Today we began a Florida Studies Weekly packet on The First Thanksgiving. We went deeper into the subject by reading The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward. From these two sources, we read about the Pilgrims wanting to leave England in order to worship in their own way. 102 passengers sailed off on The Mayflower in 1620. After a 66-day trip, they landed at Cape Cod. We saw how the natives currently living there helped the Pilgrims learn to hunt and plant their crops. Their friendship and harvest were celebrated with a three-day long feast. We were excited to read that in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. We supported the lesson by watching a short, illustrated video of the story of the Mayflower and singing a fun song about the Pilgrims. In exploring the lesson further, we played a trading game. I was the American Indian and Danny was the Pilgrim. We had picture cards and made trades to reflect how the two parties worked together. The Pilgrims traded their cloth, jewelry, and tools. The natives traded furs, deerskin, and corn. Danny and I then read a reader booklet highlighting the key points of the first Thanksgiving. Additionally, we reviewed changes in transportation. We are reminded that long ago, people walked or rode on wagons or animals. We added to Danny’s Interactive Notebook that for today, people use cars, trains, and planes to get around. We began a word search of a Thanksgiving theme. Danny found the words corn and family.