Thanksgiving Story Bracelet/Necklace Tutorial- **NEW** and Improved! ** FREE Printables too!!

I have seen Thanksgiving Story Bracelets all over the web. 

You can peek at a few of them here, here and here. 

So far, all of the ones I have found use colored pony beads. 

I (obviously) LOVE the idea of a bracelet designed to help children remember and retell the Thanksgiving story. 

However, these versions will not work for my Kylie. 

For young children or for those who experience Autism (literal thinkers- see this post for more info), colored pony beads are just too abstract.  There is no identifying information to them.

So, I set out to find a solution to this problem and ended up finding the most wonderful thing!!

Oriental Trading (one of my FAVORITE online stores) sells these fabulous foam beads (a few different fall styles. You can find the different styles here, here, here and here).

They are actually pictures or shapes of things pertaining to fall and Thanksgiving.

So, I have modified the Thanksgiving bracelet idea (which, due to the size of the beads, will now be a necklace) to the following representations (scroll down even further to print my FREE Thanksgiving Necklace Story Cards):

1. Pilgrim Bead:
The Pilgrims left England on September 6, 1620.  A ship called the Mayflower took them across the ocean. They traveled for 3 months in terrible weather.  It was very cold and stormy.

2. Green Cross Bead:
The Pilgrims left England because they wanted to worship God freely.  They prayed to God many times on their journey. The Pilgrims arrived at the new world on December 11, 1620

3. Hat Bead:
The Pilgrims did not have enough warm clothing or a house for the winter.  Many of the people got very sick and many died.

4. Yellow Cross Bead:
The Pilgrims prayed to God asking for help.  They needed someone to rescue them because they were far, far from the safety of England.  They were cold, hungry and needed a warm place to sleep.

5. Two Native American Beads:
In March of 1621 (spring time), God answered the Pilgrim's prayers and sent 2 Native Americans: Samoset and Squanto to the Pilgrim's camp.  Samoset and Squanto could even speak English!!

6. Purple Cross Bead:
The Pilgrims thanked God for taking care of them and for sending a Native American who could speak English.

7.  Three Candy Corn Beads:
Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to plant a garden.  He told them to put a fish and three kernels of corn under the dirt and to plant many rows just like this in their garden. 

8. Red, Green and Yellow Leaf Beads:
In the fall, the garden was ready to be harvested.  They cut down all the vegetables and brought them into the barns.

9. Corn Bead:
There was so much corn and other food that the Pilgrims invited the Native Americans for a GREAT feast to give Thanks to God.

10. Turkey Bead
The Native Americans walked for 2 days in order to come to the big dinner and brought wild turkeys for meat

11. Pumpkin Bead
The Pilgrims brought pumpkins and other fruits and vegetables.

12. Cornucopia Bead
There was a cornucopia of food.  This means that they had plenty to eat.  Everyone ate until they were full.

13. "Give Thanks" Bead
The Pilgrims and the Native Americans gave thanks together.  They were now Friends.

14. Orange Cross Bead
God took care of the Pilgrims and supplied their needs. 

15. Orange Star Bead
Just like the Pilgrims, I am thankful for...(Have child fill in the blank)

16. Green Star Bead
Just like the Native Americans, I am thankful for...(Have child fill in the blank)

17. "Shine with the Light of Jesus" Pumpkin Bead
When I am thankful I "Shine with the Light of Jesus"


And here is the finished product!!

I also made Story Cards that share what each bead stands for and laminated them.  I also attached sample beads to The Story Cards (you could print pictures too).  That way, Kylie can look to the paper for prompts.  It will also assist anyone that she is trying to communicate the story to (Kids who experience Autism often have speech difficulties as well).

 Click on the following pictures to print the Story Cards (be sure to select full page for paper size)...

Little Ones will LOVE telling you the story of their Thanksgiving Necklace!!

Enjoy!! and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Preschool Pumpkin Activity (Fine Motor)

I found this great wooden pumpkin cut out at Michael's Craft Store (now on sale in the fall clearance section for $2.99 - hurry!) and this idea was born.

The cut out came with an attached wooden stand (which I had my husband remove so we could lay it flat).  On one side the holes are large and on the other side, they are much smaller.

