Your Preschooler or Kindergartener Will Enjoy These Fun Facts about Thanksgiving!

November 16, 2020

Our students learn about the history of Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful during this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Fun Facts

  • Turkey may not have been on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. That’s right. The tradition of sitting down to a freshly roasted and seasoned turkey may have come about later. There is no record of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians sharing a turkey during the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. Instead, lobster, seal and swans were the main items on the menu.
  • The first Thanksgiving lasted three days. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is only a one-day affair. The first Thanksgiving, however, wound up being extended to three days because of the success of the Pilgrims’ initial corn harvest and the later arrival of the Wampanoag Indians with additional food.
  • The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade had Central Park zoo animals. Originally called the “Macy’s Christmas Parade” to kick off the holiday season, the first parade in 1924 included monkeys, bears, camels and elephants borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
  • 19% of Americans secretly dislike turkey but eat it for the sake of tradition. Despite the appearance of enthusiasm, many people actually dislike turkey, complaining that it’s dry and bland. Thanksgiving is the only day of the year that they eat turkey because of the long-standing tradition.

We hope you enjoyed learning these fun facts and have a Happy Thanksgiving!