Thanksgiving Then and Now STEAM Centers

Thanksgiving Then and Now STEAM Centers

Hey y'all! Science centers have been a game changer in our classroom. If you haven't tried them yet, you can check out how we do them in our classroom here (and grab a freebie!). 

Thanksgiving centers are integrated with reading, writing, science, and social studies—an awesome way to fit it all in! 

On Monday, we work as a whole group. We read a book about the first Thanksgiving, then do a "then and now" sort in our notebooks. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, students go to six different centers to learn and explore about pilgrims and Native Americans.

Students will build pilgrim houses, make quahog necklaces, and build a Mayflower.

Three centers in this unit include informational books about the first thanksgiving and the people that were there. There are printable mini books on who the Pilgrims were, the life of Native Americas at the time, and what we know about the first Thanksgiving, all written in kid terms. 

On Friday, we come together as a group to make butter just like the pilgrims used to do. (You know, with heavy cream from the grocery store and using Tupperware containers!) The kids LOVE this activity and it's a fabulous way to get the wiggles out on a Friday afternoon. 

And the best part of these science units is that ALL THE LESSON PLANS ARE INCLUDED! Materials needed, how tos, science notebook pages, plans, the whole nine yards…They're all there!

You can check out the Thanksgiving STEAM Unit here and all of the science units here. I hope you found some new ideas for your classroom. Be sure to follow me on TPT for all the latest information, updates, and resources. I hope you have a wonderful week.

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