My original idea was to have Kylie put golf tees in the holes (which would have added a level of difficulty) and then balance marbles on top of the golf tees.  However, the holes were not small enough and the golf tees tended to sway to and fro and were not sturdy enough to hold the marbles (they slid right off).  Bummer!!

So, for our first transfer activity, Kylie was allowed to just transfer the marbles onto the holes with her fingers. 

Once she has this task down, I will increase the difficulty by having her use various kinds of tongs and tweezers to make the transfer.  Right now, though, she thinks this is super easy and breezes right through it.

She's feeling pretty confident!!

She also tries to cheat by laying a handfull of marbles on the wood and then trying to get several to go into the holes at once.  Nice thinking my little brain wiz, but mommy is on to you.... gotcha!!

Kylie cheating - caught in the act!

P.S.  I purchased the marbles in Michael's dollar section.  Kylie loves how the marbles are cool and smooth to the touch.

Here's a few more pics of Kylie in action:

She loves just holding the marbles

picking and choosing which holes to fill first

Ta dah!!

But then..... Mommy had a brain storm of a way that might make this little activity work with the golf tees...I really had my heart set on using the golf tees!

I remembered that I had picked up a bucket of large "fun fusion" beads several months ago at Michael's and wondered if they would fit in the holes that were drilled into the pumpkin.

  As you can see, we never use them for "fun fusion" purposes, we use them for lacing activities.

We also use them on Peg boards to make designs and work on patterning.

Drum roll please.....

Yay!! It works!!

My next problem was that the golf Tees were extending past the wood (they were too long)

Enter: My husband, Dan (Also known as Prince Charming). 

If there is an opportunity to get out the power tools, he will drop anything to rescue a damsel in distress (ahem.. that would be me)

He pulled out his little Dremel tool and cut those golf tees down to size

Soooooo... NOW, Kylie puts the little fun fusion bead in each hole, then she puts the golf tees in and then she balances a marble on top of each golf tee!! 

This exercises her fine motor muscles, challenges her eye hand coordination and improves her problem solving skills.

The perfect 3 step activity!   LOVE IT!!! 

NOW Kylie is challenged! 

A Sensory Cornucopia

For the month of November, I am trying to teach Kylie the history of the first Thanksgiving (on her level, of course) and what it means to be thankful. 

I really wanted to show her what a Cornucopia (or Horn of Plenty) was but had an awful time finding one. 

This led me to try and put one together myself. 

The finished product ended up being a GREAT addition to our November sensory items.

I found a set of sticky, yet squishy, play food at Oriental Trading.  These fruits are filled with some kind of styrofoam and they are very pliable (like a stress ball but even squishier - is that a word? ha!).  They came 12 to a package.  Click here to purchase (they are currently 40% off and selling for $5.99 - normally $10.00- A GREAT DEAL!!) - Act quickly!!

They tend to get fuzzy if you play with them on carpet or if you line them up on the floor like my Kylie does. HOWEVER...they are very easy to clean.  I jut run them under cold water and brush the fuzz off.  I then lay them on a dishtowel to dry.  They are like new again.

It took me a long time to find an actual Cornucopia to put them in so we started off just having them in a bowl.  (I picked up the bowl in the Target dollar aisle a long time ago)

I finally found a woven/basket type Cornucopia at Michael's Craft Store.  If you hurry, they are in a sale bin for 70% off. 

Kylie is getting a great workout squeezing the fruit.

She doesn't always like the feel but, so far, she has tolerated it and it is helping to desensitize her avoidance of such textures.

We had to have a little talk explaining the difference between a "horn" and a "horn of plenty"  - No, we DON'T put the Cornucopia in our mouth!  ick!

After all the frustration of trying to find a cornucopia and coming up with nothing.  I am pleasantly surprised by what we ended up putting together. 

This cornucopia will be great to experience for years to come.

Here's a link if you would like to read the history and uses of a Cornucopia in our culture.

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Button Turkey Tutorial

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I am the queen of altering and adapting things.  I can't leave well enough alone and always have to put the "Amy spin" on things.

I am often inspired by things I have seen online or in my daily life, but they often don't quite work for my family or I get creatively inspired to enhance what I have seen to suit my taste/needs.


My Button Turkey is another one of those projects.

I first saw a Button Turkey here, here and here.

As you can tell (if you click on those links), there are only about 5 feathers for the child to work with.  This would be great for beginners, but I felt my daughter needed more of a challenge. 

So, I began to brainstorm how I could alter the design to better suit my daughter's needs.  Most of you already know that Kylie has poor strength in her hands, wrists and upper body in general, so I am constantly in search of activities that will work her fingers and help to increase that strength and coordination while also being fun, tactile and visually appealing.

Once I came up with my idea, I began to search for a pattern for the Button Turkey but never was able to find one, so I decided to create my own.

Yes, I am going to share it with you.  You can print it by clicking on the below image:

After clicking the image, click on the printer icon at the top right of your screen.  Select the size you wish to print (I suggest a full page).  You may also want to laminate the pieces for durability.  I found this to be very helpful.

You will want to cut out (in the felt colors/patterns of your choosing):
** 11 small feathers
** 11 large feathers
** 2 Circles for the body
** 1 cut out of all the other pieces (eyes, nose, waddle and head/neck).

Another reason I loved this idea/craft is that it is soooo inexpensive to make.  You probably have half the things you need right at home.

Supplies you will need:
**You will need Felt.  You can see the pics in this post to see the colors I chose. 

The one thing that I think is REALLY neat is the stamped/pressed felt that I used for the body.  It is called "cobblestone" and I found it at Michael's Craft Store.  I thought it really added some good texture and dimension to the project.

Isn't this cobblestone felt cool? It really makes the "body"

I also found some sparkly and patterned sheets of felt at Hobby Lobby.  All these little touches help keep it fresh and exciting when your child is buttoning 22 feathers.  

**You will also need a good pair of scissors that cut felt easily

**I used a disappearing ink felt tip pen to do my tracing (I found it at Walmart in the sewing section)

**You will need a needle and various color threads to match your felt turkey body colors.  I used mainly brown, red, orange and cream from a travel sewing kit I had stashed in a closet.

**You will need 24 buttons (I found mine at Michael's).  22 for the feathers (you can do 11 front and 11 back) plus 2 smaller buttons for the Turkey's eyes.

**You will need stuffing (optional) (Kylie had a stuffed animal with a hole in it, so I "borrowed" some stuffing from our formerly stuffed friend.)


Directions:

1. Print, laminate and cut out your pattern
2. Trace 11 large feathers and cut them out before the ink disappears
3. Trace 11 small feathers and cut them out before the ink disappears
4. Trace  2 circles and cut them out before the ink disappears
5. Trace 2 eyes, 1 waddle, 1 nose/beak and 1 head/neck and cut out before the ink disappears.  You may want to keep these pieces in a plastic baggy to keep them from getting lost.
6. Label the circle that will be the front of the turkey 
7. Position the small feathers around the front circle of your turkey.
8. Sew on the buttons to the front circle so the buttons correspond to your feathers.
9. Cut slits in the feathers to be used as button holes.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 for the back circle and the large feathers.
11. Set all of those pieces aside for now.
12. Sew the 2 buttons onto the eyes (I used blue small buttons on cream circles)
13. Attach the eyes (felt and buttons) to the head/neck (you can either sew by hand or use fabric glue
14. Sew or Glue the Waddle on to the Head/Neck
15. Sew or Glue the Nose/Beak to the Head/Neck
16. Sew or Glue the Head/Neck to the front circle.
17. Optional Step: place a little stuffing in the Head/Neck toward the end of your sewing to give it some "plump"
18. Glue or Sew (I prefer sewing by hand) the front circle of the body to the back circle of the body making sure all of the buttons are on the outside of the circles.
19. Optional Step: place a little stuffing between the circles before your sewing is complete to give it a little "plump"
20. Attach the small feathers to the front of the turkey
21. Attach the large feathers to the back of the turkey
22. Take A picture and send it to us.  =0)

Here are a few pics of the steps.

The feathers all cut out

Frontal view of the naked turkey

Rear view of the naked turkey. 
Notice I used two different colors/patterns of brown for the front and back of the body

Rear view with feathers attached.

Kylie just starting to put together her Turkey

This was a little workout for Kylie's fingers. 
The buttons I chose for the front added a level of difficulty

Kylie was a little trooper and really stuck with it. 

By the end, her little fingers were shaking, but she was a determined little girl.



Kylie LOVES her turkey!

Here is a little video clip of Kylie interacting with her Turkey.... Enjoy!!

And a final pic of the finished product.

I will praise the name of God with a song, And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30