We really try to do "grateful things" in the month of November. We're supposed to be doing stuff like this all the time (I always think I should start a grateful journal I write in every night...) but I think it's really great to have a thankful theme for the month.
All that means we're doing is filling in our thankful calendar every morning while we eat breakfast (remember this one from last year?), and we're working on a thankful memory verse (Psalm 28:7).
Sorry for the horrible picture, but you get the idea.
A friend saw ours yesterday and thought it would be fun to do something like with her little ones. But since she just had a baby a few weeks ago, I thought it'd be nice to make it for her, in case she didn't get to it soon. So that's what I did with a few free minutes this morning.
I stopped by our local teacher supply store (which I totally appreciate) and picked up some library book pockets that are self-adhesive. I put 25 on here so that it could also be used as an advent calendar. The good thing is these fit index cards perfectly, so I included a bunch of those for the little ones to draw their thankful pictures on.
I also made a couple spots to put up verses that are particular to their family with little scraps of paper that I made into corners to hold the extra cards. That way, they can change out the theme with the verses and the main title piece and turn it into an advent calendar in a jiffy.
Along with the extras, I included one of my favorite fall kid props---leaf cut-outs. We use these for treasure hunts where I just put them out (color coded for different kids) on a trail to lead them to their snack or a game I pulled out of the closet or whatever. This never ceases to be fun for all the kids, and since these are colored on both sides, they're really versatile.
Since this morning I've thought of several other families that would enjoy this, too. It's so easy to make, but I know it's fun to have it show up on your porch, too. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just do things like this every day? It sure was fun for today!