Thanksgiving in Kindergarten

Today was our Kindergarten Feast Day. How this works is we collect $1 from each of our students to purchase the ingredients needed to make Friendship Stew, cornbread, chocolate pie & butter. We make the pies on Monday so that they can set up in the refrigerator overnight. We talk about the ingredients that we need to make the Chocolate Dream Pie. Then, I let the students smell each ingredient & we talk about the color, texture, etc. We add the ingredients and while I beat the pie they count to 100 three times. They LOVE this activity.
The following day we make the cornbread and the stew in the same manner that we made the pies. Then the part that they like the best comes...shaking the cream to make the butter for the bread. We sing the shaking song & then pass the jar to the next student to shake. The song goes to the tune of Row Your Boat. The words are, Shake, shake, shake the cream. Watch it turn to butter. Everyone will have a turn. Now pass it to another. I usually use 2 of the large baby food jars to make the butter. The class loves to sing & shake.
During the previous week I will have taught them the "I'm A Little Indian" song, and we will sing that a few times on the day of the feast.
I always love this activity. I am always amazed at how much schema I helping to build with them using this one lesson. I teach them about cooking and the tools needed to cook. I teach them about vegetables & other healthy foods. They learn about kindness, sharing & table manners. And, obviously, they learn about the first Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful.