Thanksgiving Feasts are NOT just for early childhood classrooms! Your upper elementary students would not only enjoy the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving feast, but they can also dig deeper into the meaning of Thanksgiving, the history, and the customs.

If you are thinking, “Yes, that sounds great, but it’s too much work!” Well, you’re partly right…. It is a LOT of work. However, if you take the time to properly plan and organize, the feast may come together a little easier than you think. And truthfully, this is one of my students’ and parents’ favorite events, so the extra time spent getting everything planned, primed, and ready is totally worth it to me!

How to plan the feast

First, you need to decide what type of feast you’ll have. Options include:

-A feast with traditional Thanksgiving food

-A feast with non-traditional Thanksgiving food (pizza, sandwiches, chicken, etc)

-A snack feast

-Dry snacks only, to combine into a shared snack mix

To help decide which type of feast you want to have, here are some considerations:

1. Do you want the feast to take the place of your students’ lunch? Or just be a snack?
2. Will the parents of your students be willing to provide hot entrees, sides, and desserts if you have a traditional feast?
3. Will parents/other staff be able to help during the feast with setting up and readying the food? If you have an assigned homeroom parent, will they want to be involved?
4. How much time do you want to devote to the feast?
5. Will you involve other classes, or just your own?
6. Will you invite your students’ parents?
7. Would you rather have a sign-up list, assign students to bring specific items, or let students choose what to bring?
8. Do you want the feast to be simple, or will you plan to decorate?

Once you’ve made decisions about the details of the feast, it’s time to start making plans. See the following suggested timeline for when to send notes, complete the sign-up list (if you choose), and more.

If you need instructional ideas for teaching about Pilgrims, Plimoth (Plymouth), and the First Thanksgiving, please visit this blog post: Teaching About Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation!

2 Weeks Before:

1. Make a thorough list of everything needed, from the entrees to the paper goods.
2. Send the initial note home letting families know that your class will be having a feast. Include as many details as possible. Let parents know what they will need to bring, or if they need to sign up to bring something from a list of pre-selected items.
3. If your feast will take the place of your students’ lunch in the cafeteria, let the cafeteria staff know that your class will not be buying lunches that day.
4. Notify potential helpers, both staff and parents, of the date and time, and assemble a list of those who can attend to help. Let them know that more details will be coming soon (next week).

1 Week Before:

1. Send a reminder note home telling parents what they either signed up for, were assigned, or should bring.
2. If you will have parent or staff helpers, touch base with each of them to let them know what you are envisioning for the feast and how you can use their help.
3. If you plan to decorate, begin gathering items.

The Day Before:

1. Inform the office if you will be expecting parent helpers during the feast, so that they will be prepared to direct them to your room.
2. If possible, have students arrange your class tables how you will want them for the feast, so that it won’t have to be done on the day of the feast. It will be one less thing to worry about.
3. Plan a place for everything. Have a spot ready for all items that will be brought. For example, slow cookers will need to be near an outlet, a bag of ice may need to be kept in the sink and plates, utensils, napkins, etc. will need to be at the front of the serving area.
4. Make sure you have assigned all confirmed helpers a job, so that there is no guesswork.
5. Send one last reminder note home.

On the day of the feast:

1. Take a deep breath. Yes, today will probably be cray-cray. Your students are excited! This is a special day, and they are giddy with anticipation! Remember, they are not trying to drive you nuts, this is just a side effect of all their enthusiasm, LOL.
2. Leave yourself plenty of time to get everything arranged before beginning.
3. If necessary, plan an activity to occupy students while you (and/or your helpers) finish arranging and making last-minute preparations. Activities could include silent reading, an assignment, watching a video, etc.
4. Be sure students thoroughly wash their hands! If you are a germophobe like me, you probably thought of that already. Ha!

During the feast

1. Take pictures
2. Enjoy yourself
3. Make memories…. All your preparation work and time spent planning has culminated with this special event that your students will probably remember forever!

After the feast

1. Enlist help to clean up.
2. Set aside any dishes/serving ware that will need to be returned home with students.
3. Consider having students write about the feast. Some ideas for this include:
   1. A paragraph about their favorite food at the feast
   2. A “thank you” note for feast helpers
   3. An essay comparing their family’s Thanksgiving meal to the class Thanksgiving feast

I hope this blog has helped encourage you to take the leap into planning a Thanksgiving feast in your upper elementary classroom. Throughout the years, my classroom feast has changed, and I’ve tried different things and varieties of food. But one thing remains the same: It is one of the most special days of the school year!

If you’d like to save this blog post for later, simply pin this image to your teacher Pinterest board!