Whether your kids spend the day gobbling up yummy turkey or chasing turkeys around the Mayflower FunZone, this is a perfect time for them to reflect on all that they are thankful for this year. There are lots of opportunities for your kids to enjoy the fun of fall and even some Thanksgiving history, right now in JumpStart. They can visit the Mayflower FunZone, dress up for a harvest meal in a Pilgrim-inspired outfit from the Threadz store or take a ride around DownTown on a new turkey ride.

For some kid-friendly Thanksgiving fun outside the game, look no further! You can check out tutorials on some awesome Thanksgiving crafts right here on the JumpStart blog. Your kids can get crafty by creating a turkey centerpiece fit for the Thanksgiving table or a Giving Thanks tree, which will allow them to share all that they are thankful for with their family and friends. These wonderful Thanksgiving crafts are a perfect way for your kids to get artistic and celebrate the day.

We, here at JumpStart, are so very thankful for you and all of your little Jumpeez that you allow to play our games. We are thankful for the great fan mail, emails and awesome feedback we receive on a daily basis that help us to make the JumpStart online world even better.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tell your kids to head DownTown to the Ridez shop to pick up a new set of wheels (or shall we say, feet) for the season! Here’s a list of all the latest additions:

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Price: 75 JS Coins

What’s Thanksgiving without a turkey? Thankfully, your kids can fly around on a Thanksgiving turkey and enjoy the changing leaves, scarecrows, and acorns that have fallen upon the JumpStart streets.

The White Turkey

Price: 75 JS Coins

It may still be fall, but this turkey already has its winter coat on. With feathers white as snow, this ride will help your kids easily transition from a breezy autumn to a frosty winter.

The Peacock Turkey

Price: 75 JS Coins

This prideful peacock turkey would be pleased to carry your children’s Jumpeez around on its back. Tell your kids to show off by cruising around on this new bird.

The Wooden Llama

Price: 100 JS Coins

A sturdy, wooden llama is just what your children need to hold them up this autumn. Constructed from the same oak tree that produces those falling leaves, this mode of transportation is built to last and will safely take your children all over JumpStart.

The Pink Llama

Price: 100 JS Coins

Made to match the color of your children’s rosy, little cheeks this llama is perfect for all those stylish Jumpeez out there! From head to hoof, they’ll be pretty in pink when they trot around on the pink llama!

With so many new rides for fall, which ones will your children choose?

The leaves have turned beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow and have begun falling from the treetops. The wind is blowing briskly and it’s getting mighty chilly around JumpStart. Yes, November is here and your kids may have noticed the autumn decorations and the Mayflower FunZone all here to celebrate Turkey Day! The Threadz store has received a new shipment of seasonal sensations to keep your kids warm and cozy during this wintry month. Check out all of the new clothes that will put your kids’ Jumpeez in the mood to celebrate all that they are thankful for this year!

This Jumpee is ready to enjoy the Mayflower FunZone.

Your kids can recognize the first Thanksgiving with this Native American-inspired outfit.

This fringed sweater will keep this Jumpee toasty and warm through the cool autumn nights.

Fall also means football! Your kids can show off their team colors with these great football jerseys.

So, what are your kids waiting for? Tell them to head to the Threadz Store and select an outfit that will get them ready for all the fun and adventures that November brings.

By now, your kids should be noticing a few new changes around JumpStart. The leaves have begun to fall and turkeys and scarecrows are replacing some of those more frightening finds around our FunZones. So make sure your kids know that Thanksgiving has arrived in JumpStart! Hopefully they had the chance to enjoy all the Halloween treats that came around this year and are ready for some new fall festivities!

If your kids are looking for the most GOBBLE-rific activities this season, they might want to start with a pilgrimage DownTown to explore the Mayflower! This historic ship has sailed its way into JumpStart for the Thanksgiving season and docked in the FunZone.

The Mayflower will be docked in the DownTown FunZone!

While there, your kids will probably spot some turkeys running loose in a friendly game of Turkey Tag. Your kids’ Jumpeez can join in at any time to see if they have what it takes to catch and tag one of our feathery friends. And believe us when we say, “It’s not as simple as it sounds!” These terrific tag-playing turkeys are anything, but slow!

Will your kids be fast enough to tag a turkey?

And last, but definitely not least, have your kids check their Communicators for the latest info on our holiday Scavenger Hunt! We’ve gone ahead and hidden a cornucopia of seasonal items throughout the FunZones in MainStreet and DownTown, so they might want to start hunting before the Mayflower sets sail for places beyond the JumpStart virtual world!

Can your kids find all the seasonal specials before it’s too late?

Be sure to check back here to get all the latest news on our holiday happenings. Are you and you family ready for Thanksgiving? We’d love to know what your kids are most thankful for this season!

We know that long trips can be boring for kids, and thinking of activities to entertain them can become tiresome. So, as you head off to your holiday destination, teach your kids some of our favorite supply-free travel games:

Spelling Sleuth: Go around the car and let everyone add a letter to a word. The first person to complete a word loses! But don’t choose just any letter; if you select a strange letter your fellow riders can challenge you to find out what word you have in mind. No answer? You lose.

Counting Games: Road trips provide lots of opportunities to practice counting. Assign each child a side of the car and see who can count the most cows, horses, billboards, or sheep. If you have one child, you can compete or see how fast your child can make it to 100 items. Try switching items every once in a while to ward off boredom.

Question Game: In this game, you are only allowed to speak in questions to everyone in the car. For example one person could ask, “When are we going to get there?”  The next person would ask, “Do you have a watch?” The next person would ask, “Did you take it?” If you do not answer in a question, you are out. The winner of the game is the person who can carry on the conversation in questions the longest!

For other ideas, visit previous posts with great games like License Plate Fun, CAR-tegories, The Teacher’s Dog , and Popcorn Storytelling.

Happy Thanksgiving from JumpStart!

Like your family’s favorite recipes that are bookmarked in the recipe box to use over and over at every year’s Thanksgiving meal, JumpStart has bookmarked a few of our favorite Thanksgiving crafts from last year for you and your children to enjoy once more.

For a gobbling-good centerpiece, have your children make a Pine Cone Turkey!

Learn how to make this Turkey-rific Centerpiece!

While waiting for the turkey to be carved, you can also have your children make a Native American Vest to reenact the first Thanksgiving meal!

Get in the holiday spirit with this Thanksgiving Attire

What fun Thanksgiving crafts does your family make this time of year?

Learn how to make a Giving Thanks Tree

A fringed top keeps Jumpeez warm and stylish during those chilly autumn days!

With this pilgrim-inspired outfit, this Jumpee is ready for a feastful voyage full of learning and adventure!

This Jumpee settler is ready for a harvest full of fun!

These boots were made for walkin' and chasin' turkeys around JumpStart!

The new shipment of clothing is Mayflower-sized, so make sure your child checks it all out!

This Thanksgiving, we want to thank you for being our loyal customers! We are thankful for your questions, your honest feedback and suggestions, your comments of appreciation, your willingness to share with one another, and your commitment to your child’s learning.   We’re thankful you express when you’re upset with us, and we’re thankful you express when you’re super excited about what we’re doing. Your contributions have made this blog a place of dialogue, and we are excited to see what comments we have waiting for us when we come in, each morning.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

You will need a few household ingredients to make this wonderful concoction:

• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups salt
• 8 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 (1 1/12 ounces) container pumpkin pie spice
• Orange food coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)
• 4 cups water

Instructions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps disappear.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth.
4. Store in an airtight container or a plastic bag.

Now you are ready to play! Remember, while this play dough might smell as good as a real pumpkin pie, it is not meant to be eaten!

Like this activity?  Share it with friends!