No it is not Friday, but I had to post about a couple great (and FREE) turkey lesson resources. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and my brother (the vegan) is probably the only one who will not be feasting on delicious turkey.
So to give the great bird a little respect, here are some great turkey activities you can do as a family as you wait for the meal to start.
When I decided I needed to do a turkey edition of FREE Teacher Resource, I called up my friend Lara (who am I kidding, I Facebook messaged her) at the Minnesota Turkey Growers. Of course Lara had this awesome (and FREE) Turkey Time kit.
This kit is great. It comes with copy ready worksheets and activity pages, a teacher guide with lesson ideas and information, and of course a super cool turkey folder to display and store it all in. Erik loved the turkey folder and had to have it set up while he ate lunch. Lara, wanted me to note that this kit hasn’t been updated since 2002, but the information is all relevant. Also, the MN Turkey Growers don’t have many in stock (i.e. get yours while you still can). The worksheets include activities on Thanksgiving history, food safety and of course turkey information. I would say the activities would work in Kindergarten through second grade.
DYK: Minnesota family farmers raise about 46 million turkeys every year. Our state is number one in turkey raising.
The National Turkey Federation also has a FREE reading and activity book. You can download it here.
Both the Minnesota Turkey Growers and the National Turkey Federation have trivia on their sites. Bring the family around the table and challenge them to a game on Thanksgiving.
Q: Which famous bird’s custom is said to be made out of turkey feathers?
Lara wanted me to share with you that the biggest misconception about turkeys is that they are raised with hormones. This is not true. There are no approved hormones for turkeys. Turkeys are bigger today because of advances in animal health and care. Farmers are doing a great job raising healthy birds. You can learn more about how turkey’s are raised here.
My mother traditionally buys her Thanksgiving turkey from Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls, MN. I have to say it is the best turkey on the planet.
To end this post I just have to share a funny story from our oldest son Erik, 5 years old.
The kindergartners were asked how they would get a turkey, cook it and serve it for Thanksgiving. Most of the class said things like: buy at the store, cook it with Mom and serve it with pie. No not our Erik. His response:
I would get it from the woods at the farm because I hear them out there. Then I would drain it’s blood and scrub it with a brush. Then I would cook it on high heat and serve it with cherries.
Yes, our son is the only one not getting his from the store 🙂
Will you be eating turkey this Thanksgiving? What are some family traditions you have on Thanksgiving?
~Emily
Thanks for the all the great info on turkey! 🙂 And I just had to mention that I love Ferndale Market turkeys, as well – they are members of Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and it’s a wonderful multi-generation family farm that is really innovative with turkey. (Have you tried some of the turkey sausage products – completely yummy!) Definitely urge people in the area (or even if you need to drive a bit) to check their market out – it’s fabulous!
No thank you Lara! Thank you for all the great links and the Turkey Time kit. My kids loved it! I will be making some copies of the activity sheets and bringing them with to our family Thanksgiving dinner.