Gratitude Box

There are so many things I am thankful for. In the total world population, I belong to the:

• 6.7 percent that hold a degree from a university.
• 20 percent that live on more than $10 a day.
• 37 percent that has adequate sanitation.
• 40 percent that has electricity.

I have a wonderful family, a warm home, and plenty of food to eat. I have oodles of technology. I can see and hear and feel and taste. And (for the moment), I have all of my mental facilities.

To help grandchildren realize the blessings in their lives, have them make a gratitude box.

A gratitude box is a simple box made to look like a turkey. Your grandkids write things they are thankful for on slips of paper and put the papers in the box.

Then on Thanksgiving Day, as the family gathers for the Thanksgiving meal, read the pieces of paper and discuss all of the blessings that your family has.

Here’s how you make a gratitude box.

You will need:

• a box (I used a square tissue box)
• colorful paper
• googly eyes
• glue stick
• glue gun
• scissors
• turkey pattern

You could use any box that you’d like. But, when I saw this tissue box in the store that had a design on it that I really liked, I instantly knew I would use it. And, the tissue box already had a hole in the top which would make it easy to put the slips of paper in the box. Sweet.

If you can’t fine a tissue box that you like, you could either paint the box or cover it with brown construction paper or copy paper.

Use my turkey pattern to cut out the turkey feathers. You can use colorful copy paper like I did. Or, card stock paper or scrap book paper would work, too.

After I cut them out, I laid the feathers on the counter and taped them all together. (I could have glued them but I was lazy.)

Then, I turned the feathers over and put hot glue on the bottom half.

I quickly pressed the feathers to the box.

Then, I used the pattern and cut out the turkey body and hot glued it to the front of the box. Then I cut out and glued on the beak and wattle and glued on some eyes.

(Please do not notice that the eyes are not even. Please! I laid the box on the side so it would be easy for me to hot glue on the eyes. Because I did it sideways, I didn’t see that the eyes weren’t level. Sigh . . .)

Ta da! Your gratitude box is done.

Now, use my I am thankful printable and print out the slips of paper. Each day before Thanksgiving have your grandchildren write down something they are thankful for on a slip and put it in the box.

On Thanksgiving Day before you sit down to your lovely dinner, pull out the slips of paper. Take turns reading what people wrote.

I know that the grandkids will probably be anxious to start eating the wonderful food. But, take a moment or two to discuss all of the blessings that your family has. Talk about all that they have to be thankful for. And, tell your family that you love them.

Then, enjoy that turkey and pumpkin pie!