praise Him even when there was no hope? In this episode, Felice shares this time with you – and it took place some time ago. Trusting in the Lord, she stepped out in faith.

Visit our sponsors & Enter the Giveaway

Don’t miss our 10th Birthday celebration happening right now, including a giveaway and special sponsors.

Resources mentioned in this podcast

– Media Angels, Inc

Homeschooling With Proverbs.

Hope and Thanksgiving

When something horrible happens depression knocks on our door and it never wants to leave. All we can think about is what we don’t have or who isn’t there. If we lose a loved one during the holidays that makes it even worse. We remember the time we had, but often can’t remember the good in our time of grief.

At times when we feel depressed, we are telling ourselves things that make it worse. Our well-meaning friends or relatives may also add to the depression or hurt. There are stages we go through and sometimes we just need to allow time to heal but that does not mean we ever forget.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Vintage Homeschool Moms Tagged With: homeschooling, Homeschooling with Proverbs, Ministry, thanksgiving

All About Giving Thanks

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 3, 2023 by mediaangels 4 Comments

It’s all about giving thanks!

Happily I never tire when discussing “Giving Thanks” … this is one of my favorite topics. Giving thanks assumes there is something about which to give thanks, right?

But can you give thanks?

For instance, can you give thanks when you are upset or stressed?

Give thanks when you are under financial strain?

Give thanks when the kids are misbehaving and everything goes wrong?

Ah…and that is the crux of the issue, while we know we can’t have everything going our way or extremely well 100% of the time, we may not realize that the reason we are upset many times is because of this very fact.

Life happens.

It happens when we try to homeschool. Life happens when we plan a vacation. It happens on the way to the grocery store. Life happens when the economy tanks.

So, if we realize “life” is going to happen we should be prepared for it and give thanks anyway. That is a very hard lesson I’ve learned the last several years. I’ve learned that no matter how much you plan for or save for the inevitable, in our case a very severe recession, you just can’t plan enough. Life happens! Both my husband and I are self-employed. Actually, we would have it no other way. My husband builds new construction homes, remodels, and has a home-inspection business, so you can imagine how it effected our lives. The recent economic downturn hurt the housing market severely.

So we give thanks, right? Wrong.

It wasn’t until much later when after countless hours of prayer I remembered how beneficial being thankful was in the face of hardship. Giving thanks when we didn’t understand where the next job would come from, giving thanks as we watched our retirement fund dwindle. We continued to be thankful.

And, our children watched us.

I found a picture among my presentation slides folder and made it larger and wrote the words “Give thanks to the Lord everyday” and hung it up where we could all see it. And, we did. WE gave thanks even if we didn’t want to give thanks. It helped us tremendously and little by little there was more, and more things in which to give thanks! [If you want a larger size of the picture below to print out it is here.]

I’m working on a talk for church, the topic is “Prayer: Humility before God.” I believe that thankfulness is showing the Lord that we are humble before Him and we realize He knows our plight and understands! Humility is a virtue, and we acknowledge that God is the author of all that is good! He knows what we are going through and understands. We also know that the Lord of the universe has the ability to answer our prayers or to say, “not yet,” and accepting that truth takes every ounce of our being. That is true humility…and can we continue to thank Him through that time? With His strength we can (the strength that surpasses all understanding!) Philippians 4:7

Please share ways you praise the Lord even when things are tough!

And one last thing, thankfulness is a character trait, isn’t it? We have to train ourselves to be thankful and build up that virtue muscle.

I want to recommend my Character Counts 12-Pack of Character Planners to you- they are designed for your kids!

Meet Felice Gerwitz: A Devoted Homeschool Mom, Author, Publisher, and Podcast Host

A heartfelt enthusiast for both education and faith, Felice Gerwitz has embarked on an incredible journey as a homeschooling mom, guided by her unyielding devotion to the Lord. Alongside her incredible husband and five wonderful children, Felice’s life is a testament to the beauty of balancing family, faith, and personal aspirations.

