First-graders re-create first Thanksgiving

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Wearing homemade construction paper Pilgrim hats and Native-American headdresses, first-graders at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School came together Tuesday to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.

But instead of feasting on turkey and all the fixings, students snacked on popcorn and homemade applesauce. In past years, teachers at the Seymour school have served deer meat, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and corn muffins.

It may not sound like much, but Paulton Rennekamp, 7, said the food was a fun way to learn about sharing and being thankful.

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“This is a great opportunity, and we are blessed to have such a great school where we can learn about Thanksgiving,” he said.

Students spent the first part of the week studying the history behind the holiday and talking about what they are most thankful for. The snacks were a reward for their good behavior and paying attention.

“The kids have loved learning about the first Thanksgiving and how different it was from Thanksgiving today,” teacher Whitney Reinhart said.

Although the Thanksgiving menu has evolved from duck, deer, fish, corn, squash, cabbage and onions in 1621 to turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie in modern times, the purpose of the holiday has not changed.

Just as the Pilgrims and Native Americans were thankful for surviving the winter and having food to eat, students said they were thankful for many things, too.

Reinhart said that, when she asked her class on Monday what they were thankful for, their responses mainly were material things, including video games, toys, computers and cellphones.

“But we’ve moved away from that, and now they are saying things like their families, their homes and food,” she said.

Paulton said he was most thankful for his family and was excited to have time off from school to be able to be with them.

A survey of students in his class determined most students were thankful for their pets, too.

“That was the number one thing,” Paulton said.

Yuleimy Ruiz-Rosa, 6, said it wouldn’t be easy being a Pilgrim or Native American at the time of the first Thanksgiving.

“But the Indians helped the Pilgrims by bringing them food to share so they didn’t starve,” she said.

She didn’t think she would like their food very much though and said she was glad she would be dining on turkey today instead.

Mackenzie Gill, 6, said she liked eating popcorn at school on Tuesday, but she wasn’t a fan of the applesauce.

“I didn’t really like it,” she said. “But at least I tried it.”

For Orion Hagan, 7, Thanksgiving is all about food, family and not having to go to school for five days.

“It’s a great holiday, and we should all be thankful for it,” he said.

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