Of Pilgrims, Native Americans, and our Special Guest
“Good Morning! Welcome to Petals Class!” we enthusiastically greeted our special guest.
“Do you know who she is?” Pauline asked.
“S’s mommy!” We all chorused. That’s right, S’s mommy, A, came over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us! She told us that thanksgiving meant being happy for the things and the people we have. It can be your family, friend, teachers; it can be your toys, your books, bag, etc! For her, she is happy that she has S and D– that makes her thankful that she has them!
A also told us the story of why we have Thanksgiving celebration. It’s something that’s always celebrated in America and that it began long, long ago, about 400 years ago (Wow!), in a country that was not America– it was in England!
“K should know where England is, right?” A asked.
“Umm… no..” K said uncertainly.
“It’s where London is,” A explained.
“Oh, LONDON!” K said excitedly. “Yes, I know London!” he said. A began her story, and she had made some very cute drawings for each part of the story. We were all eyes and ears! A also showed us how different the soil is from England and the one they found in America– we will explain more later.
“I like S’s mommy!” K exclaimed after the story time. “I like the story,” he added. Aww, that was so sweet!
A then asked us to go to the tables for a drawing session– we had to draw people, or things, that we were thankful for. We quickly got into action! We made such good drawings that our teachers decided to put them in our portfolios. Our drawings ranged from our families to friends, to teachers, our houses, and food that we loved. What a lovely Thanksgiving celebration– Keita put into words what we were all feeling after– he had drawn Alexis wearing the Pilgrim hat she was wearing and said, “I am thankful for S’s mom. S’s mom is nice!” We couldn’t have said it better– Thank you so much to S’s mommy for coming to visit us and celebrating a beautiful holiday with us!
We had our snacks after we said goodbye and thank you to A. Nimo then read a book called “A Squash and a Squeeze” which was about an old woman complaining about how small her house is, until a man comes along and helps her realize and appreciate the space she has in her house. It was perfect for Thanksgiving Day– instead of complaining about things that we have, we should learn how to appreciate them and be thankful for what we have!
We then sat with Pauline who wanted to test us if we remembered the story and its sequence. She showed us the first page.
“They didn’t have food,” A said.
“They were hungry,” K said.
“They were angry,” L told us.
“They were angry,” R agreed. “Like mommy sometimes,” she added. Yes, like teachers sometimes, too– especially when we don’t use listening ears, or we don’t show respect! Like what Alexis told us in the story, there was a king who made some rules that don’t respect the people, so they were upset and wanted to move to a new place– America!
“What do you think about our rules?” Pauline asked about our classroom rules.
“Nice, not like the king’s rules,” O said.
“That’s not funny,” M said of the king’s rules. They were right– our classroom rules make sure that they show respect!
The next page showed the Pilgrims aboard the ship called the Mayflower, sailing in the ocean. After a long time….
“They got there!” A said.
“They’re already in America!” K said.
“They were happy!” M said. Finally, they saw land!
“They threw seeds on the ground, but they ate the wrong sand and rocks so they didn’t grow,” A said of the next page.
“They didn't have food to eat because it was in the wrong sand,” A said. They were right! The soil was different from the one in America, so their seeds didn’t grow. So they didn’t grow, and there was no food. On to the next page…
“It grow and grow and grow!” A said.
“The seeds have the right thing to eat,” O said.
“Who’s this?” Pauline pointed to one of the drawings.
“That’s the chef,” A said. Actually, that was the Native American helping the Pilgrims with how to make the seeds grow in the soil. Pauline showed the next page.
“Pumpkins!” R said excitedly.
“Why is the sun there?” U asked.
“Plants need the sun,” A explained. The Pilgrims have successfully grown corn, pumpkin, and other veggies. Next page.
“They’re having a party!” Ol said.
“They’re having a table party!” M said.
“Sharing together,” K said.
“It’s a sharing party!” A said. Yes, the Pilgrims had a party to thank the Native Americans for all their help, and they shared all the yummy food they made.
Our teachers were pretty impressed by our good listening ears when A told the story, so we were able to re-tell it in our own words. Well done!
We had a freeze dance before lunchtime, as we didn’t get the chance to go to the park today. It was fun moving and dancing to the beat– A, U, and H were our winners!
We also had fun making a *secret* something with Sayaka– sorry, we can’t tell! *Wink*
That concludes our Wednesday– how was your day?
Love,
All the thankful children in Petals Class
Love,
All the thankful children in Petals Class