Fall-Themed Hands-on Thinking Activities

 These free downloadable Thanksgiving-themed critical thinking centers will be sure to please your students! “Who Likes Pumpkin Pie?” and “Sensible Squash” are hands-on center activities that will keep students engaged, especially during the excitement of Thanksgiving festivities. Center activities are perfect as short time-fillers and as a Thanksgiving-themed classroom activity – while providing the educational benefit of boosting critical thinking skills!

Find time in your busy classroom schedule to incorporate critical thinking centers and logic puzzles. Logic puzzles strengthen students’ abilities to practice close reading and make inferences based on information given.

Who Likes Pumpkin Pie? Center Activity
Grades 1–3
Students use clues to figure out which person likes pumpkin pie.

 Materials

• containers of counters
• crayons
• reproducible page and center sign; download here.

Steps to Follow

• Discuss strategies for working with a logic matrix such as identifying clues and what information they give. Does the clue eliminate someone or something? (Highlighting key words and phrases help students pinpoint important clues.)
  

• Read the clues and put a counter on the correct box. If there can be no other answer for that person, make an X in all the boxes after that name. Since each person eats only one thing, make an X on all the other boxes under that food. For example: make an X on all the other foods in Ann’s row. Also make an X on all the other boxes under ice cream.

• Explain to students that once they are happy with their answers, they are to remove the counters one at a time, coloring in the boxes they have marked.

• If students have limited experience solving a matrix problem, have them work in pairs.

Sensible Squash Thinking Activity Center
Grades 3–6
Students follow a series of clues to find the color pattern in which the squash grew.

Materials

• 4 sets of colored squash cards (sets contain one of each red, green, blue, yellow, pink, and orange)

• 4 envelopes for storing the squash cards

• small plastic bags containing one color of each crayon

• copies of student record sheet; download your free printable here.

Steps to Follow

• Laminate and cut out cards.

• Place each set of cards in an envelope (you should have 4 envelope sets).

• Encourage students to create more squash patterns and write the clues on the back of their record sheets.

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About the Author

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers