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November is almost here, and believe it or not, that means the holidays are soon approaching! This is a fun time of year because we get to have classroom celebrations, and lots of November, fall or Thanksgiving-themed activities. There’s usually lots of excitement in the air for the students and teachers! 

This is one of the best times of the year in the classroom in my opinion. I have a list of STEM activities and books that I like to pull out this time of year and they are wonderful for getting my students excited and engaged in their learning. And of course, I will be sharing with you so you can enjoy them in your classroom too! 

 

Here are some of the best November or Thanksgiving activities for elementary students

Balloons Over Broadway.

Have you ever read this book in your classroom? It’s a must with my students! Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet is a story about the Thanksgiving Day Parade! You’ll learn about puppeteer Tony Sarg and the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of the parade. 

Balloons Over Broadway STEM Activity

After reading this story, I like to do these Thanksgiving STEM challenges that are connected to the book. Balloons Over Broadway STEM Thanksgiving Parade Challenge will engage all your students in critical thinking and problem solving while they plan, design, and create a puppet, float, and a parade! 

After designing their own floats, you can make it fun by having a school parade! This activity is a great PBL event and also covers Next Generation Science 3-5-ETS1-1 & 2. This resource can be digital which makes it easy for online learning as well. A great way to do some Thanksgiving engineering!

What Was The First Thanksgiving? By Joan Holab

This is a great book for explaining why we celebrate Thanksgiving and its significance in our history. This is a great way to kick off the month because it will help students understand the holiday better and why we are doing Thanksgiving themed activities. 

November STEM Activities

After reading about why we celebrate Thanksgiving, I like to bring out these November STEM challenges. These activities are easy to implement and will actively engage all your students in critical thinking and problem solving during November.

 

Students plan, design, and engineer drums, corn mazes, rain sticks, canoes, and totem poles. All five of these activities are sure to get your students excited about learning! 

 

What are your favorite things to do in November with your students? Let me know in the comments!