In 1986, Felice embarked on her homeschooling adventure, a path that has been colored with both triumphs and challenges. Through the years, she has amassed a wealth of experience and wisdom that she eagerly shares with the world. As the founder of Media Angels, Inc., Felice has not only embraced her role as an educator but also stepped into the shoes of an author and publisher. Her creative ventures have not only enriched her own family’s learning journey but have also inspired countless others seeking alternative educational paths.

You can continue reading her story in her very personal story, One More Child, from Media Angels, Inc.

Filed Under: Blog, Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Tagged With: give thanks, give thanks to the Lord, giving thanks, humility in prayer, thanks that surpasses all understanding, thanks that surpasses knowledge, thanksgiving

Homeschooling and Thanksgiving

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 22, 2022 by Vicki Tillman Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschooling and Thanksgiving.

Homeschooling and Thanksgiving

Whether you are big on favorites or not, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for many homeschoolers.There is just something about the food that is amazing, of course, but more than that, there is something about a day dedicated to expressing how thankful you are.

But why is there just one day? Don’t we want every day to be dedicated to giving thanks, to being grateful, to recognizing and expressing gratitude? Let’s jump into all the giving thanks ideas and different examples of what we can do to give thanks not only on Thanksgiving but for homeschooling and Thanksgiving every single day!

Gratitude Journaling

For many, life became lonely during COVID when so many people were first experiencing the added stressors of the pandemic. And being at home, quarantined, while also afraid and uncertain about so many other things, some people leaned into gratitude journaling as a mental wellness practice.

There’s something to be said about seeing how powerful something that small can actually be. This is one area where homeschooling and Thanksgiving really play well together!

According to the research at Greater Good Science of the University of California, when we write things down that we are thankful for, it literally changes our brain structure, similar to a PET scan. It revealed that if we journal for two weeks straight in our gratitude journal, the calm down centers in our brain will grow in size.

This means, it lessens the stress and hyperactivity in your brain just from journaling! And it also means that when God created us to be thankful- He wired us to become healthier when we do. God did some amazing stuff when he designed us, didn’t He?

(Check out Vicki’s coaching website for freebie downloadable gratitude journaling pages.)

It helps to notice even the small beautiful things.

Identify Different Things To Be Thankful For

Another practice you can put into place for homeschooling and Thanksgiving is to have your kids share one or two good things about something each day or each week.

The kicker? Each time has to be something completely different every time as much as possible. They are not allowed to repeat things they are thankful for. That is because, when you can try to make your “thing” that you are thankful for different each time, you realize just how much there is to really be thankful for.

Here is a prayer of Thanksgiving that can help with this exercise. Or have some inspiration from homeschool graduates who share why they were thankful for homeschooling.

Write Down What You Are Thankful For

You can take this a step further in giving thanks ideas by having your kids write down what they are thankful for each time you do this. Even if you or your kids are not big into journaling, that’s fine – this has nothing to do with journaling. You do not have to be a writer or like to write to practice this.

You are simply just writing down what you are thankful for and seeing it tangibly in front of your eyes. Something about writing down what you are thankful for seems to give it life and reveals itself to you more purposefully.

If you think about something that you are thankful for, that is good. But until you write it down, you do not fully take note of it. So, it has nothing to do with being a writer, but has more to do with making that stick in your brain.

Be Thankful Even In A Mess

There is always something to be thankful for right in the midst of all of the mess. We can always find some small good that God has given us- this helps strengthen us through the storm. For instance, think about the trees and the sun, for example, outside. Even if the trees give you sniffles, you can notice their beauty.

When we notice that God has created nice things out there, we remember that He puts things out there for us to richly enjoy (whether or not life is going well at that moment). Your day may be a rotten one, for instance, but the clouds are beautiful and the sun is shining.

No matter what you may have going on in your life, you will see God’s fingerprints in the most surprising places, right in the midst of any difficult time. Give thanks for the presence of God in the midst of all of that. Because there is always something to be thankful for.

