Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is most surely one of my most favorite holidays.  I think mostly just because of the warm memories associated with it.  Family, friends and of coarse, great food.  When speaking to the students at my former school, I admit, I was shocked to hear that not every Thanksgiving was like the ones I have enjoyed.  I guess it was my naive, living in a bubble mentality shining through.  Even the staff luncheon was a far cry from the regular foods I was used to on Thanksgiving.  I'm glad to be back in Michigan, close to my mom and dad, where I know Thanksgiving will be reminiscent of the celebrations of my youth.  Oh, and let's not forget the Fudge appetizers.  (I know, it's a strange family tradition.)

Thanksgiving Lesson Plans - toddler, preschool and kindergarten

Some questions to pose to your little ones:
- What is Thanksgiving about?
- What does it mean to you and your family?
- How do you celebrate?  (If at all)
- What kinds of foods do you eat?
- Where do you celebrate?
- What is the best part of Thanksgiving?
- Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
- How did it come about that we celebrate Thanksgiving?
You can pose these questions in a large or small group.  Or one on one.  It might be fun to record the children's answers and post them on your bulletin board or in the room.

What do you want the children to learn from this lesson?
foods commonly associated with Thanksgiving
different ways people celebrate Thanksgiving
how do other cultures celebrate the harvest
the history of Thanksgiving

The Food:
Turkey - the main event
mashed potatoes
stuffing
gravy
cranberry sauce
corn
sweet potatoes
buttered rolls
pumpkin pie

Other common foods:
green bean casserole
yams
squash
rice
sauerkraut
cornbread
dumplings
hominy
deviled egg
peas and carrots
biscuits
rutabaga
turnips
salad
apple pie
mincemeat pie
sweet potato pie
chocolate meringue pie
pecan pie
apple cider
egg nog
banana pudding
macaroni and cheese
collard greens
sweet corn relish
pumpkin soup

Different ways to celebrate
watching football
going to a parade
watching a television special
shopping (black Friday)
Thanksgiving gifting
going to a movie
day after Thanksgiving - Christmas decorating

Multicultural Harvest Celebrations:
August Moon Festival (Chinese)
Tet Trung Thu (Vietnamese)
Thanksgiving (American)
Succoth (Jewish)
Kwanzaa (African)
Pongal (Indian)
Yam Festival (African)
Chusok (Korean)

The History:
The First Thanksgiving
Wikipedia - Thanksgiving
It is thought that the first Thanksgivings were held as celebrations to thank god and enjoy the wonderful bounty of food.  The Pilgrims were also thankful to the Native American Indians that taught the them how to cook and survive in the New World.
While I think it is important to honor the Native Americans for their contributions to the survival of the immigrants, we should not turn our whole focus of Thanksgiving to a study of Pilgrims and Indians.  Nor should the only mention of Native Americans, or Indians occur during Thanksgiving.
Please check out this great link:
Resources For Non-Native Classrooms