Teaching kids about Thanksgiving was easy in the old days. They were told sweet stories about pumpkin pie and friendship and gratitude. They did some pilgrim and Indian crafts and everybody (or almost everybody) felt happy.
Things got more difficult once we started learning more about the real history of Thanksgiving. We found out that everything from the foods to the traditions was more than a little fictionalized. Then we started to really look at the Native American experiences back then and it was even harder to keep on with the sweet stories. Some of our history of that time just wasn't sweet.
So how should we teach Thanksgiving to children? How do we balance a need to teach them accurate history with a desire to celebrate all of the best parts of a sentimental holiday?
It's not as hard as we may think. We start by being honest and telling the truth (keeping the information age appropriate for children) and we discuss the good and the bad with them. We talk about the issues and encourage them to think about how things must have been for everybody. And we also talk about all of the good things that Thanksgiving has come to represent for many Americans: gratitude, harvest, friendship, working together, helping our neighbors, survival, celebration, family -- and even a few corny crafts.
Here are some links to help with all of that.
Here’s an interactive Thanksgiving lesson from the Plimoth people (involving children who are descendents of the Wampanoag and colonists), that teaches about history and gives lots of information about that first Thanksgiving.
Plimoth Plantation offers an excellent site with extensive links to help teach a more accurate picture of that first Thanksgiving.
The Lesson Plans Page has a huge assortment of Thanksgiving ideas for everything from PE to art to math.
For another Thanksgiving perspective, here is information about the National Day of Mourning that some native people hold on Thanksgiving. The page is well written and offers a lot to think about as we’re educating our children about our nation’s history. Here’s a snippet:
"History is not a set of “truths” to be memorized, history is an ongoing process of interpretation and learning. The true richness and depth of history come from multiplicity and complexity, from debate and disagreement and dialogue. There is room for more than one history; there is room for many voices."
Finally, click here and here for a compilation of plain old printables, coloring pages, songs, worksheets and activities with a Thanksgiving theme -- and even a few corny crafts.