Giving thanks does not make the bad stuff non-existent. However, giving thanks for the good stuff makes it so much easier to handle and keep going.

Reframing

Another thing that is really helpful is reframing. The idea is to reframe, or re-train, your mindset. You do this by correcting yourself in your thoughts. You put into practice “I get to” instead of “I have to” which helps offers thanks to that thing in thinking about.

And it does not mean you are lying to yourself. It means you are simply putting your words and your thoughts in a different context.

For example, you might want to start taking better care of your body but you might not be one to like exercise. Instead of putting pressure on yourself by thinking you need to work out today or wondering if you worked out enough this week, flip it around and tell yourself the benefits you will get from working out.

You could put a sticky note on the front of your refrigerator or computer that says something along the lines of “more energy” and “more strength.” Remind yourself what you want instead of what you have to do.

This simple but powerful reframing practice will make you grateful for the chance to that thing (i.e., work out). Plus, it is also one of those things that you get to model for your kids. As they watch and listen to your positive mind shifts and thankfulness, they will begin to adopt this into their own lives.

Do One Small Thing Every Day That You Do Not Want To Do

When you do something small each day that you do not want to do, not only does it add up but it also brings you so much satisfaction in knowing that you got it done. It’s similar to eating an elephant one bite at a time.

If it is a large project and you need to get it done but you do not really want to do, just tackle it one task at a time. Do not worry about the other tasks, just do the one thing you do not want to do. It adds up.

This is a mighty yet powerful way to give thanks in the midsts of those begrudging tasks, those in which you did not walk away from but stayed and conquered them one little bit at a time. You’ll also have the satisfaction in knowing it’s done and can check it off your list.

This makes you much more grateful for the things you don’t enjoy doing, and you realize how satisfying it is to get done.

We can extend this to our kids as well. When we tell our kids to do their work, chores, or what have you, we can tell them how good they are going to feel when they get done.This gives them something to look forward to as well as gives them the opportunity to see gratitude and be thankful for their efforts.

Today is going to be a day of Thanksgiving.

Homeschooling and Thanksgiving

We hope that as you come into your Thanksgiving, you can mark the day and at the same time choose to mark every day, with some Thanksgiving.

It’s beautiful to have those special days. God set aside these special moments and mile markers to mark that progress in your life and to stop and not do your normal stuff. And instead, celebrate life, be thankful, and be with loved ones.

So although all these things are wonderful to have as reminders and mile markers, we can also choose to take a piece of that thankfulness with us to plunk down at the beginning of every single day. We can say:

Today is going to be a day of Thanksgiving.

Maybe you’re not going to do the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing or the cranberries every day, but every day can be a day of Thanksgiving. And when you do, see what it does for your brain!

BTW- If you would like to have a “why we have these traditions” lesson with your teens, check out this post from philosopher, Dr. Micah Tillman.

Thank you to Richie Soares with Homeschool and Humor for writing this blog post!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on
1. View in “…your favorite podcast source”
This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
Click SUBSCRIBE.
Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
Tap *Subscribe*
Please tap *Ratings and Review*

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: thanksgiving, The Homeschool Highschool Podcast

Special Replay: Thanksgiving Kids Crafts

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 14, 2022 by Gina Steffy Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Kids Crafts

Episode 235

Thanksgiving kid’s crafts are so much fun! I love crafts – especially holiday crafts like Thanksgiving crafts for kids. In this episode of Vintage Homeschool Moms, I’ll share some great Thanksgiving crafts that are easy to make. So much fun and so decorative.

Stack up on different colors of foam – it is easy to cut and available at craft stores or online.
Glue is a must, with paint brushes to apply

Ideas for Thanksgiving crafts for kids:

Crafts for fun:
1. Turkey bag puppets – cut-out construction paper shapes – turkey.
2. Door hangers – cut a hole for the know, put on a turkey head and feathers (of course). Use a thick paper or craft foam.
3. Turkey table decorations – layer the front (a turkey head), then scallop shapes – then the feathers. Use craft foam.
4. Turkey shapes out of a pie plate.
5. I am thankful – use two paper plates, and divide one with a marker into six or eight pie shapes (like a pizza). Have the children label each triangle and draw a picture about something they are thankful for…Take the “top” plate and cut only one triangle out. Then, layer each plate on top of the other.
Crafts for decorations
1. Collect pine cones for a natural arrangement. Glue pinecones to popsicle sticks and fit them into a flower arrangement.
2. Collect fall leaves – glue them onto clear glass jars (or containers). Use glue or a permanent adhesive like Modge Podge – it dries clear and hard. Use as gift containers or place flowers or for table decorations.
3. Use smaller glass containers, glue on leaves, and use these on tables with battery-powered lights or flower arrangements.
4. Give Thanks – or Happy Thanksgiving – use one sheet of paper (thick or watercolor paper). Color background and hand letter or stencil letters to each sheet of paper, then thread with rope – hang on the walls, on the mantle or in bedrooms.
5. Name tags with pilgrims
6. Thyme – make into a wreath and tie it with twine, then decorate with ribbon. Place it on each place setting.
7. Thankful wreath – create a wreath with construction paper shapes of leaves. Have the children label each with a “thankful word.”
8. Use leaves (construction paper or craft foam) and label each with a thankful word. Glue in the shape of a wreath.
9. Glass containers with cut-out (tissue paper) leaves. Use glue to affix. Place a battery-powered candle in each container.
10. Cut out a pumpkin, fill it with floral foam, and use it as a vase for flowers.
11. Use the words Happy Thanksgiving – use one sheet of paper for each letter. Use glue and glitter or fancy letters.
12. Pine cones – paint the edges with paint and use them for table decorations.
13. Cut out shapes – turkeys, pilgrims, etc. and string them together as a garland.
Crafts for gifts
1. Fall leave containers
2. Bracelet – with orange, brown, and yellow – “fall” colors – give to guests or have this as a craft for kids.
3. Trail mix – have the kids fill festive containers they’ve decorated. Use stickers on dollar store plastic containers.
4. Party favors – decorate an envelope with foam cutouts (turkey, fall leaves, etc.) and slip in a candy bar or other treats.
5. Glass container (above) with leaves
6. Candy corn or candy with a clear baggie – tie it with a ribbon and have the children write a poem, use a scripture verse, etc.
7. Use a circle sheet of tissue paper, place candy in the middle, and gather it in the shape of a pumpkin. Use green tape to make a stem.
8. Paper cups with a scripture verse on the front or a “thankful” word – fill with candy. Use a popsicle stick to glue a “Thanksgiving character” and place in the cup with candy. (Fill a small planter or vase as well.)
9. Oranges. Use a knife (or a special utensil) to carve our designs, dot with cloves. Give as gifts. (It does not work well in Florida and will mold – but it is great in cold climates.
10. Turkey coaster. Take a circle of cork and glue it to a turkey shape. A great gift.
11. Use craft foam and cut out a rectangle for a photo. Decorate with Thanksgiving designs, etc. Give it as a gift.
Crafts that encourage character
1. Thankful jar – daily, add a card about what you are thankful for that day.
2. Read a card to the family (randomly draw it out) at dinner
3. Write one word (or more) and slip it under a plate. Each person does this for the members of the family. If you have a larger family, maybe assign numbers (select randomly) or assign.
4. Placemats – A Thankful scene or things the children are thankful for…you can cover it with clear contact paper to make it last longer.
5. Thankful tree – use construction paper for the tree trunk. Use this as an ongoing project during the month. Each leaf holds one thing the children are thankful for. [Listen to this podcast encouraging children to be thankful here.]
6. Use a tree branch and place it into a vase or a planter. Decorate the branches with cut-out leaves with “thankful” words on each leaf.

