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Pilgrims for Kids

April 16, 2012
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by Beth Gorden

Make learning about pilgrims for kids fun and engaging with this hands on history for kids unit for preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students! The unit includes pilgrim printables, DIY costumes, how to make marbles, johnny cakes recipe, writing with quills, and so much more! Us this for a thanksgiving history lesson for kids, to learn about life in colonial America, or to learn about American history.
Make learning about pilgrims for kids fun and engaging with this hands on history for kids unit for preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students! The unit includes pilgrim printables, DIY costumes, how to make marbles, johnny cakes recipe, writing with quills, and so much more! Us this for a thanksgiving history lesson for kids, to learn about life in colonial America, or to learn about American history. 


Pilgrims for Kids

We love making history come alive for kids so that they will learn more and retain more too. Our history units contain not only free printables and book recommendations, but lots of hands on history activities, games, costumes and more so your preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students will feel like they lived through and experience that moment in the past. This Pilgrims for Kids unit is perfect for helping children learn about life in early America.

In our second week of learning about the colonial america for kids in our  history for kids  we are exploring the pilgrims. Sure we all have heard of the Pilgrims from Thanksgiving, but how much do you really know about them. In this week’s study you will make some costumes, write with a quill, make your own marbles, try johnny cakes, and can print more pages to your free printable life in colonial America book. Whether you are a family preparing some meaningful Thanksgiving activities, a teacher planning a fun Pilgrim week, or a homeschooling family creating an immersive pilgrim history lesson – you will loe these clever history activities for your students.

Pilgrims History

The next Colonial settlement we read about  the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

DIY Pilgrim Costume

Pilgrim Activities

We started by getting in costume and made stereotypical costumes (easy Pilgrim hat tutorial here)

Thanksgiving Activities - Squanto teaches the pilgrims how to plant corn for homeschoolers

Thanksgiving Activities

Squanto taught the Pilgrims to plant corn so we made a pictures showing his method by gluing a goldfish & 3 corn kernels topped with soil. I HIGHLY recommend Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas. It is a beautiful, informative, and faith written book. There is a LOT about Squanto that I did not know!

thanksgiving activities for kids using a quill and writing like early settlers the pilgrims

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

We practiced writing like the Pilgrims did with a Quill feather. We made our authentic “ink” using dirt, water, and charcoal. It came out great and the kids thought it was hilarious!

Colonial Food -Johnny Cakes

Colonial Food -Johnny Cakes

We also talked about Colonial food. Cooking was hard work and dangerous as they cooked over an open fire. They grew their own vegetables, made their own bread, milked cows for milk, churned mil to get butter, and used corn a lot! To reinforce we had Johnny Cakes, traditional colonial dish with corn (see Great Colonial American Projects for recipe). We also had Pumpkin Pie to celebrate the 1st Thanksgiving.

thanksgiving activities for preschoolers - How to Make Marbles for Kids - Hands on Colonial America History Project

Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers

How to Make Marbles for Kids

We read Samuel Eaton Pilgrim Boy to see what a day looked like for a Pilgrim boy. Then we talked about what Colonial life would have been like for kids.  Goofy thought it was HILARIOUS that boys wore dresses until they were 7! Then we made our own marbles to play with like Colonial kids did.

Making your own marbles is actually really easy! Simply mix in a sauce pan 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 cup baking soda, 5/8 cup water and continue stirring over medium heat until it forms a ball. Cool on wax paper. Add in food coloring if you want to make colored DIY Marbles. Shape your marbles and allow them to cool completely. You are ready to play some fun marble games just like the pilgrims would have played hundreds of years ago!

Colonial America Pilgrims Books to Read

     
Kids will have fun learning about the pilgrims with these fun pilgrim books for kids.

Pilgrim Worksheets - FREE Life in Colonial America Printable Book

Pilgrim Printables

We added the pilgrim worksheets to our Life in Colonial America book we’ve been making to record what we’ve learned in our unit.  Each page includes a place for children to draw a picture or place a photograph of a pilgrim activity you did together. The pages included with these free pilgrim worksheets include:

  • Squanto being taken
  • Squanto helps the Pilgrims
  • Food in Colonial America
  • Clothes in Colonial America

Discover what it was like to live in the first permanent English Settlement in America with this fun, engaging Jamestown for Kids unit study. Explore this history lesson for kids of all ages from kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students. Children will learn about the Jamestown Settlement of 1607 with these fun projects, Jamestown activities, and free Jamestown Worksheets. This free printable Jamestown for Kids reader is a great way to learn facts about Jamestown, the first permament settlement in America while work on reading skills. This Jamestown printable allows kids to step back to the history of United States of America and learn about Jamestown va history including Captain John Smith, Powhatan native Americans, Pocahontas, and early settlers. Simply print Jamestown coloring pages for pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students to read, colour and learn!Make learning about pilgrims for kids fun and engaging with this hands on history for kids unit for preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students! The unit includes pilgrim printables, DIY costumes, how to make marbles, johnny cakes recipe, writing with quills, and so much more! Us this for a thanksgiving history lesson for kids, to learn about life in colonial America, or to learn about American history.  In our final week talking about colonial america for kidss as part of our homeschool history for kids  unit we learned about William Penn who was a Quaker and the founder of Pennsylvania. As usual with our homeschool units they are filled with hands on history projects for kids. This is perfect for the entire homeschool family to learn about together.

