A Pioneer Thanksgiving by Barbara Greenwood

After spinning yarns about Thanksgiving traditions and superstitions - including how dolls made at harvesttime from the last stalks of wheat would be plowed under the next spring so the coming harvest would be fruitful - Greenwood introduces an activity that engages kids in creating their own corn dolls.Īdditional activities woven among informative stories have children making bread, creating weathervanes, and playing the Peach-Stone Game.

A story about collecting nuts for a turkey stuffing segues to directions for playing Conkers, a popular children's game of the period, and to using pipe cleaners and yarn to create a 'nutting basket.'.

Other stories lead to additional made-for-home or -classroom activities. Greenwood uses that story to segue to a simple recipe - one that could be made easily by kids in cooperative classroom groups - for cranberry sauce. Lizzie trips and lands in the cranberry bog and nearly drowns. The plan goes awry when Sarah must take along her younger sister, Lizzie.

While Granny dozes, Sarah hatches a plan to fetch some cranberries to make a special sauce that Granny loves. Today's readers will see many similarities in the ways they celebrate Thanksgiving while they learn to play games, concoct recipes, and create crafts as the Robertson children did.Ī Pioneer Thanksgiving (Kids Can Press) opens as young Sarah is reading to Granny, whose health is failing. Three new books are welcome additions for teaching those themes! A Pioneer Thanksgiving - a story of harvest celebrations in 1841īarbara Greenwood weaves heartwarming stories with hands-on activities to provide readers in grades K-8 with an understanding of what Thanksgiving meant to the pioneering Robertson family in 1841. Thanksgiving is a great time of year for making connections to the past and for emphasizing themes such as sharing and cooperation. The youngest readers will enjoy learning about history and sharing with One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims. Readers of all ages will learn about Thanksgiving traditions and about the spirit of cooperation in A Pioneer Thanksgiving and A Thanksgiving Wish. Education World reviewed three Thanksgiving titles that would make great additions to any classroom or school library.

A Pioneer Thanksgiving by Barbara Greenwood