No time is better than November to brush up on your Thanksgiving knowledge, and nothing can be a better resource than the Internet. One of my fondest memories is a Thanksgiving quiz tackled by my whole family around the table after devouring the turkey. The prize was a get-out-of-washing-the-dishes card which inspired the kids; we all had a ball. If this sounds like a fun idea and you want to custom-make your own Turkey Day Quiz or you realize you have forgotten more than you ever knew about the Mayflower Pact, giblet gravy, and William Bradford, the Internet can be just one more thing to be thankful for. Thanks to the World Wide Web, you can be an expert on Thanksgiving and its history, recipes and cooking, fun and games, and even football and parade schedules for the holiday weekend.
History, Customs, and Traditions
Who better to teach us what the First Thanksgiving was really like than Plymouth Plantation, the Living History Museum of 17th Century Plymouth? Their site offers a collection of articles such as “Thanksgiving in American History,” “Pilgrims as People,” “A 17th Century Harvest Feast,” and “Dress in Early New England.” The First Thanksgiving: Mayflower Home Page gives a detailed account of the Pilgrim’s 1621 Thanksgiving. You may be surprised to learn the first Thanksgiving menu included no sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, or pumpkin pie as we know it. There could have been pumpkin pudding sweetened by honey or syrup but nothing like the pie with crust or whipped topping we enjoy today.
The Internet does a great job of using today’s technology to bring yesterday’s history to life. When you visit The First Thanksgiving site by teacher.scholastic.com, you will be treated to a picture time line and a voyage on the Mayflower, a virtual trip back in time to the seventeenth century. You can explore the Mayflower’s nooks and crannies, meet the passengers and crew, and discover Pilgrim life as if you were there.
Fun and Games
Gather those children and grandchildren up on your knee in front of your computer and have a great time. Try a visit to Billy Bear’s Happy Thanksgiving for online games, puzzles, crafts, clip art, and screensavers. How about a Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle.All you have to do is click on each box to enter a letter in the crossword puzzle. There is even an instant hint button if you are stuck. Another great site to enjoy with the kids is Ben & Jerry’s Thanksgiving page that includes arts, crafts, games, history tidbits, and links to other Thanksgiving pages. Your little ones will learn that all little Pilgrims, girls and boys, wore dresses until they reached the age of eight. This site even welcomes you with the sounds of gobbling turkeys.
