I think there is something to be said about keeping certain traditions. It has occurred to me that teaching children Thanksgiving traditions is a very important part of what we do in our school. I love telling them about the first Thanksgiving. We have several special books that I read to them to set the stage. They learn that in the days of the Pilgrims there were no stoves and refrigerators and that fire was used to cook and keep warm during the winter months. They are completely fascinated by this information. You should hear the questions! I do wonder sometimes if they can really imagine a world without electricity-no lights for reading, no stove for cooking, and certainly no T.V. or computer games! The children really get interested in this very different life of the Pilgrims. We look at photos of the Mayflower II  and talk about the long, hard journey.  They learn that the Pilgrim children were required to do daily chores in their new home. The children love playing with the old-fashioned “Flying Machine” given to us by a parent after visiting the Mayflower in Plymouth.  Through reading and Scholastic videos they observe the Pilgrims’ clothing and compare their clothes to ours.  I really believe that learning about the first Thanksgiving is their first taste of American history. What an important lesson to be learned!

Learner, Thinker, Writer: Connie Sudlow serves Trinity School as a Pre-K teacher. @MissConniesPreK