Colonial America for kids

Colonial America for Kids takes kids on a journey back to the first permanent settlements in America to learn about colonial life with lots of hands on projects like eating Gruel, making a Wattle & Daub house, and creating a tin lantern will make the settlement come alive.
  • Start off our Colonial America for Kids history unit with a look at the first permanent English settlement in America – Jamestown Activities. (Don’t forget to grab these FREE Printables Jamestown for Kids Book to Read, Color, and Learn)
  • Talk about the Pilgrims, make costumes, learn how Squanto taught the settlers to plant crops, write with a quill, make simple Johnny Cakes and a traditional colonial toy – marbles!
  • Explore the life of the Dutch and Swedes in America as you try creating homemade butter and build a log cabin.
  • Finally discuss William Penn and the Quakers will kids enjoy making traditional silhouette art projects, a colonial punishment stock, and so much more.

Vikings for Kid s- this is a fun hands on history unit that will help make history come alive including history activities, history crafts, free history printables and more for learning about early explorers #vikings #history #homeschooling lewis-and-clark-lesson-for-kids native americans for kids Learn all about the Sixties for kids with this American History for Kids reader for kids to color and learn! Learn about life in the 1960s with elementary age students from pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students.  Simply print pdf file with 1960s for kids for kids to learn about life in the 60s while having fun coloring the cute pictures and learning about the birth of 'Smiley,' Barbie, and lava lamps.

History Lessons for Kids

Check out one of or MANY engaging, Free history lessons for kids

  • Explore American History for kids including lots of fun, hands on activities and free printables
  • Dive into Mesopotamia History to learn about Gilgamesh
  • 4 week lesson about Early Explorers for Kids
  • Learn about castles, knights, and more in this exciting Middle Ages for Kids
  • Make a teepee, dig for arrowheads, color our printable books and more in this Native Americans for Kids lessons
  • The Colonial America for Kids lesson takes kids on a journey back to the first permanent settlement in America – Jamestown. Students will learn about colonial life with lots of hands on projects like eating Gruel, making a Wattle & Daub house, and creating a tin lantern will make the settlement come alive.
  • We will make westward expansion for kids come alive for kids as they learn facts about the time period from about 1783-1898. In addition to learning about the Oregon trail, pony express, gold rush, transcontinental railroad, students will also learn to match animal trails, map the united states, and learn about North American animals too.
  • Civil War for Kids – students will learn about slavery, famous Americans from the Civil War, famous battles, and how our nation stayed together. Lesson includes printable worksheets, mapping activities, printable civil war board game and more!
  • Learn about US States for Kids – state coloring pages, president coloring pages, state report forms, states and capital printables, and so much more!
  • Pennant History Posters to see US History At-a-Glance
  • Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
  • Rosa Parks for Kids Printable Reader to Color and Learn
  • Martin Luther King Jr for Kids Printable Reader to Color and Learn
  • Titanic for Kids Reader to Color and Learn
  • Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
  • 1930s for Kids – Printable Book about the Golden age of Hollywood, Great Depression for Kids and more to read, color, and learn
  • Life in the 1940s America for Kids Reader
  • Learn about the trading of goods that began in 1941 with this Columbian Exchange for Kids printable reader.
  • Anne Frank for Kids Printable Reader to read, color, and learn about this Jewish girl who lived behind the wall in Holland during World War 2
  • 1950s for Kids Reader to Color, Learn and read about what life was like in America in 1950
  • Life in the 1960s for Kids Printable book to read, color and learn about life in the 1960s
  • Learn about platform shoes, disco, the beginning of Star Wars and more with this 1970s for kids Reader
  • 1980s for kids Reader to read, color, and learn!
  • 1990s for Kids Printable Reader filled with information about fashion, technology, Presidents, and more!
  • Learn about life for early 2000s Kids with these american history printables to read, color, and learn!
  • Review what you’ve leanred with these American History Worksheets (Notebooking)

Turkey Word Family Activity free-first-thanksgiving-emergent-reader

Thanksgiving Printables

pumpkin-candy-count-and-trace  Life Cycle of a Turkey

november-crafts-for-kids Thanksgiving skit for families with costume ideas printable-thanksgiving-bingo-game

If you are looking for a mouthwatering recipe that uses up leftover turkey, you will go nuts over this EASY Turkey Pot Pie Recipe.  I have been known to cook a whole turkey just to get leftover meat to make this flavorful recipe for dinner.  AMAZING Thanksgiving Leftover Soup Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Plus don’t miss our  family favorite Thanksgiving recipes

 

Pilgrims Worksheets

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>> Download Life in Colonial America Part 2 <<

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About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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