If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or visit the store for great kid activities. Thanks for visiting!

Great Grandma & Baby Kate in their costumes at the Chili Fest.

Well, Halloween is behind us, thank goodness! It’s one of my favorite times of the year with decorations, costumes and parties but from a school teacher’s point of view it is exhausting! I now look forward to the next fun day, Thanksgiving. In this month’s newsletter I’ve included ideas and activities that you can share with your grandchildren. There’s a recipe for an easy turkey pizza, directions for creating many kinds of bird feeders, a fun pumpkin turkey centerpiece great for any dinner table, and a special activity for Veteran’s Day or Remembrance Day which is November 11th. I hope this month brings your family together to share and create special memories.
Something New - I will be sending out 2 editions of Grandma Lizzie’s House Newsletter each month with more ideas and activities to share with your grandchildren.

Veterans Day has great meaning for me. I have a deep gratitude for those who have served and are presently serving in our military. For those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their life I have a sacred respect. My father served in the army during WWII and was part of the D-Day invasion on Normandy Beach. He and his unit stormed Omaha Beach and he lost his leg when he stepped on a German landmine. He was always so proud that he was able to serve his country during this horrific time in the history of the world. He always got tears in his eyes when he saw the flag or heard the national anthem. Because my father was active in the Disabled American Veteran’s Association, each Veteran’s Day our family would sell forget-me-nots. They were small paper flowers that you could wear on your lapel to show respect. My father has been gone for 10 years now but I still can see him in my mind giving me and my brothers a bunch of forget-me-nots to sell on the corners in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Poppies are also a flower used to remember. When I saw this pattern for a flower wreath on Crayola.com, I thought it would be fun for my grandchildren to make and a way of remembering the veterans and also their great-grandfather.

More Veteran’s Day or Remembrance Day Activities

My grandchildren had so much fun making their own pizza. Most of them didn’t look like a turkey when they were done but they enjoyed eating their own creations, whatever they were!
You’ll need:
Rhodes Dinner Rolls or Texas Rolls, thawed to room temperature
pizza sauce
cheese, grated
olives, pepperoni, green & red peppers
Flatten one Texas roll or two dinner rolls into a 5-6 inch circle. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Prick several times with a fork. Pre-bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, cheese and other items to create your turkey. Bake until cheese melts. Let cool before eating.

More Thanksgiving activities

During the winter months many birds benefit from fat in their diet so why not make a suet bell or suet pine cone bird feeder with your grandchildren.
You will need:
Fat (lard or drippings from a roast or bacon ). If you don’t have enough fat you can add unsalted peanut butter.
Filler (bird seed, dried fruit, cookie or cake crumbs).
For each ½ pound of fat you will need 1 pound of filler.
Paper cup
String
Make a small hole in the bottom of the paper cup and insert the string. Be sure it is long enough so you can hang the bell on a tree branch. Tie a not on the inside of the cup so the string won’t pull through. Leave some string hanging inside the paper cup.
Melt the fat in a heavy saucepan and add filler. Mix well. Let the mixture cool slightly then pour into paper cut. When the mixture has hardened  tear off the paper cup. Hang on a branch and see what birds come.
There are lots of activities to do once the suet bell is hung.
1. Predict and count how many birds will come in 10 minutes.
2. Predict and count how many different birds will come.
3. Take a picture of a bird eating the suet bell and write a poem or a story.
4. When your grandchildren leave, keep an eye on the suet bell and call or write them about what you’ve noticed. How long until it was all eaten.
5. Make 2 bells, one to keep at your home and one for your grandchild to take home. They can call or write you about what they have noticed.
For a pine cone bird feeder, I used the same mixture and spread it all around the pine cone. Hang with string or wire.

More Bird Feeder Ideas

You can make this easy pumpkin turkey centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner kid’s table.
You’ll need
pumpkin
styrofoam ball
yellow & red tissue paper
twist tie or string
straight pins, tape & toothpicks
paper for turkey feathers
Cut enough yellow tissue paper to wrap around the styrofoam ball and still have enough to spread over the top of the pumpkin as shown in the photo. Secure with a twist tie. Use straight pins to secure to the pumpkin. Add a small piece of red tissue for the wattle and secure with straight pin. Make eyes and beak from scrap paper or use a marker. Cut as many feathers as you have grandchildren and write a name on each. Tape a toothpick to the back of the feather so it’s easy to stick into the pumpkin. There are so many variations to this craft so use whatever items you have available and create your own Thanksgiving pumpkin centerpiece.

More Thanksgiving activities