We've learned a lot about Thanksgiving! We explored what we already knew, and then asked ourselves: what would we like to learn about the First Thanksgiving? Some of us wanted to know what the Pilgrims and Wampanoag ate; some wanted to know what games they played; others wanted to know if the two groups lived peacefully together... After sharing our thoughts with our friends, we went to find answers!
First we saw a moving map of the travels of the Mayflower, and learned why they reached Cape Cod first (instead of Virginia, as expected).We read letters written by a (fictional) Pilgrim child and a (fictional) Wampanoag (Native American) child to help us understand what both groups of people were thinking, feeling, and doing on that first Thanksgiving. Did you ever wonder how the Pilgrims lived? What they ate? What they played with?
Through slideshows we explored the daily life of the Pilgrims and Wapanoags, as well as a description of the first Thanksgiving celebration. Did you know the feast lasted three days? Did you know that cranberry sauce hadn't even been been invented yet? And, nope! There was no pumpkin pie... Did you know that the Indians hunted deer and shared the meat with the Pilgrims? Although the Pilgrims and Wampanoag were so different, they both had special ways to give Thanks to the Creator for the good things He gave them!
Lastly, after learning what the Pilgrims were thankful for (survival and a successful harvest) we asked ourselves - "what am I thankful for? Why?" and wrote our ideas on colorful leaves hanging in our classroom.
Ask your child to share their First Thanksgiving trivia questions with you!
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