1. Over the years, many people took samples of Plymouth Rock. Today, it is now 1/3 the size it was during the time of the Pilgrims.
2. The sailors on the Mayflower didn’t care for the Pilgrims and called them “flib-gabbety puke stockings” because so many of the Pilgrims got seasick.
3. Would you wear the same clothes for 66 days? The Pilgrims did!
4. The Pilgrims didn’t have forks on the table at Thanksgiving. Forks weren’t popular until the 18th century.
5. There weren’t any ovens to make pumpkin pie and sugar was in short supply. The Pilgrims also didn’t have cranberry sauce to eat at Thanksgiving.
6. Historians believe that in addition to turkey, the Pilgrims ate lots of venison, cod, clams, sea bass and lobster at their Thanksgiving feast.
7. Did you know that there wasn’t any milk at the first Thanksgiving? There weren’t any cows brought over on the Mayflower!
8. Here is a list of some of the unusual names of some of the Pilgrims: Oceanus, Resolved, Peregrine, Wrestling, Love, Remember, Humility
9. The Mayflower traveled at a speed of 2 mph and traveled 2750 miles from England to North America. The voyage took 66 days.
10. During the first winter, most of the Pilgrims lived aboard the Mayflower. Half the Pilgrims did NOT survive the first winter.
11. Of the 102 passengers, there were 34 children on the Mayflower’s voyage.
12. The Wampanoag Indians were guests at the first Thanksgiving.
Extension Activities:
1. Each family on-board the Mayflower could only bring one trunk of possessions with them. What would be 7 things you’d pack?
4. Illustrate a factoid about the Pilgrims.
5. What would be the two most difficult things for you if you were a pilgrim living in the 1600s?
Additional Resources of Interest: