Tag: Thanksgiving

Let’s Live with Gratitude, Dear World.

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This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and having been deeply moved by the sermon at mass this morning, I found myself moving towards a post to share the same.

The sermon focused, rather aptly, on the spirit of gratitude. The priest began by sharing his own experiences of complaining about things in life when they don’t go his way. He acknowledged that as human beings we are prone to ingratitude and feelings of entitlement that lead us to believe that comfort and good things are due to us. As a result, when they don’t come our way as expected, we do not know how to react, cue an attitude of ingratitude. He emphasized that with such an attitude, it is impossible to live a fulfilling life. The cure he said? Switching out an attitude of ingratitude for one of gratitude. And how right he is. Being grateful for the positive in our lives and recognizing the value in the negative to help us grow, leads us to living joyful lives. Instead of whining about what is going wrong, why not think about all the things that went right? To keep with this spirit of spreading the message of leading a life of gratitude, I looked up (on Google IMAGES) a number of quotes, and a plethora of them is what I found. I am sharing some in this post because I think being grateful is something that may not come naturally to a lot of us, but it is something worth practicing everyday until it is natural. Being grateful will improve our quality of life. After all, it is only a matter of a change in perspective, a worthwhile investment that yields BIG dividends.

Ponder these then. They are beautiful.

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P.S. To my readers all over the world, I thank you for visiting my humble website. If not for your loyalty, I wouldn’t post the things I do. XO.

 

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Making Thanksgiving Cards (A How-To for Teachers)

Thanksgiving is around the corner for us here in Canada, and teachers, stepping off my post from yesterday, I decided to do Thanksgiving cards as an art activity with my junior class today. These are really easy to make and students can dedicate these to whomever they wish. Teachers, the dedication process can be a mini-lesson in the writing component of language. You can have them write out rough drafts of their inside greetings, and then peer-edit before they transfer them on as good copies to their cards.

Detailed below are the materials needed, and the process that was followed to make the cards.

Materials:

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  1. Googly Eyes
  2. Cardstock (I use the Reflections brand that can be found at Michael’s Craft Stores)
  3. Coloured Markers or Sharpies
  4. Scissors and Glue sticks
  5. Turkey and maple leaf templates
  6. Square cut-outs (of appropriate size) of orange, yellow and green cardstock (you can substitute with construction paper if you prefer)

Process: 

#1 Cut out the turkey and maple leaf templates, using them, trace (onto the side of the coloured paper opposite to the one that will be facing the top when stuck on the card) onto appropriate coloured paper and then cut those out too . Write 1 in the turkey template so your students know they have to cut out only ONE turkey (in orange), and 2 in the maple leaf template so they know they have to cut out TWO maple leaps (yellow and green). Teachers, for those of you who own a Cricut cutting machine, you can pre-cut turkeys and maple leafs for your students. However, the cutting process helps them to be part of the card-making from scratch.

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#2 Once the pieces are cut out, use a dark-coloured marker (black, brown, gold) to draw details onto the maple leaf and turkey cutouts. Add googly eyes and paste all 3 cutouts onto the front face of the card. Use markers to colour in a border and write in HAPPY THANKSGIVING!.

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Teachers, if any of your student are away, be sure to make little art packets for them to make their cards when they return:

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There you have it, a very simple way to get your students into the spirit of Thanksgiving, while fulfilling curriculum expectations (specifically around ART). And on that note, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, CANADA!

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