Websites to check out:

Thanksgiving Desserts for Kids

Turkey Napkin Folding

Extra thankful gift tags with printable

Pumpkin bread with free printable

Gratitude Pumpkin Craft

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Vintage Homeschool Moms Tagged With: cheap thanksgiving crafts, crafts with kids, thanksgiving

Family Traditions to Celebrate, Teach, & Identify

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 7, 2022 by Laura Leave a Comment

Family Traditions to Celebrate, Teach, & Identify

In “Family Traditions to Celebrate, Teach, & Identify,” Episode, #173, Meredith Curtis believes family traditions are a perfect way to celebrate holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and special days. They also help us to pass on values and give our children a sense of security as a family member. Many celebrations also lend themselves to teaching children family and national history. Where do you start to build family traditions your family will enjoy and keep everything simple and easy? Meredith hears you and she has some simple steps to take to plan your own family traditions.

Powerline Productions, Inc.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

Show Notes

Start with his and hers. Then move to ours.

The Basics of Traditions

Festive with purpose!

Celebration Fun
Teaching & Passing on Virtues
Identification in the Family

Let Me Give Your Some Examples

New Years Day

Scriptures

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (II Corinthians 5:17)

Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB)

New Life, New Opportunities, Moving Forward

Celebrate: Game night & Festive midnight “toast with hugs”

Teach/Pass Values: Family Communion (new life in Christ) & Prayer for the New Year (new beginning)

Family Identity: “This is how we celebrate New Years”

St. Valentines’ Day

Scripture

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12 NASB)

Love for God, Romantic Love

Celebrate: “Pink & Red & White Dinner,” decorate, make Valentines for each other

Teach/Pass Values: Parents share love story or looking at wedding album, Read (or watch) something about St. Valentine

Family Identity: “This is how we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day”

Mother’s Day / Father’s Day

Scripture

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth(Ephesians 6:1-3 NASB)

Blessing of Parents, Honoring Parents

Celebrate: Special meal, Encouragement Game, Family Outing, or Presents (combo or all)

Teach/Pass Values: Call grandparents, Send cards earlier, Help children make cards & gifts for parent

Family Identity: “This is how we celebrate Mother’s Day & Father’s Day”

How to Get Started

Brainstorm your dreams for your family

Talk to your husband – his favorite holiday traditions

Talk to your kids – what are there favorite holiday traditions

Can tweak traditions (e.g. opening presents one at a time)

Think in terms of Celebrate & Teach/Pass Values. All traditions help establish a family identity.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Resources

Be proactive this holiday season! 😊

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Finish Well Tagged With: birthday, celebration, Christian, Christianity, christmas, Education, family, Finish Well, homeschool, homeschooling, Laura Nolette, Meredith Curtis, Parent, thanksgiving, tradition

Celebrating Thanksgiving

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 7, 2022 by mediaangels Leave a Comment

Celebrating Thanksgiving – Just For Kids ~ Episode 481

Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year? I’m sure you and your family have special holiday traditions but in this podcast, I am talking about thanksgiving in that you are thankful. That you have an “attitude of gratitude.” And, not just for all the good things. Join me, Felice Gerwitz for this special Just For Kids episode (and bring the kids! all are welcome).

Visit MediaAngels.com for wonderful novels for your homeschooled students. The wholesome Truth Seekers Mystery Series as well as A Few Minutes with God. Immediate download or order the print books just in time for gift giving. Visit the store here.

Okay kids, think fast! What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Wait. What? Some of you said the food and others said you don’t like the traditional foods, like turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Do you like those little cranberry nubby things? You know, the cranberry sauce? Maybe you said, “yes” to this and maybe you said, “no.” We all have things we like and dislike. But just like you have a choice in liking or disliking the things you eat, you also have a choice. We can choose to be happy and thankful! And only you (and your attitude) can make it the best day ever! What do I mean? Well, that’s what I want to share with you.

Attitude is everything when celebrating Thanksgiving or just living life each day.

Sometimes we have this idea of what should happen, right? Let’s say you are going to your grandparent’s home for Thanksgiving. Each year you have a really good time. There is good food and your grandmother even makes sure she has chicken nuggets or something you like very much to eat. She also has games or crafts for you to do, and her house is like a park. There is a pool and a pond, there is air hockey and ping pong upstairs, and you are excited about seeing your cousins or playing outside. That is until you show up! You learn your cousins are sick and can’t come and it is raining outside. Does this mean that you have a terrible time? Maybe. But, maybe not.

Did you know that being sad or miserable is a choice? It is something we do, and we have the ability to be sad or happy. Sure, if we are out for a walk and it starts raining buckets of water we won’t be thrilled that we are soaking wet. But, at least it is not buckets of hail or snow and we are freezing cold. Do you see? You look at the bright side or you find the good in things. If you were caught in a rainstorm you might say, “This is great, now I don’t have to wash my hair tonight.” I hope you don’t say that, but you know what I mean, right? You are trying to see the good instead of the bad in things.

Do you want to be angry? Miserable? Really sad? No? Well great! That means you would like to know more about the attitude of gratitude. What is it and why do you want to know more? Well, I am so glad you asked.

We should have an attitude of gratitude. This means that you are thankful and grateful for everything big and small.

Gratitude (being grateful) is a choice.
It can become a habit, but it takes practice.
It helps us to be happy instead of sad.
It helps us to be adaptable when there are changes in our life.
It encourages us to look for the good instead of the bad.

What are some ways that you can practice being grateful?

Seeing the good in things.
Express your gratitude with words.
Celebrate the little things.
Chose to be happy.
Make a list.

Remember being grateful is a choice and we celebrate Thanksgiving for many different reasons. But one reason remains, to be together with our family and our friends. It is a way to show others that we appreciate all that they do. If you have people over to your own home do you have to help to clean up? Or do you see how much work your mom or dad does, maybe with the help of your older brothers and sisters? There is a ton of work that goes into having people over to your house. You don’t want them to open the front door and see a pile of dirty laundry or a mess the dog made, right? Of course not! So, we prepare and plan to get things just right. And sometimes everything looks great and sometimes there are last-minute things we have to do. Either way, we chose to be happy in the preparation and once the guests arrive.

Being available to your family is wonderful as well. Does your mom or dad need help? You won’t know unless you ask them. Are you willing to help? If not look at the reason why. Did you know that sometimes even adults don’t feel like doing things they are supposed to do? Believe me, I don’t always feel like preparing meals or baking for when the company comes over. Part of being grown up is doing the things we don’t want to do, and if you have an attitude that says, “I wish you would not come over,” your guests will know this when they come!

Can you imagine going to your grandparent’s home for Thanksgiving and finding that your grandmother made Turkey sandwiches and potato chips, and is serving store-bought cookies for dinner? You might say, “Yay!” if you like Turkey sandwiches, but that is not what you would expect. Am I right? But we make the best of things no matter what we find when we walk in.

When my grandchildren come over to my house the first thing they ask is “Grandma, what are we having to eat?”

What they should say is, “Hi Grandma! Thanks for all the hard work you are doing so that we can come over and eat some of our favorite foods.”

I am only partially kidding, because who doesn’t want to hear that from your son or daughter or your own grandkids? We all want to hear that gratitude that thanksgiving, that I appreciate all you are doing for me, and how can I help.

This all takes practice, it does not happen overnight, but the one thing I want you to take away from this podcast is that you are in control of your own feelings. And if you want to be happy, excited, and thankful it takes deciding that you will find the good in things that happen. Are you ready to be grateful? Are you ready to be happy about the little things? Are you ready to be a nicer person to everyone you meet? It takes only one person to make a change and that person is you! Congratulations on a life that is happier and fuller and I pray that this podcast has made you think of how you can be a blessing to others, not only at Thanksgiving but all year long.

Filed Under: Vintage Homeschool Moms Tagged With: attitude of gratitude, celebrating thanksgiving with kids, just for kids episode, just for kids podcast, thanksgiving

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 23, 2021 by Lisa Nehring Leave a Comment

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions!

Thanksgiving can definitely be a time of sharing great food, but it’s also a wonderful time to engage with each other in meaningful ways. We all have so much to be thankful for!

Creating Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions; it’s can be simple as:

Bring people home to celebrate and eat with your family- invite people over!
Pass out kernels of corn and then everyone share something they are thankful for for each kernel of corn they took.
Have a special Thanksgiving Tablecloth and have everyone sign it.
Decorate for Thanksgiving with guards and fall décor – create a cornucopia as a centerpiece.
Create a “Thankful Tree”
Create posters where people can write in what they are thankful for
Eat and share good food
Host a Pie Breakfast Open House
Play board games
Have a time of worship and testimony together
Sing old Hymns together. Check out CrossSeven for some great ones!
Watch or play football
Play cornhole, volley ball or croquet
Take an after dinner/ before desert walk
Watch a parade
Honor relatives you only see on holidays and record family stories

Resources:

Celebrate Thanksgiving by Meredith Curtis
Celebrate Sukkot by Lisa Nehring
Of Plimouth Plantation by William Bradford
PollyAnna by Elinor Portor
Squanto Focus on the Family Radio Theater

Find Meredith at Powerline Prod

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO Life Skills 101 VIA COMPUTER

Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
Click SUBSCRIBE.
Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
Tap *Subscribe*
Please tap *Ratings and Review*

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: Soft Skills 101 Tagged With: celebrating thanksgiving, handmade holidays, holiday traditions, Pilgrims, thanksgiving

Special Replay: How to be Thankful-er

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

November 23, 2021 by Vicki Tillman Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast a special replay: How to be Thankful-er!

How to be Thankful-er

Gratitude is important, whether it is Thanksgiving time or not. In this episode, Sabrina, Vicki and Kym are together to talk about gratitude and how to be more thankful!

Thankfulness is a healthy life skill for homeschool high schoolers (and their parents) to learn and practice. So let’s get started:

We are thankful to you, all our 7th Sisters and 7th Siblings. (Who are our 7th Sisters? Well, there are six of us 7Sisters: Sabrina, Vicki, Kym, Allison, Marilyn and Sara. That means YOU are our 7th Sisters…or 7th Siblings for you dads out there.)

Max Lucado says in his book, Anxious for Nothing, that teenagers’ average levels of anxiety are comparable to the anxiety of people who were in inpatient mental health programs in the 1950s. Did you catch that? That is shocking information- so much pain for folks in America these days.

Why is life so stressful these days?

Our fast-paced, photoshopped, achievement oriented culture has put a lot of pressure on teens, such as;

Social media shows a picture perfect world
Pressures from the digital sphere often push teens to feel they need to live as if everything is an “event” requiring:
- preparation
- presentation
- planning
FOMO (in case you forgot: Fear of Missing Out
We live in a high performance world that expects teens to achieve, achieve, achieve
Also, these days, the covid pandemic and other crises

What to to help our teens and ourselves feel less stress and anxiety?

We need to learn gratitude! The University of California’s Greater Good Science Center has studied things that make people feel better. They have found that people who practice written gratitude tend to improve in mood and health.

One study that Greater Good Science Center did found that people who did a written gratitude list experienced:

Improvement in anxiety and depression levels
Fewer sick visits to the doctor
Observable change in one of the brain’s calm-down centers

Imagine that! Science and research catches up with Scripture. We know that Scripture has been reminding us to be thankful for thousands of years!

Ways to notice the good things in your world
Ways to model gratitude for your teens and youngers

Kym recalled that being in seventh grade started a new school. It was a different setting than she was used to: from a school in the city to a suburban setting. On her first day there, she was feeling nervous. On her way back from gym class, she realized,

“Wow! I could just be positive and it would make my life better. Not only that but it might make life better for someone else!”

Kym is so grateful today that God wired her for gratitude. It has helped her through stressful times and struggles ever since that time. Here is a resource Kym finds inspiring:

The books of Jon Gordon. He is a person who was naturally negative but learned to be positive after being challenged by his wife. One of the thankfulness practices that Kym learned from him is to take a daily “thankfulness walk”.

