In November, I discussed with the second grade students the first thanksgiving. We explored ideas about who was there, why they were celebrating, and what they ate. I asked the classes if they thought the Native Americans and Pilgrims bought dishes from Walmart to have the first Thanksgiving feast? They thought that was pretty silly! So how did they serve meals back then??? They made their own dishes! Each student learned how to create their own pinch pot, just like the Native Americans. We discussed the process of working with clay and the patterns/designs that were carved in the pottery. The final step will be to paint the pots with tempera paint. We will discuss how early Americans made different colors of paint and the colors that were most commonly used.
