This is an idea I saw on last year on the Let's Explore Blog. I love how they turned out, I began by reading Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes.
After we generated a list of things we were thankful for, I spoke with each child individually during free play . Each child told me what they were thankful for. Some could rattle off eight or more things without taking a breath. Others needed prompting to think of more than 2 or 3 things. If they needed prompting, I asked about their favorite toy, or food or activity. I then asked the child to tell me which item(s) they were most thankful for. I then typed up all of the poems and printed them onto watercolor paper that I had cut down to 8 1/2" x 11".
Next I traced a large leaf pattern onto contact paper. I cut the contact paper and placed it over the words. We then used liquid water colors to paint around (and over) the leaf. When the paintings dried I pulled off the contact paper.
Last year, many parents told me how special this project was to them. It really captured what was important to their child at this moment in time.
Unfortunately, the project did not go nearly as smoothly this year. I used Discount School Supplies' "contact type" paper and when I went to pull it off, it took the letters too. I ended up having to leave the plastic over the poem. They still look good... sort of like a window, but next year I will use real Contact paper.
