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      • inferring
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      • visualizing
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    • environmental print
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    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
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    • creative writing
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    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
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    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
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our thankful tree: beautiful, simple for thanksgiving

home / Activities / holidays / thanksgiving / our thankful tree: beautiful, simple for thanksgiving
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thankful tree

Maddy, Owen, and Cora have already started with a case of the ‘galloping greedy gimmies’ a la Berenstain Bears thanks to the 800 million holiday wish books that have made their way into our home.ย 

Sure, I think it’s fine for kids to flip through the catalogs and dream a little, but it seemed that our kids were forgetting the spirit of the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, which is nearly upon us.

So when I found a pack of dollar-bin leaves that we hadn’t used this season, I thought we’d put them to use in a Thankful Tree–a work in progress and a reminder to our family of how much we have to be thankful for.

  • Thankful Tree: A lot like our sweet and teeny Love Tree from last Valentine’s Day, the Thankful Tree is basically sticks, leaves, and lots of thought.

One sunny day last week, the kids took a bike ride, and I lugged our wagon so we could go on a ‘stick hunt’ of sorts, collecting sticks for our Thankful Tree.ย  (Usually our yard’s full of them, but our squirrels must have found other things to do this fall than to try to make nests in our trees!)

our thankful tree

Our wagon is full of sticks for our Thankful Tree.

Once we got home, we broke the big sticks and placed them in one of our huge glass vases.ย  We tried to use the sticks that had twisty and turney branches so that our leaves would have lots of places to hang.

Then we put our blank Thankful Tree aside for a bit so that we could tackle homework, dinner, and everything else.

our thankful tree

We started work on our Tree at breakfast one morning when everyone was particularly cranky, nasty, and grouchy towards each other. When I couldn’t take it anymore and couldn’t bear to hear one more whiny complaint or one more kid tattling, I grabbed the leaves and a Sharpie.

You know what? We have so much to be thankful for.ย  You guys have so much in your lives, I think you forget it. We’re going to start our Thankful Tree right now, while we’re eating breakfast so that you start the day off knowing how much you have to be grateful for.

I’m going to start writing what I’m thankful for on these leaves.ย  You listen to what I’m writing, and when you think of something you’re thankful for, let me know, and I’ll write it.

our thankful tree

our thankful tree

I started by writing ‘for our house’ and ‘for our good food‘, and soon the ideas started coming.

Owen said, I’m thankful for Mommy.ย  (Seriously, and I didn’t even plug myself, I promise.)

our thankful tree

Owen, that’s really thoughtful.ย  I’ll write that on a leaf for you.ย  I wrote ‘for Mommy‘.

Cora added, I’m thankful for Brady.

I said, Cora, you’re right.ย  Even though we get frustrated with Brady, we should be thankful that we are able to have a furry family member because some kids really want a dog, and they are not able to get one.

our thankful tree

Our many leaves, waiting to hang on our tree.

Maddy jumped in and asked for her own pen, and she wouldn’t stop writing; she added ‘for my friends‘ and ‘for our games‘ and ‘for our warm clothes‘ and ‘for my family‘.

We added what we could before we had to throw the dishes in the sink, grab lunches and backpacks, and put on coats and shoes.ย  We didn’t finish, but I think–I hope–it got us re-focused and off to a better start for the day.

our thankful tree

our thankful tree

Later that day, I cut a small slit in each leaf and Maddy helped me tie a string through each one so they could hang from the branches of our Thankful Tree.

It really is a gorgeous and unique centerpiece, and it’s a work in progress.ย  I filled a small basket of already-strung leaves and the Sharpie so that whenever anyone feels like they want to add a leaf, they can.

I wanted to deliberately add leaves at the end of each day, but I think that for us–with our schedules and with everything going on right now–I like the idea of our leaf-adding to be a more natural, add-as-we-feel-ready kind of thing.

thankful tree

You certainly don’ t need these special leaves to make your own; even if the leaves are cut from construction paper, a Thankful Tree can be beautiful and special, and I’d love to see others’ versions and ways of giving thanks.

And that’s it–just a fall-festive way of reminding my littles that we have so much to be thankful for during this special, giving time of the year.

fyi: affiliate links are used in this post

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
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Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

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What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
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(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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