Kym also practices a nightly review of the positive things that:

She has done that day
Others have done for her that day
Anything else she can think of to be thankful for
Here’s a post with more Kym-like ideas for thanksgiving

Sabrina points out that Kym has been a gratitude inspiration to her and her son-in-law during a beach trip their families all took together. In fact, Sabrina’s son-in-law told her that when he “grew up” he wanted to be Kym because she was so enthusiastic and noticed the good things in life. Sabrina noticed that Kym was even blessed by seeing the well-done lines in a parking lot!

Vicki also mentioned she enjoys the encouragement of books by John Maxwell.

Start prayer with gratitude

Sabrina has found that whenever she is troubled about something, she wants to pray about it. However, she found that when she starts the prayer with “thank you”, she actually feels better than starting with the troubles.

With that in mind you can remember Sabrina’s favorite quote:

It is much harder to angst and spazz when standing before the throne of God if you start the prayer with gratitude!

How do you help teens learn to be thankful-er?

Teens sometimes think parents are irritating if they lecture about any topic. However, you can model gratitude for them!

Take them on thankful walks and talk about what you are doing on the walk
Model thankfulness and gratitude
Keep a gratitude journal daily (and let the family see you work on it sometimes)
Pray that God put role models in their lives who will live a lifestyle of thankfulness
Model “taking a break” for self-care and gratitude

You can also ask them about ways they could practice being a grateful person. (They might have an app for that!)

Also, be sure that you:

Occasionally thank them for daily good behaviors
Alway thank them for special kindnesses they have done
This attitude of thankfulness tends to improve relationships and work habits!

Join Sabrina, Vicki and Kym for lots of tips on how to be thankful-er.

What are some good resources that you have found for learning or practicing gratitude?

In the meantime, enjoy a few helpful posts from Vicki’s coaching business and 7SistersHomeschool.com!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on
1. View in “…your favorite podcast source”
This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
Click SUBSCRIBE.
Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
Tap *Subscribe*
Please tap *Ratings and Review*

How to be Thankful-er

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS | More

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: gratitude, thanksgiving, The Homeschool Highschool Podcast

7 Festive Fun Thanksgiving Traditions to Cultivate Gratitude

Show Notes

Praise Breakfast

Gratitude Guessing Game

Thankful Tree

Blessing Place Cards & Scripture Cards

Pass the Praise

Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing

Thankful Poster

Sign up for our Newsletter

Resources

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO Life Skills 101 VIA COMPUTER

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Let’s Talk About Hope and Thanksgiving with Felice Gerwitz

Hope and Thanksgiving

It’s all about giving thanks!

But can you give thanks?

Life happens.

So we give thanks, right? Wrong.

And, our children watched us.

Please share ways you praise the Lord even when things are tough!

Meet Felice Gerwitz: A Devoted Homeschool Mom, Author, Publisher, and Podcast Host

Homeschooling and Thanksgiving

Gratitude Journaling

Identify Different Things To Be Thankful For

Write Down What You Are Thankful For

Be Thankful Even In A Mess

Reframing

Do One Small Thing Every Day That You Do Not Want To Do

Homeschooling and Thanksgiving

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

Thanksgiving Kids Crafts

Episode 235

Family Traditions to Celebrate, Teach, & Identify

Show Notes

The Basics of Traditions

New Years Day

St. Valentines’ Day

Mother’s Day / Father’s Day

How to Get Started

Sign up for our Newsletter

Resources

Celebrating Thanksgiving – Just For Kids ~ Episode 481

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO Life Skills 101 VIA COMPUTER

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

How to be Thankful-er

Why is life so stressful these days?

What to to help our teens and ourselves feel less stress and anxiety?

Kym also practices a nightly review of the positive things that:

Start prayer with gratitude

With that in mind you can remember Sabrina’s favorite quote:

How do you help teens learn to be thankful-er?

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

How to be Thankful-er

Register Free and Get Special Bonuses

About

Get Your Free Ebook, Homeschooling Matters

Search