Turkeys and Trivia

              

                I suppose it was making our traditional Thanksgiving oreo turkeys with my grandson Henry that brought back memories of the Thanksgiving trivia class activity I so enjoyed in my developmental English classes at St. Louis Community College.  I had purchased The Thanksgiving Book (1987) and after reading a brief history of the holiday, I thought it would be fun/educational to have a trivia contest and then distribute some of the oreo turkeys (cookies with chocolate icing, Hershey kisses, candy corn and a red hot) as a treat.

                I wish I had kept a copy of the actual trivia questions, but I do remember most of them after taking a fresh look at the Thanksgiving book.  Some of the questions were giveaways, such as name three foods associated with this holiday.  However, many tested our memories of what for me were early lessons about the first Thanksgiving when I was in elementary school.  Here are a few of the actual questions I asked them:

·         What year did the Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts?     1620

·         Why did these people leave Europe and make a dangerous trip to America?   Religious freedom

·         What was the name of their ship?   Mayflower  

·         When was the first Thanksgiving and why was it a special meal?   In 1621, after only 50% of the settlers survived the winter, Governor Bradford called for a three-day feast to celebrate the harvest with the Indians who helped them

·         How did the Indians help them?    They taught them to plant corn and squash, to fish and hunt

·         Name two people among those first colonists:  John Smith, Squanto, Pocahontas, etc.

·         When did football become the official Thanksgiving sport?    1880s

·         What President established the holiday as an annual, fixed holiday?   President Lincoln declared the 4^th Thursday for the annual national holiday, proclaiming, “Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”  (l863)

·         List three traditional Thanksgiving foods.

  I wouldn’t have been able to answer all these questions correctly,  but some students had really low scores.  The activity was for fun, but  I think It also was an opportunity to remind these students that there was more to Thanksgiving than getting together to eat too much, visit, and watch television.  I suggested they take these facts to their gatherings and impress everyone  with all they knew about the holiday and its history. 

                I must have given some prize to the students with the most correct answers, but I am sure every student was offered an oreo turkey.  Only a few students in one class used a few of these like hockey pucks to toss across the room.  Not one of my more impressive groups.  Most students reacted quite favorably. 

                Many things have changed since I enjoyed those trivia contests with my classes.  However,  being reminded of the risks those first settlers took for that chance for freedom in a new world is worth remembering and shouldn’t change.  And making oreo turkeys remains an annual Thanksgiving activity from generation to generation in our family.  One can never have enough chocolate whatever the occasion!