Schools often teach about the Pilgrims, but that’s just the start in terms of these early settlers in America. Explore more about them with these online activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Watch the history of Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBjqrKyfRnA
• Read five surprising facts about the first Pilgrims in America at https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/5-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-pilgrims
• The pilgrims, puritans, and Quakers all came from England in the 1600s; what is the difference between them? Get the answer at https://13colonies.mrdonn.org/pilgrims-puritans-quakers.html

 

CREATE:

• Get crafty at Thanksgiving with these fun activities and crafts: https://www.honest.com/blog/baby/fun-and-crafty-thanksgiving-activities-for-kids/2020111804.html?srsltid=AfmBOorczW4YlmGqgfw0WySJjoPnqWca9UnO4m4V1Z5ID76l5MjrueTe
• Imagine the life of Pilgrims with these activities: https://howtohomeschoolmychild.com/5-fun-activities-to-help-teach-your-kids-about-the-first-thanksgiving/
• Get authentic with these activities –talk like a Pilgrim and play like one –from the Plimoth Museum: https://plimoth.org/for-students/activities-games

 

CARE:

• Make a Thanksgiving care package for friends and community members at https://themondaybox.com/thanksgiving-care-package/
• Participate in Operation Turkey to help feed families in need at https://www.operationturkey.com/
• Try some of these ways to Give Thanks at this time of the year (and the rest of the year): https://simplepurposefulliving.com/thanksgiving-gratitude-activities-for-families/

 

CAREERS:

The term Pilgrim is often associated with a past English religious sect – and you could make a career learning and teaching about them as a historian, a museum expert, an educator, or a religious leader; you could also reenact being a Pilgrim at an event or historical site. Make history come alive! Here are some possibilities.

• Pilgrim Progress reenactment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNXOsUn486E
• Museum careers: https://www.tiktok.com/@historyonholiday/video/7173821844812827947
• Career options in history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pQ57I_y9kg

Gobble Up Turkeys

 

Turkeys are traditional food at Thanksgiving. And there’s more to them than that one meal. Gobble up the facts about turkeys with these activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Check out 70! facts about turkeys at https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/kids/turkey-facts-kids
• Why do Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving? See the video answer about it at https://www.britannica.com/video/turkey-dish-meal/-238846
• Get wild about wild turkeys at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIU1iJgmVE

 

CREATE:

• Here are two dozen turkey activities for kids: https://thekindergartenconnection.com/24-turkey-activities-kids/
• Get a taste for healthy turkey food art at https://raisingveggielovers.com/turkey-food-art-healthy-kids-food/
• Work up an appetite with these thanksgiving games at https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/g32449758/thanksgiving-games/

 

CARE:

• Watch how farmers care for turkeys at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpHvD4TBzOM
• Wild turkeys adapt to urban and suburban communities, which can cause problems. See the issues and the solutions at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Wild-Turkeys-WDM-Technical-Series.pdf
• Watch this annual “Turkeys for Teachers” drive to support 1000 local teachers with Thanksgiving good at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ORGcKXXhlM

 

CAREERS:

Is a TURKey LURKey in your future? Maybe as a farmer, a grocer, a cook, an event planner, an ornithologist (bird scientist)? You might thank a turkey for an interesting career. See some examples below.  

• Visit a turkey farm at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOxzPHg_B64
• Scientists talk about turkey conservation at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DfjOQFVEeK4

 

Thanks for the Giving

Today is Thanksgiving. What is its history? What are its implications? Feast your eyes on these holiday activities. Gobble them up!

CONNECT:

Visit the first Thanksgiving virtual to discover the location and history of that famous event and time: http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

How does a turkey get from the farm to your table? Trace the trip at http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving/videos/american-eats-turkey-assembly-line?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

The History Channel also has a video about the technology behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving/videos/thanksgiving-day-parade-tech

We often think of Thanksgiving as one event that is food-centric, but that wasn’t the case 100 years ago. Enjoy looking as these photographs of Thanksgiving maskers; you might be reminded of Halloween: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/25/vintage-thanksgiving-phot_n_6213806.html

CREATE:

The Thanksgiving meal isn’t just the turkey. Each state has its own food specialties: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/?_r=0. Maybe you can help prepare a family specialty.

While some folks are cooking and watching sports, kids can have fun with these Thanksgiving activities: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/thanksgiving/ (Note that some older folks might need to help youngsters).

Have fun telling Thanksgiving jokes and riddles: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/jokes/topics/thanksgiving.shtml

CARE:

How much did you family spend on the Thanksgiving meal? Use this infographic http://blogs.kqed.org/lowdown/2013/11/27/what-a-typical-thanksgiving-meal-costs-this-year/ to guide your calculations – and to compare costs for the last couple of years.

Did you know that the Pueblo people domesticated turkeys for their feathers – before thinking of them as food? You might care more for turkeys after viewing their history: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life-as-a-turkey-the-making-of-a-turkey/7376/

Try one of these easy Thanksgiving service projects for kids: http://www.suburbia-unwrapped.com/2014/09/easy-thanksgiving-service-project-kids.html

CAREERS:

There are lots of ways to “slice up” careers related to Thanksgiving: from historians and writers to travel, entertainment and social workers. And don’t forget all the people involved in the food industry from farmers to waiters.
Did you know that one in six people work on Thanksgiving? We can all thank them for for efforts. Here are some details: http://abc7chicago.com/careers/survey-16-pct-of-employees-work-on-thanksgiving/410403/