Thanksgiving Class Party Ideas

Class Party Ideas

for THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving Must-Haves from

magazine

Our exclusive class-party guide has all the crafts, recipes,

and activities you need to make this season especially fun and meaningful for every

student. We hope you have a gobbly good time!

COVER: PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI. THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN LIEBE.

Get the how-to's for this napkin ring on page 6.

■ Ask the teacher for the class party start and end times.

■ Check guidelines on theme: “Thanksgiving” vs. “Fall.”■ Create a SignUp.com

class party SignUp for parents to help with: • Decorating and setup • Snacks and beverages

• Crafts, games, and activities■ Alert snack parents about food allergies.■ Keep decorations simple: balloons, paper

tablecloths, and easy DIY projects.■ Don't forget cleanup supplies (trash bags, paper towels, etc.).

■ Use a kid's wagon to carry supplies through campus.

■ Remind parents to set phones to silent.■ Ask a parent to take pictures.

■ Have FUN! The kids will have a special day no matter what happens!

Room-Parent Party Checklist ✔

Learn how to make this mini

pilgram hat.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN LIEBE.

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Thanksgiving Party Decorations

Gobbler Place CardsSweeten up the kids' desks

with these turkey pals, quickly and cleverly constructed

from cupcake liners.

What to do: Flatten a standard-size cupcake liner, then draw eyes on the bottom of a mini cupcake liner. With a glue stick, adhere a beak and snood cut from colored paper. Using a brush or

cotton swab, dab white glue around the rim of the mini liner. Set it off-center on the larger liner, as shown, and let it dry. With the glue stick, attach the turkey to a folded

tent card (we used decorative-edge scissors to cut ours from brown

card stock). Add turkey feet and a name with marker.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN LIEBE.

Adorable Acorns

Students can make a bunch of these cuties to decorate the family table

or share as favors. You can even use them to make the napkin rings

on page 2. (Order the caps from acorno.com.)

What to do: Add a drop of glue to the inside of the acorn cap and top with a pom-

pom (we used ¾- and 1-in. sizes). Let dry. For the napkin rings, hot glue a length of

ribbon to the inside of the caps before the party (an adult's job). Then the kids can

decorate as they wish.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN LIEBE.

Thanksgiving Party Snacks

Apple Quick LoafSlice up a few batches of this

nut-free bread for a healthier treat.

What to do: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x5-in. loaf pan; set

aside. Whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda,

½ tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg; set aside. In a separate bowl,

beat 1 stick unsalted butter for 2 minutes, then gradually mix in ½ cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp. lemon zest. Slowly add the

dry ingredients and ½ cup buttermilk to the creamed ingredients. Coat 1½ cups peeled, cored, and diced apples with

1½ Tbs. flour, then fold into the batter. Spread the batter into the pan, sprinkle

with 1 tsp. sugar, and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out

clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the loaf pan.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BÉATRICE PELTRE.

Wing It Veggies

This turkey-fied twist on a veggie platter just might entice the students to gobble up a healthy party snack.

What to do: Line a plate with lettuce leaves. Layer on broccoli, sliced bell peppers, and baby carrots. Include a bowl of your favorite dip, plus sliced mushrooms around the bottom. Add a mushroom cap head with peppercorn eyes and bell pepper wings, feet, beak, and snood.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RAYMOND HOM.

Thanksgiving Party Activities

Hats Off for ColorFill these pilgrim hats with

crayons, cover the worktable with paper, and let students draw all over.

What to do: Trim the bottom from a black paper cup. Cut a circle of black

card stock about an inch wider than the cup's top. Run a line of glue around the rim and press it onto the circle. To make the band and buckle, cut a narrow strip of card stock the length of the cup's

circumference; cut a square from a second piece of cardstock about ¾ inch wider than

the band. Weave the band through two parallel cuts in the buckle, wrap it around

the cup, and glue the ends together. Add crayons once it's dry.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUGLAS MERRIAM.

Roller Birdy: The Game

This adorable craft turns into a wacky, high-energy activity!

What to do: Have each player make a turkey, using glue dots to stick the googly

eyes and felt beak and snood onto a pom-pom head. Next, attach the pom-pom

and feathers to half a plastic egg with glue dots. Place the opening over a large

marble. On a smooth floor, see who can roll her bird the farthest, or set up a

croquet-style course using chairs as makeshift wickets.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK MANTEGNA.

Thanksgiving Stories

Share these great reads on giving thanks with the class.

• Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks, by M. Sutherland

• The Quiltmaker’s Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau

• The Littlest Pilgrim, by Brandi Dougherty

• Thanks for Thanksgiving, by Julie Markes

• Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode

• 10 Fat Turkeys, by Tony Johnston

Learn how to make these tabletop trees.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RONALD ANDREN.

Thanksgiving Gratitude Ideas

Wreath of PlentyEach note pinned to this leafy wreath shows kids

how much they have to be thankful for.

What to do: To adapt this wreath for the classroom (this

version uses a Styrofoam wreath and straight pins): Cut

the flat center from a plain paper plate; paint brown if

desired. Cut leaf shapes from card stock. Crease each leaf in

half to add dimension. Have children write what they're

thankful for with light-colored gel pens, then use glue dots to attach the leaves to the wreath.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUGLAS MERRIAM.

• Write cards for teachers, coaches, and parents.

• Collect gently used coats and blankets.

• Have a canned-food drive at the class party.

• Make crafts for local nursing homes.

• Contribute to the wreath of plenty.

• Add notes to the Gratitude Boat.

• Thank classmates for acts of kindness they've done.

• Set up a hot-chocolate stand and donate the proceeds to a charity of

their choosing.

More Ways to Show Gratitude

PHOTOGRAPH BY RAYMOND HOM.

Check out

magazine for more craft ideas, recipes, and activities

for kids!

Learn how to make these leaf creatures.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY RONALD ANDREN.

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• Class parties

• Field trips

• Weekly readers

• Potlucks

• Performances

• Service projects

• Fundraisers

• Team snacks

• Parent conferences

For everything you organize: