Mayflower Living for Wee Folks

Despite our rocky start, our Mayflower day was still fun.  My goal was to give the kids a small, prek/k friendly, taste of life aboard a boat…

Families tacked up blankets to give themselves a little privacy aboard the Mayflower.  Although we couldn’t mimic the crowded conditions aboard, we did decide to set up some “living quarters”.

Our quarters were a bit fragile (playing football in and around quarters, as well as a 20 month old on the loose has a way of doing that).

After some finagling we were set for our day.  To get in the mood, the boys decided to dress the part!

Due to ‘severe’ (imaginary) storms, we had dinner in our living quarters below deck.

Later that night we bedded down for the night in our tight quarters.  They had a blast and think living on the Mayflower would be lots of fun.  Mommy, on the other hand, is so thankful for modern day comforts like a dry home, soft mattress and SPACE!  One night of my feet sticking out of our living quarters and little limbs smacking me was enough.

Maybe in the future, they will grasp how hard life was on the Mayflower and how incredibly easy we have it nowadays…  For now they enjoyed stepping into another life for a while.

Part 2 of our Pilgrim learning adventure found here.
Measuring – A lesson in comparison – Noah’s Ark vs. the Mayflower.

Lessons in Thanksgiving: Links to helpful “hands-on” learning ideas.

Favorite Thanksgiving/Pilgrim/Mayflower Books of ours:
The Story of Thanksgiving ~ This charming board book is the perfect introduction to Thanksgiving for the 1-4 year old.  We loved reading it last year, but were unable to get it from the library in time, this year…
Pilgrim Cat ~ This is one of their favorite pilgrim books.  It follows a pilgrim girl and her cat during their Mayflower trip as well as first year in Plymouth.  Keegan had me read this to him 5 or 6 times the first day we had it.  It introduces several key Thanksgiving story themes in a very relatable way.  The boys were running around taking turns being Samoset and Squanto.
On the Mayflower: Voyage of the Ship’s Apprentice and a Passenger Girl ~ This charming book includes photographs from a reinactment aboard the Mayflower II.  The boys found the photographs mesmerizing and loved the perspective being from the young boy and girl.
You Wouldn’t Want To Sail On The Mayflower!: A Trip That Took Entirely Too Long ~ Interesting tidbits about the trials of life aboard the Mayflower.  For kids a bit older, but easily adaptable down to this age.
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 ~ Another great book that gives you an overview of life on the Mayflower.
Off to Plymoth Rock! ~ This lyrical, rhyming book is the first book Xander ever received.  When my mom gave it to me at the Thanksgiving of 2003, none of us knew that Xander was growing inside of me!  The hopeful grandma had signed it – ‘from Mom/MIL/sometime Oma.’  Subtle mom, real subtle. 😉
Squanto And The Miracle Of Thanksgiving ~ A beautiful telling of Squanto’s story and how God brought him to the aid of the Pilgrims.
Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy ~ The photographs in this book are captivating for my boys.  The text is a bit advanced for a 3 and 5 year old, although there are times that Xander enjoys it.  We will definitely get this and the girl companion book as the kids get older.
Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl ~ We love this peek at the life of a pilgrim girl.  The photographs are amazing and really help transport you back in time.
Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times ~ This is the third in this photographic series and gives a lot of factual information about the Wampanoag.  
Saying Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving ~ Ok, this one is fiction, but it is a beautiful and inspiration look at praying a prayer of Thanksgiving.  I’m so glad we’ve added this to our collection!
Stories of the Pilgrims ~ We discovered this a few years ago.  It is an engaging read-aloud that follows the pilgrims from their days in England under persecution, to their journey over to the New World in search of freedom to worship God as they wished.  As we read this, it opened up dialogue about how deep their faith was and what they were willing to sacrifice in order to worship God.