A Tree of Gratitude

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Post sponsored by Alpha-Bits as part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. – See more at: http://www.alittletipsy.com/2013/11/printable-thanksgiving-crossword-for.html#sthash.xSNLA1Hg.dpuf
Post sponsored by Alpha-Bits as part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. – See more at: http://www.alittletipsy.com/2013/11/printable-thanksgiving-crossword-for.html#sthash.xSNLA1Hg.dpufpost s

Post sponsored by Alpha-Bits as part of the Mom it Forward Blogger Network.A Gratitude Tree - a character-building lesson for each step as handprints are used for branches, fingerprints for leaves, forearm as the trunk and #alphabits to share our thankful hearts. {the House of Hendrix}

In our time-crunched world, I’m drawn to activities that are festive, educational, and character-building. So as we continue our focus this month on gratitude,  I came up with a craft  that combines:Tree of Gratitude - A character-building lesson included with each step of this craft #alphabits

  • character development
  • snack time
  • letter recognition
  • sorting/ matching/word formation
  • and a great gift for grandma

The Tree of Gratitude can easily be adapted to kids of varying ages. My 11 year old had just as much fun as my 6 year old. Here’s what you’ll need:

My kids immediately started sorting the Alpha Bits cereal into rows of letters. With every ‘A’ that was lined up, an ‘A’ went into their tummy. The possible craft projects with these little letters were buzzing through my head…if we could just stop eating them. This whole grain cereal is delish! The shaped pieces can also help little ones become familiar with letters of the alphabet while challenging older kids to form words and expressions of gratitude. r-building lesson included with each step of this craft (The House of Hendrix) #alphabitsBegin by making the trunk of the tree with your forearm. We used brown paint on the outer side of your arm and then pressed onto paper.

Character Lesson –  Our bodies are like a trunk of a tree. The bark protects the good things the roots absorb while also keeping harmful things away. How can we use our bodies to nourish and also protect our hearts?r-building lesson included with each step of this craft (The House of Hendrix) #alphabits

Make the leaves of the tree with green hand prints. We filled in a few gaps with a paintbrush.

Character Lesson – We can use our hands to serve others.r-building lesson included with each step of this craft (The House of Hendrix) #alphabitsUse fingerprints to add some leaves to the branches.

Character Lesson – Our fingerprints are unlike anybody else in the world. We are each made special and with purpose.r-building lesson included with each step of this craft (The House of Hendrix) #alphabitsAfter the paint dries, spell out words of things that you are thankful for with the Alpha Bits cereal. You may help younger children with this step by writing out their words on a separate paper for them to duplicate.  Glue their words of thanksgiving onto the branches of the tree.

Character Lesson – Our words are a reflection of our hearts. Let’s use words of thanksgiving and of encouragement for one another.

r-building lesson included with each step of this craft (The House of Hendrix) #alphabits Tree of Gratitude- a craft and character-building lesson with each step {the House of Hendrix} #alphabitsThe Gratitude Tree can be a keepsake or a gift. Ours are proudly displayed on our playroom walls. Thanks for stopping by for craft time today. Allison

I am grateful for my readers. If you missed our Thanksgiving Advent post, you can learn how we use November to prepare our hearts for the indulgence of December here.A Gratitude Tree - Includes a character-building lesson for each step. I love when a craft strengthens not just fine motor skills but the heart as well. |the House of Hendrix

I’d also love for you to follow the House of Hendrix below. We have a great Facebook community and you can find us on Pinterest.

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27 thoughts on “A Tree of Gratitude

    • Thanks Jackie. That made my day. Ok I busted out laughing that you have a Minecraft tab on your site. My son is part-Minecraft these days and it is all he thinks about. Yes, working through how much is too much at the moment. Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face.

  1. Gorgeous craft which is fun to do and teaches gratitude at the same time. Awesome! I’ll be featuring this as part of my round up on Monday. Thanks so much for linking up at After School!

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  15. I loved this activity! I am the Director of a Before and After School program and we have a day each week devoted to Team and Character building. I created a lesson plan from your activity so we can do it with our youth. I added an objective and a “discussion” to the activity so we could share in with our children. I also gave you a by line with a link back to this article so others on our team can check it out. If you would like to see it, you can email me at [email protected]. (I can’t seem to attach it to this comment. 🙁 Thanks for your thoughtful and caring addition to educating youth!

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