This year in Kindergarten we learned about the Pilgrims by pretending we were the Pilgrims! We played the Pilgrim Simulation Game, and I think it is one of the best ways to learn about the Pilgrim's first year in the New World. (This was adapted from what I taught previously in Third Grade.)
We learned that the Pilgrims were a group of people that wanted to leave England because the King told them they all had to go to the same church and worship God the way he wanted them to. A company gave them two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, to use on their voyage. Shortly after their departure, the Speedwell ran into some difficulties and they had to return to shore, where 102 passengers cramped onto the Mayflower. It was crowded.
Students were split into two colonies. We gave them a very small space to sit on the carpet or they would go overboard!! In order to cross the Great Ocean students had to perform tasks like tying their shoes or exercising to simulate fixing the sails and a beam that had cracked during the voyage. They also answered many questions about the Pilgrims.
When the Mayflower reached the New World, the men went on shore to explore. Women were sent to wash clothing...imagine how smelly they were! The Pilgrims were frightened by the Indians, whom looked and dressed differently then they did. They were also scared by the strange noises they heard at night. They chose a Governor and set up rules they would follow.
The first job on land was to build houses, since colder weather was coming! Students ran into the forest to cut down trees. Once the tree was brought back to the colony, they cut boards to build homes. Pilgrims used clay and stone to build chimneys and had thatch roofs. Here are some photographs from our building day! We used crayon and construction paper. They needed to use teamwork to complete as many houses as possible in limited time!
Food in the New World was a challenge for the Pilgrims. They were used to English foods like salted fish, beef, pork, and mutton. Many Pilgrims were not interested in the new foods that the Indians showed them and refused to eat the game, berries, and shellfish that were available. To earn food, each colony had to write foods that began with each letter of the alphabet. They did a nice job sounding out their words.
Squanto helped the Pilgrims plant corn which had a good harvest.
At the end of the first year in the New World, the Pilgrim had 52 survivors, 20 acres of food, and they had build 11 homes. They had made peace with the Indians and were thankful for all they had. The Governor set aside three days for a feast.
About a month after the feast, another shipload of Pilgrims arrived....and the journey started all over again!
Our simulation was such a fun way to learn about the Pilgrims!
