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We made our Thankful Tree yesterday. It was so fun. It was about 45 degrees and the wind was blowing…I put on some boots and a scarf and headed out to the woods. After searching for some time, I found this cute little tree that I thought would be perfect. Before I could cut it down, I heard leaves crunching…suddenly the two neighbor dogs came bounding towards me and nearly knocked me down!
Back inside the warm kitchen, we used a clean gallon pickle jar and rocks from the yard to anchor the little tree. The children traced leaves that were gathered from the yard, colored them with markers and crayons, and then wrote what they were thankful for on the back. We punched holes in the leaves and hung them with ribbon from the branches. I added a raffia bow for decoration.
We also made these cute little yarn pumpkins (just like the apple ones we made in September, only with orange yarn instead of red), and in the evenings we’ve been reading through some of our Thanksgiving books.
It was so cute to see all the individual artwork, and also to read what each child was thankful for. This little leaf was colored by my littlest guy (age 2), and says “I’m thankful for candy” on the back!
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
~Psalm 107:1-2
Oh, I'll have to come over and see it! Thanks for the link! 🙂
Hi, Joy! My family did make a Thankful Tree over the weekend, which I posted on my blog & included a link back to you. Thank you for the inspiration 🙂
Blessings,
Collette
Thanks, Collette! Yes, this would be a fun thing to do on a Friday afternoon! 🙂
Oh my goodness…I didn't mean to comment on so many posts today, but your Thanksgiving vignette is so lovely!
I've read about doing thankfulness trees in the past but we've never gotten around to actually making one happen. THis is very inspiring…a good Friday afternoon project 🙂
♥Collette
Rowan,
Thanks–Ezra's leaf makes me smile, too! And I know he really is thankful for candy, so that was from his heart! 🙂
Deanna,
That would be a great idea to make one out of paper! I've seen those, and they are so cute.
Sarah,
Thank you! It really is reminding the children of what they are thankful for. I keep seeing a child standing there turning the leaves over to see what each one says on the back. Also, we can add more if something else comes to mind. Our plan is to take them down on Thanksgiving Day and have Daddy read each one so we can all enjoy giving thanks together for all our blessings. (And Mommy and Daddy made some, too!)
Keri,
Thanks! I'm sure your 3-year-old would enjoy it! 🙂
Lisa,
Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope you have a great weekend!
We made a thankful tree last year. It was great watching the children write down all the things they were thankful for. 🙂
Blessings,
Lisa
Great idea! I think I may try this with my three-year-old. What a neat way to teach gratitude for what we have in such a tangible way. Thanks for sharing!
I love it, Joy! Not only would it be fun for your children to make, but it is a wonderful reminder to be thankful for all of the blessings that the Lord has given us.
Hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
Sweet!
I want to do one this year out of paper and put it in the hallway. It is a high traffic area in our home and we will be reminded about all of the things we have to be thankful for!
Deanna
What a lovely idea – Ezra's leaf made me smile:) I've bought a copy of A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy for my grandsons, I'm sure they'll enjoy it. I think I shall get one or two more books from the list in your previous post too.