~Family Time~

What Shall I Leave My Children?

The open sky, the brown earth, the leafy tree,

The golden sand, the blue water, the stars in courses

and the awareness of this.

Birdsong, butterflies, clouds and rainbows,

Sunlight, moonlight, firelight.

A hand reaching down for a small hand,

Impromptu praise, an unexpected kiss, a straight answer.

The glow of enthusiasm, and a sense of wonder,

Long days to be merry in and nights without fear.

The memory of a good home.

Anonymous

I always enjoy seeing and hearing about the family adventures, joys, and traditions that the Room 24 children and parents are establishing. The comfort and stability of the family is talked about by the first graders in my classroom on a daily basis. It reminds me of the precious times I cherish with my own family.

Every summer for the past 30-plus years my husband and I have spent a week of family time ~ hiking, fishing, deep-breath-resting, and relaxation in the mountain town of Graeagle in Plumas County, California. It started with just my husband and I...a few years later we brought our firstborn and three years later our youngest son joined us at 2 months of age! Throughout the years the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and cherished friends have joined in. Now our sons are continuing the tradition by introducing their lovely wives to our family retreat experience. Over the years I've come to realize that family traditions truly have the potential to inspire and comfort.

In her book, "The Joy of Family Traditions",Jennifer Trainer Thompson writes, 

"Family traditions do so much more than commemorate a milestone; they can serve as guideposts along the way, helping us to shape our daily lives and foster values—indeed, they can be an oasis in an increasingly hectic and busy world. Traditions can help us grow and flourish; they reflect and inspire the way we parent and how we honor the passage of time, achievement, and meaningful moments in our lives." 

~Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours~

Thanksgiving Preview

Next week my Brentwood School first graders will study a bit of American history...the journey of The Pilgrims to America. We will spend the week learning about the Pilgrims' experiences, their ship~ The Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving feast.


To prepare my lessons about the first Thanksgiving I looked up some interesting information about the Pilgrims' brave adventure which began in 1620 when The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members on board. During the 66-day voyage, the Pilgrims faced many storms, two deaths and one birth of a baby boy appropriately named 'Oceanus'.


The captain probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow.


Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing. The cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on the lower deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet.


So, where did the Pilgrims stay on The Mayflower? That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters. The passengers were 'the cargo'!


I hope my first graders enjoy our study of the first Thanksgiving and the voyage of The Mayflower! For detailed information in a kid-friendly format, check out this excellent website on the subject:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/

Thanksgiving Lessons~ 2010

This past week my Brentwood School first graders took a break from the rigorous first grade curriculum to study a bit of American history...the journey of The Pilgrims to America. We spent the week learning about the Pilgrims' experiences, their ship~ The Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving feast. Our national holiday really stems from the feast held in the autumn of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate the colony's first successful harvest.

The Pilgrims' brave adventure began in 1620 when The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members on board. During the 66-day voyage, the Pilgrims faced many storms, two deaths and one birth. On November 11, 1620, The Mayflower reached what is now the shores of Massachusetts.

A highlight for me was seeing the children create charming oil pastels and watercolor paintings of The Mayflower. We recently studied vocabulary words in a Transportation Unit that included learning nouns like 'cargo' and 'ship'. I think this may have enriched their understanding of The Mayflower voyage! As the children drew their beautiful depictions of this merchant ship, they learned that it brought the English Colonists to New England in 1620. It was not at all like the cruise ships that many people travel on today.The Mayflower didn't have private cabins with windows and beds for each person. There were no TV's, air conditioners, fancy meals, shops, or swimming pools. Traveling on the ocean 400 years ago was a very different experience than it is today.

Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing, or big pieces of wood, from one place to another to be sold. Before The Mayflower sailed to New England, it had been sailing around Europe carrying food and cloth. This cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on this deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet. A little water would leak in anyway, so this area was always cold, damp, and dark.

The storage deck also had very low ceilings. They didn't need to make the decks very high because barrels and boxes weren't very tall . The ship was built this way to save space for the decks where the sailors lived and to make the ship safer. A ship that was too tall might tip over and sink in the water.

The crew lived on the upper decks. There were about 26 crewmembers on The Mayflower on the journey from England. The Master, in charge of sailing the ship, was Christopher Jones (we would call him “captain” today.) He probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow. There were also officers on The Mayflower, who were responsible for sailing and navigating the ship.

The ship carried 102 men, women and children in 1620, on its only trip to New England. So, where did the Pilgrims live on The Mayflower? That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters. The passengers were 'the cargo'!

Each year the children at Brentwood School will hear varied details of this important slice of American history in their classrooms. I hope our study of the Pilgrims' mode of transportation helped to bring our first grade vocabulary lessons to life.

For further study visit:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/

Happy Thanksgiving to my Room 24 families!
http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/