4 Thanks a Lot Think about all of the good things in your life Maybe you enjoy playing sports Perhaps you spend your time making crafts writing stories or drawing pictures Do you like talking with your friends hanging out with your family or meeting new people Do you enjoy roller coasters walking your dog or eating a yummy ice cream sundae Take a moment to appreciate the things that make you happy You might be thankful for your pet
5 There is a day every year set aside for giving thanks Thanksgiving Friends and family take a break from work and school to spend time visiting and feasting together Everyone has different Thanksgiving traditions Some people go to parades or watch them on television Some families play or watch football You might sit down to a large meal of turkey with all the trimmings You might find a way to help others No matter how you celebrate you can make crafts to add fun to the holiday festivities Your friends and family will be thankful for your creativity The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is famous for its large balloons shaped like popular characters TUrKEY DAY Did you know that the wild turkey almost became the national bird of the United States Benjamin Franklin one of the nation’s founders proposed the turkey as the national symbol But it lost to the bald eagle
6 Thanksgiving Who’s Who Pilgrims and Native Americans shared a huge feast at the first Thanksgiving celebration When you think of Thanksgiving you may think of two groups of people Pilgrims and Native Americans That is because the holiday has its roots in the relationship between these groups In the 1600s the Church of England firmly controlled how people were allowed to practice religion in England
However many people disagreed with the church One group of people called the Separatists wanted to be able to worship God in their own way They moved to Holland to escape the church’s rules Soon after they decided to venture across the Atlantic Ocean By setting up a colony in North America the Separatists could start new lives away from the church’s influence We call these settlers Pilgrims because a pilgrim is someone who travels a long way often for religious reasons The Pilgrims were not the first people in North America Many native people had already been there for thousands of years The Wampanoags were one of the many native groups in North America They lived in the area that is now eastern Massachusetts where they survived by hunting gathering fishing and farming the land The Pilgrims settled at a place now called Plymouth Massachusetts in late 1620 There they experienced a harsh first winter Many died from illness and lack of food In the spring they met the Wampanoags The Pilgrims and Native Americans signed a treaty agreeing not to fight or steal from each other The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to farm the land After the summer the Pilgrims had abundant crops William Bradford the governor of the colony declared that the Pilgrims should set aside a day to be thankful and celebrate 7
