Thanksgiving, Day 1

One thing that I like about working in a preschool in this environment is that we get to pick our own weekly themes, and since it's a weekly theme that means that we get to celebrate any holiday for almost a week. This week is no different, for all of you norms in the grand ol' USA celebrating Thanksgiving this week you will get one day and us we will get in a way to celebrate it every day. Now I know the celebration is not the same, but it puts in a different perspective and makes you appreciate the holidays even more for when you are home (or make you realize really how unimportant they are). I can't wait until Christmas time (not that i want it to race to then), as we will be doing the Christmas theme for two weeks! and then I get to come home and celebrate it for another week with my family (now that is the life!).
Anyway today was the first day of our Thanksgiving theme, in my afternoon class we did a couple of different games and songs. (sorry to be adding all of these songs and such that I used, but it makes it easier to find them for the future for me and since I post things before the actual holiday others might be able to use them too)

The first one is called The Turkey:

The turkey is a funny bird.
(Hook thumbs together and spread fingers to create turkey tail.)
Its head goes wobble, wobble.
(Wobble head back and forth.)
And all it knows is just one word:
(Hold up one finger.)
"Gobble, gobble, gobble."
(Make mouth shape with hand, opening and closing it while sounding like a turkey.)

The next one is called Turkey Dance:

Oh, you turkey to the left (two steps to the left)
Turkey to the right (two steps to the right)
Then you heel and toe (do motion with foot)
and scratch with all your might (scratch with foot--we did scratching with our hands and feet)
Now flap your turkey wings (put hands in armpits and flap)
While your head goes wobble, wobble. (wobble head)
Then turn around and then you say (turn around)
"Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!"

And the last one that we learned was called The Turkey Hop:

Do the turkey hop,
do the turkey run.
Do the turkey gobble
it's a lot of fun.

Now flap your wings,
like the turkeys do.
Then run from the farmers,
before they catch you.

Students line up on one wall (they are the turkeys) and one student and I (we are the farmers) stand in the middle. We say the poem and do the actions. When we get to the end of the poem the "turkeys" run to the other side. If one of the farmers touches them then they turn into farmers. We play until there are only one or two turkeys left.
The kids really like this game, we played it for almost half the class time. In the first afternoon class on our last game I was actually the last turkey (can you believe that?) and I got through the kids one time when it was only me against the whole class, I was quite impressed with myself but then class time was over so I didn't get to see how long I could go.

~Bethered~