Put on your stretchy pants. It’s that time of year. You’re probably gearing up for some fun Thanksgiving activities to do in your classroom with your students! Just hearing the word ‘Thanksgiving’ makes me think about all the pie, sweet potato casserole, stuffing and turkey that I’ll be stuffing my face with-thank God for stretchy pants. Speaking of turkey, did you know Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first meal in space after walking on the moon was foil packets with roasted turkey?
Crazy, right? One of the little girls in my class didn’t believe me when I told my class this fact. She didn’t think it was possible! It was so neat to hear the kids go back and forth with one another in discussion and ask each other questions about space, eating in space, where the two astronauts ate, if they ate on the moon or in the space shuttle…
Listening to these 7 and 8 year olds and hearing their curiosity got me so excited! Are you looking for Thanksgiving or November themed facts to share with your students? Facts that will spark curiosity in your students and leave them wanting to know more?
Here are 9 interesting facts about Thanksgiving to share with your class during the month of November and how you can integrate them with your math instruction.
Share these Facts about Thanksgiving & other November Themed Facts with your Students
1 | Did you know female turkeys (hens) do not gobble? Only male turkeys gobble.
2 | November is Native American Heritage Month: Most Native American tribes farmed. The main crops grown were corn, beans, and squash. These 3 crops were known as the Three Sisters.
3 | President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
4 | Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first meal in space after walking on the moon was foil packets with roasted turkey.
5 | Each year a live turkey is presented to the President of the United States, who then “pardons” the turkey and it gets to live out its life on a farm.
6 | Did you know Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey, not the bald eagle to be our country’s symbol?
7 | November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month: During Alan Shepard’s journey to the moon with NASA in 1971, Alan brought along peanut butter as a good luck charm.
8 | On November 18, 1820, Antartica was discovered. Did you know most of Antartica is covered in ice? Around 90% of the ice on Earth is found in Antartica.
9 | November is Aviation Month: The Wright Brothers built the first airplane, which was made of wood from a giant spruce tree, and carried only one person.
10 | There are four towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
How can I use these Facts about Thanksgiving + November during my Math Block?
I use these math worksheet puzzles with my students during our math block, during their independent math rotation. I’ll sometimes use these math puzzle activities as morning work, too. I love using them as morning work or during their independent math rotation because it’s engaging and much different than just handing them a boring old worksheet, plus it’s no prep on my end.
They get to solve the math problems with the PURPOSE of finding out the fun fact and learning something new, which always makes learning more fun. I’ve found that my students really look forward to solving the problems, putting the strips in order, and reading the fun fact!
This fact (pictured below) has to do with Antarctica, which was fact #8 above. My students practice place value by identifying the place of the digits {up to 6 digit numbers}, then once they’ve answered all questions and found the matching answer on the corresponding match-up sheet, the fact about Antarctica is revealed!
Want to try these fun fact math puzzles with your class?
You can find a 2nd Grade version and 3rd grade version in my TeachersPayTeachers store. Grab the links below.
See it in action on an Instagram Reel
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