Feeling Thankful

Pretty Little Mayflower Passengers

I was lucky to have my week for preschool just in time for Thanksgiving. After reading Ten Little Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving Story, we marched to the tambourine (T-Week/Color Brown) down to board the "Mayflower" donning pilgrim hats (2 couches facing each other).
 I love this simple Charlie Brown video based on the historical facts surrounding the pilgrims and Thanksgiving.

 It gives me a greater appreciation for the sacrifices they endured... seasickness, illness, freezing temperatures, cramped smelly conditions, and death for almost half of them, all for the desire to enjoy the privilege of worshiping God in their own way.  When it got to the part where Samoset and Squanto arrive to help, I admit I got a little choked up just thinking of what an answer to prayer he must have been to help relieve some of their suffering as he taught them skills to give them hope for the future.  I believe the Lord had a hand in preparing a suitable place for them to survive and placed a forgiving Indian in their path even though he had been kidnapped by the Englishmen whom he could have held animosity for.  I am impressed that he  still had the compassion to come to their aid.   We watched it for family night, so I just shared a few of the ideas with my preschoolers.  It looks like a few of them were trying to mimic how some of the passengers must have felt :)


After making pattern trains with gumdrops, we assembled our turkey feathers for apple turkeys.  Alyssa was the little turkey who refused to smile and started the silly tongue wagging.

 We also made brown bag tepees, snacked on hot cocoa and crackers, played Don't Eat the Turkey and Thankful Matching Game and did a color by number turkey picture.

 Now that its over, Josh was eager to devour his turkey until he tasted some of the spice gumdrops!  That was all I could find :(