Novemeber 3, 2009

Theme: Turkeys

Choosing Time: Big & Little Marbleworks, Using a Microscope to look at feathers, & Puzzles

Lesson: We learned many things about Turkeys today.

• Did you know that turkeys CAN fly? At least wild ones can. Domesticated turkeys (the ones we eat) get too big & fat to fly.
  
• Baby turkeys are called poults. A mother turkey can incubate 18 eggs at one time.
  
• Turkeys are the largest birds found in our country.
  
• The name "turkey" comes from the country Turkey. The early settlers first confused our native turkey with a bird found in Turkey. The name stuck.
  
• We listened to many sounds that a turkey makes. It was fun to make comparisons to sounds other animals make. There was one that sounded like a dog barking :)
• A male turkey is called a "Tom" or a "Gobbler".
  
• I was asked, "Why aren't there turkey legs to eat like there are chicken legs?" This led to an interesting discussion about whether white or dark turkey tastes the best :)
• Turkeys favorite treats are acorns. They also like berries, insects, & grain.

Snack: Today we made our own snacks. We made turkey feet crackers with spray cheese & Chinese noodles. We practiced using a knife properly while spreading the cheese onto the crackers. We learned what a Turkey foot looks like.


Music & Movement:
I taught the children the "Turkey" Dance (AKA the Chicken Dance). It was hilarious! Everyone enjoyed it so much that we danced it three times :)

Art: Turkeys


Book: The Best Thanksgiving Ever! by Teddy Slater