T
hanksgiv-
ing
has
a l w a y s
been an adult holiday
to me. There are no
gifts to open, no spe-
cial characters to rep-
resent the holiday like
Christmas or Easter,
and the whole holiday
is focused around one
large meal. To make
matters worse, most of
the time the kids have
their own table, sans
china and fancy table-
cloths, too far away to
hear the “good stories”
at the adult table. After
dinner, half the group
retires to the room
with the TV to watch
football or slip into a
food coma, while the
other half spends hours
washing dishes.
Start A New Tradition:
s
d
n
e
Fri iving
A “Friendsgiving”
is a casual, kid-friendly
Thanksgiving celebra-
tion hosted either be-
fore or after the actual
holiday. This simple
party can be hosted on
the patio (if the weather
allows) or in a kid-friendly space in-
doors. Our version puts a creative spin
on the traditional parts of the holiday so
that everyone wants to sit at the kids’
table!
Games
1) Black Friday Game – This simple
game brings out the competitive side in
players and is easy enough for all ages.
You will need several ad sheets from the
Sunday paper (like grocery store, de-
partment store, etc). Make a list, or find
one online, of pictures you might find in
the ad. For example, a woman wearing
a robe, a picture of a Christmas tree, a
set of screwdrivers. Put the list on index
cards and put the ads in the middle of
the table. Draw one card and on “GO,”
the whole group grabs for the papers to
try to find the item on the card. The first
to find it gets the card and the game con-
tinues. The person with the most cards
wins.
6 WNY Family November 2018
Host a
G
Party!
— by Pam Molnar
2) Thankful Blocks – Purchase or make
a set of Jenga-like wooden blocks in
color. Most sets have four to six colors.
Each color will represent something that
they are thankful for — a person, some-
thing they like about themselves (blue
eyes, contagious laugh), something they
use every day, something that makes
them laugh, an activity that they like to
do, and a place they visited. As they pull
out the corresponding colored blocks,
they have to say what they are thankful
for in that color category.
3) Scavenger Hunt – Fall scavenger
hunts can be done with natural items
(like a red leaf or pinecone), as a photo
hunt (like a red cardinal), or door-to-
door with a list of Thanksgiving type
items (a turkey napkin or the label from
a can of pumpkin).
Activities
1) Mini Caramel Apples – A whole car-
amel apple is too big to bite into and of-
ten goes to waste. The
solution is to make fun
mini apples. Peel an
apple and use a melon
baller to scoop out mini
apples. Insert a wooden
stick and dip into cara-
mel. Roll into candies
and nuts and let dry.
2) Art On The Table
– Kids love the restau-
rants that let you draw
on the paper tablecloth.
Let the kids use their
imagination to create
pictures, play games
like tic-tac-toe, or write
their name in bubble
letters. Before the kids
are seated, measure out
a placemat-sized space
in front of each seat.
If any artist wants to
take home their mas-
terpiece, you can easily
cut it out.
3) Make Wishbones –
Give each kid a small
portion of pizza dough
and some mini choco-
late chips. Let the kids
shape into a wishbone
mixing in the chocolate
chips. Near the top of the wishbone, let
the kids insert one colored M & M can-
dy for “luck.” Cook dough as directed.
When they are cooled, let the kids pull
them apart like a wishbone. The side that
has the M & M has good luck for the
year.
Menu
1) Turkey Sliders – Place the bottom of
Hawaiian rolls in a 9” x 12” dish. Layer
with sliced turkey, shredded cheese, ba-
con, and ranch dressing. Place the tops
of the rolls in the dish and brush with
melted butter mixed with parsley. Bake,
covered, for 10-15 minutes at 350 de-
grees. Serve with sweet potato fries.
2) Pumpkin Fondue – This a fun des-
sert. Shred 6 ounces of Gruyere and 6
ounces of Emmantaler cheese into a
large bag. Add 3 tablespoons of flour
and mix well to coat. In a fondue pot or
sauce pan, add 1 cup of chicken broth
and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and bring to
a boil. Slowly add cheese and stir un-