Thanksgiving Day Thanks

 

 

Ask any child about the meaning behind Thanksgiving and you're guaranteed to hear their tales of when the pilgrims met the Indians for a dinner filled with turkey, stuffing and S'mores (yes, S'mores, as it seems, at least according to one of my 2nd grade students last week, that the earliest settlers dined on those gooey sweets since, according to him, the Indians taught them how to make fire!).    

 

     But sometimes, our little ones tend to forget about the true significance behind those two words-thanks and giving, that this holiday is truly all about.

     Despite the fast pace world that we are living today, it's still so important to take the time to teach our little ones about gratefulness and the value of being thankful for all of the good things that they have in their lives.  Wishing each of you and your little ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day Thanks
      As our tale beings, everyone in Sam the bear's class are excited to start planning for their Thanksgiving Feast.  All of his classmate's in Mrs. Wright's class seem to be able to quickly able to say and think of special projects to create that express the many things that they are thankful for, all except Sam, and this makes him feel very sad and lonely. 
      The big day of the special feast arrives, which features appearances by Governor Bradford, Priscilla Mullins and even Squanto, but where is Sam?  His classmates remember how disappointed Sam has been feeling since he was having trouble coming up with a project and worry that he won't come to school.  Little do they know that inspiration in the form Sam's version of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon, awaits them outside.  But, when Mother Nature attempts to wreck havoc with Sam's special parade, his classmates come to the rescue in an excited conclusion.
       Author Laura Malone Elliot weaves a simple yet enlightening introduction about the holiday for little ones, and when I read this story to my 2nd graders last week before our break, between the humble storyline and the delightful illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, they were easily drawn in.  I also appreciated the fact that Elliot included, "A Note About Thanksgiving" which gave my students a factual account about the hardships that the pilgrims faced when they came to the New World and how the Indians, led by Squanto, saved numerous lives by helping them plant food and create shelter from the severe winter weather. 

Thanksgiving Day Thanks
Written by Laura Malone Elliot & Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2013)
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
For ages 4 to 8
ISBN: 978-0-06-000236-7
Retails for $17.99

How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad? By Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad?
    Emotions can be so confusing for our little ones to handle.  Anger, although it is a singular emotion, can be triggered by a multitude of things---when a younger sister crayons all over a drawing that they worked so hard to make just perfect for a special someone; or being denied that yummy, gooey double chocolate chip cookie because that ugly, nasty, green leafy veggie still remains on their dinner plate. 
    Our little ones express their displeasure to us in a whole host of ways; through yelling, stomping their hands and feet, and even resorting to biting us (As our family legend states, once, during the spring of '75, while in the cracker/cereal aisle at King Kullen, I bit my mother on her hand while she pushed the cart, for her refusal to put a box of Nabisco Animal Crackers that I whined for, in my hands, and she, in turn, bit my hand back.  Gone in that very instant was the start of my biting ways, as well as my taste for Animal Crackers!).  Emotions and learning are undeniably closely intertwined, as the process of comprehending how positive behaviors will elicit a positive response from those around them are a work in progress during our little one's toddler years. 
     Talking with your children about learning how to understand their feelings is key--while anger management control can be, at least for some, a lifetime filled with learning, making those early attempts to show your children how to sense those emotional triggers, modeling how consequences have actions, but yet at the very same time, instilling in your children that anger does not define nor has the ultimate power to control them, is so important.

      Well-expressed stories like the recent release from the acclaimed team of author Jane Yolen and illustrator Mark Teague called How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad, can help little ones learn to control their tempers, while at the same time, engage their interest.  As our tale begins, we are reminded that dinosaurs were big, strong, and, well, let's face it, I'm sure that there were plenty of times just like the dinosaurs featured in Yolen and Teague's story, that roared and stomped their feet when they felt upset or angry about something.   But, the biggest question posed in this engagingly humorous tale  is, can dinosaurs learn to settle down and try to behave like a cool, calm Brontosaurus, instead of being like a temper-tantrum prone Afrovenator? Filled with humor and gentle wisdom throughout, Yolen and Teague (author's one of my son's constantly read bedtime stories when he was small, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight) adeptly show little ones the right ways as well as the wrong ways to handle their emotions.

 

How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad?
Written by Jane Yolen and Illustrated by Mark Teague
Publisher:  Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic
Website: www.scholastic.com
ISBN: 978-0545143158
For ages 4 to 8
Retails for $