Thanksiving History

T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.
H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.
A for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.
N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.
K for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.
S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.

That spells ~~~THANKS---for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

TURKEY DINNER
author unknown
(sung to Frere Jacques)

Turkey dinner, turkey dinner,
Gather round, gather round,
Who will get the drumstick,
Yummy, yummy drumstick,
All sit down, all sit down.

Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffing,
Pudding pie, one foot high,
All of us were thinner, til we came to dinner,
Me, oh, my, me, oh, my!

Origin of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is America's preeminent day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. It has a very interesting history. Its origin can be traced back to the 16th century when the first thanksgiving dinner is said to have taken place.

Journey of Pilgrims
The legendary pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in Mayflower-A 17th Century sailing vessel. About 102 people traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty. This was so because they were kept in the cargo space of the sailing vessel. No one was allowed to go on the deck due to terrible storms. The pilgrims comforted themselves by singing Psalms- a sacred song.

Arrival in Plymouth
The pilgrims reached Plymouth rock on December 11th 1620, after a sea journey of 66 days. Though the original destination was somewhere in the northern part of Virginia, they could not reach the place owing to winds blowing them off course. Nearly46 pilgrims died due to extreme cold in winter. However, in the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to survive by growing food.

Day of Fasting and Prayer
In the summer of 1621, owing to severe drought, pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day. It saved the corn crops.

First Thanksgiving Feast
It is said that Pilgrims learnt to grow corn, beans and pumpkins from the Indians, which helped all of them survive . In the autumn of 1621, they held a grand celebration where 90 people were invited including Indians. The grand feast was organized to thank god for his favors. This communal dinner is popularly known as "The first thanksgiving feast". There is however, no evidence to prove if the dinner actually took place.

While some historians believe pilgrims were quite religious so, their thanksgiving would've included a day of fasting and praying, others say that the Thanksgiving dinner did take place.

Turkey and First Thanksgiving Feast
There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast. According to the first hand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc.

Pumpkin and Thanksgiving Feast
Pumpkin pie, a modern staple adorning every dinner table, is unlikely to have been a part of the first thanksgiving feast. Pilgrims however, did have boiled pumpkin. Diminishing supply of flour led to the absence of any kind of bread.

The feast continued for three days and was eaten outside due to lack of space. It was not repeated till 1623, which again witnessed a severe drought. Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of thanksgiving in the year 1676. October of 1777 witnessed a time when all the 13 colonies joined in a communal celebration. It also marked the victory over the British.

After a number of events and changes, President Lincoln proclaimed last Thursday in November of thanksgiving in the year 1863. This was due to the continuous efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor. She wrote a number of articles for the cause.

THANKSGIVING GRACES

Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good,
and His love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

Thank You for the world so sweet,
Thank You for the food we eat,
Thank You for the birds that sing,
Thank You, God, for everything!
Amen.

We thank You, Lord,
for happy hearts,
for rain and sunny weather;
We thank You for the food we eat,
and that we are together.
Amen.

God is great. God is good.
God, we thank You for this food!
Amen.

MAYFLOWER MEMORY GAME
Everybody sits in a circle.
The first person says, "I am sailing on the Mayflower,
and I am taking..."
The first person then says something that starts
with "A" like apples.
The second person says, "I am sailing on the Mayflower,
and I am taking..."
The second person then repeats what the first person said
and adds something that begins with "B."
The third person must remember what the first people said
and add a "C" item.
Continue through the alphabet.
If a player can't remember all the items, that player drops out,
until there is one player left.

THE TURKEY JERKY
This is the same as the Hokey Pokey, except with turkeys!

You put your right wing in, you put your right wing out,
You put your right wing in, and you gobble all about.
You do the turkey jerky and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about. Hey!

(Continue with left wing, drumsticks, head, tail feathers, turkey body)

TOM TURKEY HIDE AND SEEK
One player hides his eyes while another player, Tom Turkey, hides.
The first player tries to find Tom Turkey.
When the first player is far away, everyone makes quiet gobbling sounds.
As he gets closer, everyone makes louder gobbling sounds, until he finds Tom Turkey.

DUCK, DUCK, TURKEY!
Play just like Duck, Duck, Goose.
Players sit in a circle.
One player is on the outside of the circle. This player is It.
It taps each one on the head, saying, "Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck..." When It says "Turkey", the tapped player must get up and chase the It, who runs around the circle and tries to sit in the empty spot.
If the tagged person catches It, the first player is still It. If It gets to the empty spot without being tagged, the second player is now It.

Get creative with your homeschooling! Journal your trip!
Try building your own lens! It's fun and easy and we can both earn money. Just click on the link below to get started by following the step by step instructions:
click here

Click on the squid to see a list of many of our OTHER sites for more ideas to help you get started with your very own weblens!!!!

Do you like writing contests? Check out a friend's great website.

Homeschool Writers Writing Contests & Resources

Do you like math contests? Check out another friend's great website.

Homeschool Writers Math Contests & Resources