MV Littles Celebrate Thanksgiving

The holidays are always a time of joy and excitement in the Preschool, and in November we focused on the meaning of Thanksgiving as a time to be thankful for family and friends. Through the Share the Well campaign the children experienced helping others in need and with our own Thanksgiving Feast each class prepared a simple dish to share with their friends.
Conversations in the classroom about the first Thanksgiving led to extensive projects exploring what life was like for the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. The Threes learned about the Wampanoag native people of the Plymouth area and used natural resources from the Founders Campus to prototype their own structures, called wetus. Empathy and exploration guided the young builders as they imagined living in homes made only from natural materials. Finally, Ms. Michelle coordinated an art project where the students designed native attire colored by dyes made from boiled squash, beets and bark.
PreK and Young Fives were equally busy investigating the Pilgrims who traveled to an unknown land. Our industrious students focused on questions about how the Pilgrims felt during the journey and what was needed for such a long, dangerous trip. Through curiosity and problem-solving they designed and created their own versions of the Mayflower in their classrooms. Our friends brainstormed to create sails, store supplies, steer the ship and build a vessel to make the journey. Dressed as Pilgrims for our feast, they made fruit kabobs, applesauce and gingerbread men.
The finale was our Preschool Feast which brought together Wampanoag and Pilgrims, children and parents, teachers and students in the spirit of sharing and thankfulness.