We are thankful for a wonderful classroom of preschoolers this fall!  We have been busy learning about cooking and the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving.  We painted on aprons and wore them as we pretended to be chefs and make our own pizzas.  We also pretended to bake lots of yummy holiday food with playdo.  We even constructed turkeys out of sweet treats.  In anticipation of lots of family time spent in the kitchen during Thanksgiving, here are some great ideas for making language experiences out of those moments with your preschooler:

• Involve your preschooler in making a menu and grocery list for your big Thanksgiving meal.  Remember to use words like menu, ingredients, recipe, fresh, canned, etc. as you're preparing this list.  Then, take your preschooler to the grocery store with you to find all the items.  You might have to plan a longer trip, but it will be a worthwhile, language-filled experience for your preschooler.
• Talk about "who" will come to your Thanksgiving meal.  Maybe you and your preschooler could create nameplates for each guest. You could provide the names, and they could attach a picture of that family member and embellish it with Thanksgiving stickers and ribbon.  Then, your preschooler could help set the table and help assign places for each family member to sit.
• Plan special time to let your preschooler be in the kitchen preparing one of the Thanksgiving dishes - maybe one that could be prepared beforehand.  Don't be afraid to let him measure, scoop, and pour the ingredients.  Remember to talk about the utensils, ingredients, and measurements that your are using.  Let your preschooler be actively involved in the process...even if it means more clean up later.  These learning experiences are priceless.  And, your preschooler could then tell all your guests about the wonderful dish he helped to make.

Have a lovely, language-filled Thanksgiving!

Ms. Darcy & Ms. Salle