Pilgrims & Indians

With I week landing early in November, it’s perfect to start getting ready for Thanksgiving with some fun activities with Pilgrims and Indians (of course, you can explain the term Native Americans, too).

 

• Read “The Story of Thanksgiving” by Nancy J. Skarmeas … I love these books. There are several of them. They’re simple and do a great job explaining on a kid’s level.

• Simple Indian Headband
  1. Place a long piece of colorful duct tape sticky side up on the table.
  2. Give the kids several colorful craft feathers to choose from.
  3. Place the quill (stem?!) of the feathers on the sticky tape.
  4. Top with another long piece of duct tape … sticky side down.
  5. Measure around your preschooler’s head and use one more piece of matching duct tape to secure the headband at the right size!
• Learning to Plant Corn … also a Treat!
  1. Read a simple book about Squanto, a friend to the pilgrims, who showed the Indians how to plant corn and other seeds, by adding a fish to the hole (as the fish rotted, it became natural compost adding nutrients to the soil … great for the seeds to grow!)
  2. Mix up a batch of chocolate pudding and pour into individual serving bowls.
  3. Crumble chocolate graham crackers and spread on top of the pudding for dirt.
  4. Use the end of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the “dirt.”
  5. Drop in a candy corn (corn seed) and a swedish fish or goldfish cracker. Cover the hole with “dirt.”
  6. Enjoy your planted corn treat

• A Thanksgiving Tale with Puppets
  1. Use this fun short story from Scholastic.com
  2. Cut out the circles with each of the four children. Attach each to a popsicle stick.
  3. Introduce the pilgrim & Wampanoag children (John, Sarah, Strong Bear and Little Doe) to your preschooler.
  4. As you tell the story, have them hold up the characters talking in the story.
  5. You could also make up actions to go along with the story (run when they run to their friends, pretend to shoot a bow and arrow, plucking birds, gathering firewood…)

• Indian Corn … what a cute, colorful craft from Musings of Me!
  • Cut out a simple corn shape from yellow cardstock
  • Squeeze glue into a small bowl and use a Q-tip to dab glue onto the corn.
  • Add colorful Fruit Loops to make the Indian corn.
  • Back with a green paper husk, just larger than the corn.
• Mini Teepee Printable … a great ready-to-color teepee from Danielle’s Place. Click the link, then scroll about halfway down.
  1. Print the blank teepee here.
  2. Color in the fun designs. The kids can write their names in the blank area and use as a place card for dinner!
  3. Cut out and tape or glue.
  4. NOTE: You can also add 3 toothpicks to the top to look more like a real teepee!