Description
CAMPFIRE STANDARDS:
Our units are taught through living book format.They are applicable to all age levels, pre-reader to adult. If you would like to see how we adjust each level for difficulty (while allowing the whole family to come together), please visit this page HERE.
UNIT DESCRIPTION:
Today, you get a special insight into our second Thanksgiving unit as we round the corner into fall: In the Season of | Thanksgiving! This is our newest Thanksgiving unit… and also one of the best historical units you will ever complete, with elements you have likely never heard. In fact, we’ve never seen anything else like it! This is a unit that literally transports your family back in time… mixing the past and present into a wonderful, hearty stew.
We don’t hold anything back, so make sure your family is ready for the REAL Thanksgiving from over 40 primary sources! Real conversations from men and women allow us a beautiful glimpse into the rich culture, the laughter, the struggle, the wars, the feasts, the divides, the friendships… all of it. We share the actual reason for Thanksgiving in living story format that draws you in and makes you want to feast AND fight (for all the right reasons). There are amazing twists to the story which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to learn more about history than ever before! It is SO engaging, and one of customers’ most-loved units!
Your family has activity options (not required) of dried apple garland, corn husk doll making, rope making with the Natives, playing Hubbub just as the Wampanoag shared with the English, learning about weir fishing and surviving off of the land, making oil lanterns with the settlers, and so much more! Then, they’ll be traveling all the way through the Civil War and its connection to Thanksgiving. This is nothing like a “history textbook” that bores you to tears and gets information wrong…it’s a living story journey through the truth about the beginnings of Thanksgiving based on primary sources.
Are you ready for a unit that will deepen the character of your children? Do you want to bring them into a whole new world of learning history where they feel connected and want to grow into better individuals? And… do you want it all disguised in a way that they are having fun without even realizing they’re learning? Then YOU WANT THIS UNIT.
**For our Canadian Crew: you should definitely do this unit! Many themes are intertwined, sharing historical events, storylines, and struggles that overlap with Canada’s own history. It is so amazing in the way it brings up difficult conversations and pulls you into empathy and understanding—from all perspectives.**
CORE CONNECTIONS COMPANION:
This can be used as core curriculum (with Core Connections) or as an extracurricular (without Core Connections). To see what is covered in each unit, go HERE.
The Core Connections are AMAZING and designed so your family can take a break from your other curriculum during the holiday season and focus in together as a family (without sacrificing core learning). Learning all about why leaves change color and other amazing biochemistry, as well as learning language arts from Shakespeare and the Pilgrims! You can also skip the Core Connections, and use this in addition to your school days as an extracurricular or history unit leading up to Thanksgiving.
Just a FEW of the concepts and learning that are covered by our utilization of over 40 PRIMARY sources (while keeping it INCREDIBLY fun and engaging) include: Pequot Natives and their culture, Narragansett Natives, Wampanoag, Mohawk, Mohegan…living off the land, the actual writings of the treaty with Massasoit, the journal entries of the Pilgrims, the terms of the hostage swap, the feud between Tisquantum and Massasoit, the Mayflower (as recorded by the Pilgrims, not modern history books), the feast!, the difference between Separatists/Puritans/Pilgrims, King James and the Church of England, the Netherlands, the Speedwell, John Oldham, Captain Stone, a really incredible twist (we won’t spoil it), weir fishing, John Carver, the Winslow family (governors of Plymouth)… basically, the list goes on (and on) and includes all things “Thanksgiving.”
DIFFERENCES FROM THE NORM:
While most of our units contain 12 lessons, the Growing Guidebook contains lessons # 1- 9 where the Advanced Guidebook contains lesson # 1 – 9 and also bonus lessons # 10 – 15. This was done for organizational purposes (where the bonus lessons get into the “darker side” of things), but is still the same amount of content as a regular 12-lesson unit.
See “IMPORTANT” page inside unit which details the purpose of the bonus lessons.
