Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. The crisp air, the crunching leaves, the warm blankets, the cozy candles, and the hot spiced cider all give me the warm fuzzies. Add to that lots of family and friend gatherings and some of my most loved hymns at church and I could live in November for 6 months every year!
It’s also a time that many wonderful poems have been written to honor, many scriptures and prayers have been penned to remind us to Whom we are thankful, and many people are warmed by the embers of sweet memories of people and places from times gone by. It is truly a time of beauty.
Could there be a better season to shower your children with poetry tea time?
I don’t think so!
Today I want to share some beautiful resources with you in a printable booklet to help lead you through a Thanksgiving poetry tea time. In your printable you will find recipes for scrumptious Apple Pie Muffins and Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa to feast on while you enjoy a beautiful call and response prayer, a Psalm, We Gather Together hymn, and 3 of the most beloved Thanksgiving poems! One of which is below.
To Autumn by John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
As the focus of our Thanksgiving Tea Time is on poetry, I did not include a picture study piece. For those of you who like to include art, too, here is a lovely piece called The Angelus by Jean-Francois Millet.
How to Host A Thanksgiving Poetry Tea Time
Tea times are a delightful way to encourage sibling togetherness and community with friends. There’s something sweet and special about gathering around a table that makes us all more amenable to learning and listening. Especially when there are snacks!
- Make your snacks and drinks ahead of time so you aren’t rushing.
- Print out a packet for every 1-2 people so there are plenty for everyone to use and less chance of arguments over who gets to hold it.
- Set your table with a few candles, pretty plates and napkins (We often get pretty seasonal paper plates and napkins at Hobby Lobby for a very budget friendly amount), and Thanksgiving decor.
- Turn on some lovely instrumental music to set the atmosphere.
- Welcome your guests, be they family or friends, to the table with love and a smile.
- Enjoy!
As homeschool moms, we sometimes tend to overthink and overdo- but tea time doesn’t have to be a huge production worthy of royalty. It just takes a little bit of intention and planning. It is a lovely way to build up our children and pour into them with beauty and delight. It also makes us slow down and be present.
Learning to linger over a beautiful phrase or a poem-conjured image in our minds or a melody that rings in the air long after the piece has ceased to play – these are things to be thankful for and what a gift to share them with our children! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving Poetry Tea Time and that it may even inspire you to make it a regular happening in your home!
You can get the Printable Thanksgiving Poetry Tea Time by leaving your name & email. We’ll zip it on over to your inbox.
Lara believes you are the gate-keeper, grace-giver, and cultivator of your home – a sacred space – and when you step into your God-given capacity you are capable of providing a delightful and life-giving education to your children. She’s here to help! Join her Everyday Graces Online Community and follow her on Instagram
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