Thanksgiving is celebrated in some Jewish settings, and not in others. I find the teaching of this American holiday rich, with a potential for a broad spectrum of learning. There are lessons and midot (Jewish values) emanating from the story that I hope the children in my class will understand as I strive to create a community of citizens who care about others and the world in which we live. Caring about and showing respect for others is a Jewish principle that makes the world in which we live a better, more peaceful one.

In several ways, the story of Thanksgiving parallels our Jewish experiences. There is the quest for religious freedom. Certainly we can relate to that. Going off to an unknown new place. Sound familiar? Respecting nature, sharing and giving thanks for the bounty given, and saying brachot are all essential to the story of the Pilgrims’ survival in the new land and are parts of our own story.

Native Americans exhibited true respect for the gifts of nature. They hunted for food, but wasted little, using the various parts of the animal for tools, clothing, and shelter. We value Hashem’s creations respectfully and do not waste the gifts given to us. This is the value of Bal Tashchit, do not destroy or waste.

How do I turn these thoughts into experiential learning? The fruits of fall, or should I say the vegetables of fall, are all around us at this time of year. We explore squash and gourds: acorn, butternut, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, and a cucumber. Placed before the children, the question is posed: “What is the same and what is different about all of them?” We compare, we touch, we smell, and finally we cook and taste all of them. We go on to talk about seeds we eat and seeds we don’t eat.

Another time I bring a mystery squash to class and we cook it for snack. The squash is cut open and the insides scraped to remove the edible flesh. In the process I ask the children what they are reminded of. Most often, the answers are strings or spaghetti. We then eat the spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce, surprising many with how delicious it is.

The pumpkin, related to squash, affords us a wonderful, ongoing, science experience. I placed a pumpkin in an empty aquarium and sealed it with clear contact paper. The children reported on what they saw and we began an experience chart to which we added over a period of months. The story unfolded in the children’s own words, starting on the day the pumpkin was put in the aquarium, and then commented upon when changes were observed. After a wait of a week or so, moisture collected on the inner walls of the aquarium. We challenged the children to figure out where the moisture came from. Over time we saw the decomposition of the pumpkin, the changes in its shape and color and the white, snowy effect that covered some of its parts as mold and rot set in. The children became avid observers and felt themselves scientists. In due time, a shoot showed!

The greatest lesson we learned was the wonder of G-d’s planning. It was, in addition, a lesson in caring about the world we live in and the need to use our resources well. We also learned the merit of time itself, noting the cycle that replenishes the earth when nature is allowed to complete its work. We were all excited when we saw new life grow from the old. Ah, the wonders of nature, the wonder of Hashem’s gift.

In a big book, Buried Secrets, published by Nystrom Publications¹, we are introduced to the different clothing, shelter, transportation, and life styles of Native Americans, depending on where they lived. The book talks about a family on a dig out west. False, pre-conceived notions can be eliminated when the children learn the facts, helping them understand differences. Archeology helps us, too, to learn about how our ancestors lived in Israel, millennia ago.

How did the Wampanoagh, who lived in the Plymouth Rock area, communicate with the Pilgrims? This question highlighted non-verbal communication. We spoke about getting ideas across to others, even when there is no common language. An interesting dilemma, I thought. We Jews have been scattered throughout the world and we have a language that joins us together. For us, it is Hebrew.

In our class library we included picture books on sign language and books on the art and decorations used in the differing regions across the continent.

Recognizing the emphasis on aesthetics, we investigated picture writing by decorating a headband and a vest. We also dyed cloth, using natural dyes such as onion skins and crushed cranberries. When noting the use of color and design in the native decorations, the children related it to the weaving project that called upon each child to choose colors and patterns that were pleasing to him or to her. As Jewish people we, too, emphasize beautifying our world. We choose the nicest etrog (Hiddur Mitzvah, the enhancement or adding an aesthetic dimension to the performance of a mitzvah) and we embellish our ritual objects, such as the crowns we use to adorn the synagogue’s Torah scrolls.

Thanksgiving centers on the Pilgrims’ thankfulness for their good fortune. Daily, in our tefilah, we thank Hashem. We lead the children in acknowledging that we are thankful for our food, saying a blessing before and saying “thank you” afterward. Some language arts activities included an experience chart, titled “I Am Thankful For....,” as a basis for a class book to which each child contributed by writing and illustrating his or her thoughts. Children made a mobile by drawing their responses that we hung, balanced on a rod.

For snack, we made popcorn in our hot air popper, not exactly authentic, but what anticipation as the children listen for the first kernel to pop! After the wait, a seeming waterfall of kernels cascaded into the bowl. Eating it afforded us an opportunity to include a brachah (borei p’ri ha’adamah). Poems and little songs beckon the children to mimic the kernels pop, pop, popping.

The culmination of all this learning comes when we make a feast at which we share our food with the children of the other class, an example of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests. Cooking is very much a part of these preparations. We try to incorporate Native American foods on our menu, forgoing the venison and other foods of “the hunt.” There might be corn bread with vegetable soup as a main course and baked goods made with cranberries, squash or pumpkin for dessert.

Each child is asked to bring in an ingredient. We rinse, peel, chop, and dice as the children spend the morning preparing the soup. Each child takes pride in knowing that each contribution is important to the feast. As the soup bubbles in the pot, children and adults who pass by pop their heads in and ask what smells so good. What a compliment to the chefs! All this activity is reminiscent of the book “Stone Soup”² that we read. It is a wonderful story to act out and it is great fun to create the props for the telling. Sharing is, of course, a Jewish midah (value) and, without the contributions of each student, the soup would not be as delicious and complete as it is with all the ingredients.

When the classes get together for the feast, we greet each other, sit in a circle to sing songs, including “Thanks A Lot” by Raffi and, for fun, Debbie Friedman’s “Happy Thanksgiving” from the tape Al Galgalim. We retell the story of the hardships the Pilgrims endured and the feelings of gratitude they conveyed to their friends as they feasted for three days. We then sit down to our own hearty feast, which takes considerably less time. This is our lunch and we thank G-d for the bounty we are sharing, saying the appropriate blessings.

One year my class went to a senior center, where we set the tables for their lunch and proudly served the breads, muffins, and cookies we baked, interacting with the seniors as we did. It was a special moment for us as we saw the joy we brought to others, not only in sharing what we baked, but also by our very presence. Here, the midot (values) of sharing and respect for our elders (mipnei seivah takum, literally rise in the presence of an older person) brought us great satisfaction. Doing chesed, an act of kindness, gave us all pleasure and was a great reward in a lesson learned. Collecting food for the needy, and a campaign to contribute to Tomchei Shabbat, which supplies food for a Shabbat meal, are appropriate opportunities to put tzedakah, an act of charity, into action.

In science, music, language arts, math, art, dramatic play, and the area of human relations and Jewish values, there is much to learn from this holiday. The learning and celebration of Thanksgiving can take many forms and, through it all, we can teach the important concepts of acceptance of peoples’ differences and respect for everyone. I think Thanksgiving is another opportunity to put the messages and lessons of the Torah into real life actions. Thanksgiving, even without eating turkey, is hot stuff!

1. Thomas, Jane Ann. Buried Secrets. Chicago, IL: Nystrom Publications, 1990.
2. Brown, Marcia. Stone Soup. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Scott Foresman, 1947.

Chaya Marks is currently an early childhood educator at the Ramaz School in New York City. She is a member of the Board of the Jewish Early Childhood Association of New York and a member of the Advisory Board of Project ENGAJE, sponsored by the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York and the Suffolk Association for Jewish Educational Services (SAJES), funded by the UJA-Federation of New York.